1. Undue emphasis on top rankings
Achieving top rankings should be an important aspect of your SEO project. But more importantly, you should focus on your return on investment i.e. how much money you can actually make through your SEO project. Remember that SEO is ultimately a marketing channel and it is important for you to reap good returns from your investment.
The truth about ranking is that if your website appears at the top position for some poor converting, low volume, low competition keywords, it won’t provide any real business benefits. Therefore, when you are considering ranking for keywords, focus on search terms that have commercial value, also known as buyer keywords. A good SEO company will help you to achieve more targeted traffic and sales conversions rather than mere top rankings.
2. Use of automated submissions and links
If you interview some of the SEO companies in Toronto, you will discover that several of them use robots to create automated links. Stay away from such companies. Many of them will offer you, for a relatively low fee, services like mass directory submission, article submissions, forum comments and social bookmarking. You shouldn’t do business with such companies because these are typical examples of what Google and other search engines will call “ web spam “.
Don’t be deceived by the low fees they charge for these automated links. If any Toronto SEO firm promises to help you do automated submissions, turn down their offer. It will do you more harm than good. Although you may suddenly see a quick rise in your rankings, you will eventually attract Google’s wrath. Your website will then be banned for trying to use unethical practices to alter your website’s rankings.
3. No List of References
To get the best SEO services Toronto can provide, you must request for a list of successfully optimized websites with contact details. The first success story should even be the company’s website. After all if they can help you succeed with SEO, they should have implemented their strategies to achieve success on their site as well. For instance if a company targets a keyword like " SEO Toronto ", they should be able to appear within the first two pages of Google search results.
When you are assessing the references, look out for organic keywords, conversions, revenue and traffic. Make sure that the company has experience with businesses that are similar to yours. You can also read the case studies and testimonials on their site. If you can’t get any references or testimonials, it is safer to look for another company.
4. Their SEO content is low in quality
Avoid SEO companies that don’t provide good quality content. If they simply write for search engines without much regard for their human audience, it is a sign of incompetence. The content the company creates should be shareable on social media networks. It should also help you to build trust and credibility with your readers. Opt for a company whose content includes longer keywords and promotes strong following on social media.