TJ Kelly

SEO Scams: The Incomplete List

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Below is a list of SEO scams & requests we’ve received over the years. Scams are everywhere! Check this list to make sure you don’t lose money![/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]SEO Scams.

SEO Scam Requests

Every SEO company gets scam requests, and we’re no exception. In fact, I’ve written about a sneaky SEO scam before, and several dozen other SEOs commented to thank me for exposing it.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text][/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]

Tyler Weston · rockstarseo22@gmail.com · (802) 424-0544

“Google has made several changes to their algorithm…”

Like the above, these emails come from a different name every time, but they all follow the same formula.[/vc_column_text][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner width=”5/6″ offset=”vc_col-sm-offset-1″][vc_column_text]Google has made several changes to their algorithm recently that help sites like yours to rank better. We specialize in helping our client’s sites to meet the requirements of the algorithm in order to achieve top rankings and gain a ton of traffic/sales. I would like to offer you a free consultation to give you an analysis of where your site is now and tell you what we can do for you. Just let me know if you’re interested and we can schedule a time to speak.

Thank you
Tyler Weston

rockstarseo22@gmail.com
(802) 424-0544[/vc_column_text][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][vc_column_text]Unsolicited SEO emails are the worst. Never answer them.

I googled the phone number, (802) 424-0544.

The usual treasure trove of “who called me?” results appeared. Never a good sign.

But the bottom result caught my eye:

SEO Scam: Tyler Weston.

So I clicked.

It seems someone got fed up and decided to have a little fun at Tyler Weston’s expense. And capitalize on search traffic, I’m sure.

Be warned! “Tyler Weston” doesn’t exist and this is a scam![/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]

“I was just looking at your _ site”

These emails come from a different name every time, but they all follow the same formula.[/vc_column_text][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner width=”5/6″ offset=”vc_col-sm-offset-1″][vc_column_text]I was just looking at your [insert contact page <title> tag here] site and see that your website has the potential to get a lot of visitors. I just want to tell you, In case you didn’t already know… There is a website network which already has more than 16 million users, and the majority of the users are interested in websites like yours.

By getting your website on this network you have a chance to get your site more visitors than you can imagine. It is free to sign up and you can read more about it here: http://some-shady-url…

Now, let me ask you… Do you need your website to be successful to maintain your business? Do you need targeted traffic who are interested in the services and products you offer? Are looking for exposure, to increase sales, and to quickly develop awareness for your site?

If your answer is YES, you can achieve these things only if you get your site on the network I am talking about. This traffic network advertises you to thousands, while also giving you a chance to test the service before paying anything at all. All the popular websites are using this service to boost their traffic and ad revenue! Why aren’t you? And what is better than traffic? It’s recurring traffic! That’s how running a successful website works… Here’s to your success!

Find out more here: http://another-shady-url…[/vc_column_text][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][vc_column_text]

Who/what to look out for

  • Loraine – zpouvocnnb@gratainmet.com
[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]Unsolicited web design and online marketing emails are the worst. Never answer them.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]

“Digital marketing agency has a few openings”

This one talks a lot about how great and different “our company” is, but they never say the name of the company! I wonder why.[/vc_column_text][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner width=”5/6″ offset=”vc_col-sm-offset-1″][vc_column_text]I am contacting you because our digital marketing agency has a few openings and we are looking for a handful of new businesses to help get to the top of the search engines and flood their sites with interested customers.

I know you probably get these messages all the time, but our company is truly different than 95% of other agencies, and we can show you the proof. We are happy to share specific results we have gotten for our clients, what they have said about us, and how we can help you to grow your business online through the most powerful digital marketing channels available today.

Our company CEO and founder has been featured on Inc.com, Chicago Tribune, Huffington Post, and a variety of other prominent news outlets. We are leaders in our industry and can confidently create a digital marketing solution that will get you the opportunities you need to grow your business and take your company to the next level.

Contact us today to inquire about a FREE SEO (search-engine optimization) audit, and we will identify specific errors on your site, check your site’s speed performance, assess mobile usability, and identify the search terms you are ranking in Google for today that could be improved upon to see big results!

Just in case you were wondering about cost, here are a few of our packages:

1. Small Business Package
$1,000/month – 1,500/month

What’s Included: Website Audit, Keyword Research, On-Page Recommendations, Google Compliant Link-Building, Monthly Analysis, Monthly Reporting (and a dozen other services at an “at need” basis).

2. Medium to Large Business Package
$2,000/month – 3,000/month

What’s Included: Website Audit, Keyword Research, On-Page Recommendations, Content Strategy, Google Compliant Link-Building,Competitor Analysis, Custom Campaign Development and Management (and a dozen other services at an “at need” basis).

I would like to set up a time to talk with you about your business and discuss providing a free website audit. What would be the best time to reach you and at what number?

