There are a few
warning signs that
you may be dealing
with a rogue SEO.
It's far from a
comprehensive list,
so if you have any
doubts, you should
trust your
instincts. By all
means, feel free to
walk away if the SEO:
- owns shadow
domains
- puts links
to their other
clients on
doorway pages
- offers to
sell keywords in
the address bar
- doesn't
distinguish
between actual
search results
and ads that
appear on search
results pages
- guarantees
ranking, but
only on obscure,
long keyword
phrases you
would get anyway
- operates
with multiple
aliases or
falsified WHOIS
info
- gets traffic
from "fake"
search engines,
spyware, or
scumware
- has had
domains removed
from Google's
index or is not
itself listed in
Google
- requests
your FTP account
information or
root access to
your server
If you feel that
you were deceived by
an SEO in some way,
you may want to
report it.
In the United
States, the Federal
Trade Commission
(FTC) handles
complaints about
deceptive or unfair
business practices.
To file a complaint,
visit:
http://www.ftc.gov/
and click on "File a
Complaint Online,"
call 1-877-FTC-HELP,
or write to:
Federal Trade
Commission
CRC-240
Washington, D.C.
20580
If your complaint
is against a company
in a country other
than the United
States, please file
it at
http://www.econsumer.gov/.