Local Rip Offs

Local PPC Rip Offs

July 13, 2008 Local PPC No Comments

There is a rip off similar to the Local SEO Myth: Local PPC Management . The pitch is always the same: “We get you to the top of every search engine for a price that is too good to be true”. Telesales rooms bombard businesses and make vague promises such as exclusive rights and top positioning which will lead to a surge of new traffic, calls and customers. The majority of the businesses called have no experience with online advertising and are overwhelmed with the information given. They are usually provided with statistics that are irrelevant to their specific industry and location. The sales person can usually talk the business owner into a one month trial period that leads to nothing but frustration and loss. A small number of sales people have been known to be pushy and sometimes violent when the person refuses the “offer of a lifetime”.

If coaxed, the business owner is guided through an unclear signup process over the phone. Poorly or untrained sales people, usually eager to make any deal, may leave out certain details. Some of the time it is intentional as to not give the potential client any reason to re-think the proposition. Other times it is due to a lack of proper training. The sales person will overwhelm the potential client with statistics and promises but forget important facts like the setup & monthly fees.

If signed up the business owner is told they will be contacted by a seemingly nonexistent customer service department. Many of these companies do not have a support team that can handle the amount of customers the sales rooms bring in. The work has to be done quickly and may never be checked for accuracy. If the client is successful with talking to the customer service department they are told it can take a few days to have changes made, though it usually never happens.

Some companies will try to create an illusion that they are representatives or employees of Google or other search engines. This is absolutely false. Companies may earn different certifications and be a part of the many programs the sites offer, but no company gets special treatment. No company pays search engines a flat fee for guaranteed placement. Every company listed under sponsored results pays for every click or impression. Google looks at how well the keywords, ad and website relate to each other to determine every keywords click price. The majority of these companies do not have customer service reps with PPC management experience and perform the minimum needed to temporarily keep the customer happy.

A very generic campaign is usually setup for the client and will only receive attention if the campaign goes over budget. Many companies limit the keywords to ensure they will never reach the budget. The majority of these are extremely long tailed keywords and have a very slim chance of performing for the client. Other companies may promise unlimited keywords but will limit the area the ads will be shown. A small number of companies give the client statistics that may create an illusion that the advertising is working, but has only provided wasted traffic. These examples only work for a limited number of clients and usually results in a high attrition rate.

Any success for the client and the advertising company is a crap shoot. Results from the advertising offers will differ for every client and should only be chosen after the proper research has been done. Unfortunately a large number of small business owners do not have the ambition and/or time to research the proper advertising strategy and rely on the guarantees and statistics that the sales person provides. Again, if the offer is too good to be true, it is.

The Local SEO Myth

June 20, 2008 Local SEO No Comments

Many fraudulent companies are ripping local businesses off with the promise of top positioning on Google, Yahoo and other search engines. This scam usually starts with telesale companies contacting businesses and offering them the first or top positioning on every search engine. The sales person explains this can be achieved for a fraction of the cost of a local ad in the Penny Saver or Yellow Pages. Every company is clamoring for new business in this tight economy and these con artists are trying to sell an offer that’s too good to be true. One type of offer gives the customer a limited number of highly specific keywords. The less experienced companies offer an unlimited combination of highly sought after keywords. Both usually promise first and/or top position of every search engine 24/7. The customer is further enticed with a promise of an “optimized website”. The cost to set up the site is minimal and hosting is only a fraction of a penny a month. For the telesales company this is pure profit!

Businesses are told is that they will appear in the multiple organic sections of every search engine. The newest organic section is a map that occasionally appears when a search is done for a product or service that includes a city and/or state. Several companies are listed by the map with some type of corresponding markings. The regular organic results are usually shown below the “local business results”. All organic placement is determined by algorithms that every search engine keeps a closely guarded secret. Search engines continually change algorithms and the placement continually changes.

Placing organically in search engines can take several weeks and sometimes months. This waiting period gives the telesales company plenty of time to make several billings and gives the customer time to lose interest in or forget the proposition. After a few months most businesses call in to check on their progress or try to look for their keywords online. If they are able to reach a customer service agent they will tell the customer to be patient and they will be up shortly. There is no way to control when and if Google and Yahoo will list any site in the organic listings and in what position. The customer never receives any value and is often ripped off for of hundreds, or even thousands of dollars. The result is high attrition and the reliance of multiple merchant accounts (customers do a lot of charge backs). The attrition is overcome by the rate in which customers can be brought on with massive telesales rooms . The result is high turnover, but much higher profits. The only cost to the company are the telesale rooms.

This rip off can easily be detected by asking for examples of organic positioning and referrals to the companies shown. If the company has truly helped the businesses shown they would be glad to take the calls.