Thanks,
Chris Rodgerson[/vc_column_text][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][vc_column_text]

Who/what to look out for

  • Chris Rodgerson, marketing7partners@gmail.com
[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]Also: these prices are unrealistic. I’m sure that’s probably the point of the crappy email scam, but it makes the rest of us look bad![/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]

“Interested in improving your rankings in Google?”

Same formula, different day.

[/vc_column_text][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner width=”5/6″ offset=”vc_col-sm-offset-1″][vc_column_text]Are you interested in improving your rankings in Google? There is a massive amount of traffic and sales available for those in the top spots, so I just wanted to reach out and see if that was something you wanted a consultation on.

I am passionate about what I do and would love to give you a breakdown of what needs to be done, how long it will take and what the costs are. Let me know if this is something you’re interested in and we can set up a time to chat.

Thank You,

Roman T. – Search Engine Marketing Specialist

P.S. If you’re not interested for any reason, just reply back with the word “remove” in the subject line and I won’t reach out to you again. Thanks.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][vc_column_text]

Who/what to look out for

  • Roman T. · frontlinewebsolution@gmail.com · (302) 659-9573
[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]The P.S. is a nice touch, don’t ya think?

Google it.

Something amazing happens when you google these spammers: nothing. There are zero legitimate results for these “company” emails and phone numbers.

You’d think an SEO company would at least be found for searches on their own info.

Oh, right. It’s not a real company.

Here’s what you get when you google frontlinewebsolution@gmail.com:

SEO Scam: frontlinewebsolution@gmail.com SERP.

SEO Scam: frontlinewebsolution@gmail.com Spam Reports.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]

“I was reading your site at [your URL]”

This is the most convincing one I’ve seen yet.

[/vc_column_text][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner width=”5/6″ offset=”vc_col-sm-offset-1″][vc_column_text]I was reading your site at https://[your URL]…

I’m a local marketing expert with over 20 years experience working for major companies and organizations like Boeing, UCLA, and the State of California.

I noticed that you weren’t ranking well for some or all of your [your industry/niche] keywords and that you don’t have as many followers as you can on social media. I personally have over over 20,000 real people following me on my personal Twitter account, for example.

If you don’t believe how important Google ranking and social media can be to your business then just read these articles in the Wall Street Journal:

https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052702303801304579407284034257414
https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052702303505504577406751747002494

As you know Google and social media are an important way to reach your target customers and get new customers and is often the most cost effective way to get new business as well. If you aren’t making a consistent effort to rank on Google and improve your social media presence then you are literally losing out to your competitors every day who are taking Google ranking and social media marketing more seriously than you are. I’m not trying to be critical just trying to help you improve your business.

I can guarantee results for you to get local, national, or international customers via Google, social media, and other high tech avenues. I employ only the most up-to-date, safest, most ethical, and cutting edge technology to get the job done. I may be a little bit over qualified, having launched many of my own successful companies, but I want to make myself available to those who are looking for a real expert to assist them.

If you are serious about your business and want to improve your Google ranking and social media presence and would like a free no obligation review of your business and website, where I can point out the areas that you can improve, feel free to email me at jordanolder@gmail.com.

Best regards,

Jordan Older
Tel 805 644 9981
jordanolder@gmail.com[/vc_column_text][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][vc_column_text]

Why this one is so convincing

All of these spam emails have some degree of accuracy. They use automated scraper tools to lift basic details about the site:

  • main site name/title
  • base URL/domain
  • your email/phone/contact info

But this one goes a step further. This one identified the industry/niche that my website operates in. In this case, it happened to be Real Estate (duh).

Sure, the phrase “real estate” is in the site title and it’s all over the pages. But it takes some contextual analysis of the words on the page to correctly identify that the site is about real estate, and thus would be interested in—and I quote—”real estate keywords.”

They're Learning.

They’re learning.[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]

Who/what to look out for

  • Jordan Older · jordanolder@gmail.com · (805) 644-9981
[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]Jordan here sure is confident in himself.

  • “I’m a local marketing expert”
  • “I personally have over over 20,000 real people following me”
  • “I can guarantee results for you.”
  • And my personal favorite: “I may be a little bit over qualified.”

As always, google them.

Like the others, there are zero legitimate results for these “company” emails and phone numbers.

If Jordan were a real person or represented a real SEO agency, we’d expect to find some evidence online. A website, forum posts, a Twitter profile, something!

But no. Nothing. Of course. Here’s what you get when you google jordanolder@gmail.com:

SEO Scam jordanolder@gmail.com SERP.

 

And, like frontlinewebsolutions above, “Jordan” here has plenty of entries from Akismet and other systems automatically flagging it as spam.

SEO Scam jordanolder@gmail.com Spam Reports.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

One thought on “SEO Scams: The Incomplete List

  1. Spaces1999

    Frontline Web Solutions have been forum spamming forever. Sick of seeing that name, clogging up spam filters.

    Reply

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