Don’t Be Sucked In

Are you shopping around for Internet marketing services? Don’t be ripped off. Read this article to discover the dirty tricks and appalling approaches to search engine marketing and Google AdWords that so-called experts right here in New Zealand are pushing to you.

In our regular research of SEO services we have uncovered several website marketing companies that practice shockingly deceptive sales pitches with poor results at high cost to their customers. Unfortunately, these customers are none-the-wiser and are so overwhelmed by the concept of Internet marketing that they are easily conned into long-term contracts at extortionate prices because they do not shop around and ask the right questions.

What We Found
We have found the trend is for these search engine marketing companies to prey on the naivety of customers. Business owners and even highly reputable groups of business circles in New Zealand are being conned by search marketing companies.

These companies, usually “one-man-band” outfits, show blaring tell-tale signs of poor ethics, deception and rip-off services. Agencies with these attributes are the ones to steer clear of:

• No physical address or landline phone number on the contact page of their website.
• The agency emailed potential clients without prior permission (breaching the Unsolicited Electronic Messages Act 2007) and indicating ignorance of Internet law.
• The AdWords Qualified badge does not link to a Google page certifying that individual’s professional status. Some agencies refer customers to this link instead to deceive customers into thinking they are qualified. If they are qualified the badge will link to a page like this.
• The site of the agency has not been optimised. It does not have keywords or descriptive title tags itself. (Check this by right-clicking on the web page and selecting “view page source” [Firefox] or “view source” [Internet Explorer] and view the tag. Check the title tag at the top of the browser window).
• The agency has a complicated fee structure or charges clients by the keyword.
• You may be offered a trial period and must cancel (often in writing) before a certain time or else you are automatically locked into long-term contract at a much higher price.
• The agency has tried to take the form of Google or appear as it is working for Google.
• The agency does not offer other Internet marketing services or offline marketing services to help further promote your business. This indicates they are not familiar with marketing strategy, product development, branding and advertising.

Internet marketing is a process that should be done by marketers; not IT people, developers or web designers. Although all you may want is a great Google ad, experienced marketers can give you better value by advising you on your website, your entire marketing strategy, offline marketing and business processes.

Questions to ask your prospective Internet marketer:

• Are you a qualified Google AdWords Individual? see the unique link on their badge for proof
  
• What is your marketing background?
• What is the marketing experience of those working on my campaign?

When shopping for online marketing services, be vigilant. Become familiar with how online marketing works and what you should be paying for the amount and quality of traffic you are expected to receive. Choosing proper Internet marketers and actual qualified professionals will save you money and give you better results.