I have read a lot of threads in DP where members or SEO freelancers offering guaranteed top 10 in Google for competitive keywords, and if they dont reached the rank they guarantee they will return the payment. I really think offering money back guarantee in any SEO services is useless and just pure sales pitch. I wrote more about it in my blog, why this kind of offer must be avoided - http://louieramos.com/2010/09/seo-money-back-guaranteed-offer-avoid-it/ Just want to share it to you guys and to those who are thinking of using this kind of services, stay away from it. All the best Louie
Well LouieRamos, I agree what you said in your blog, being an SEO I know that search engine optimization needs investment, investment of time, investment of money, investment of efforts etc. and it is truly hard to return money, that is why I don't trust on them who claim that they will return the money, but let me tell you one thing: "If they are willing to give your money back, why not just pay for it when they get it ranked, its the same thing right?" NO, these are not the same. What is the guarantee that the customer will pay back to the SEO if his/her site reached to the first page of Google search? Second, if an SEO has ability and capability to bring certain results then of course he/she can claim such things. You need to judge his/her work prior choosing the SEO for your sites. It is basically the clients responsibility to give his website to the knowledgeable person.
I don't see anything wrong with payment-by-results... which is what this basically is. There's a LOT of scams out there so people don't know who to trust. "Payment by results" is just a way for people to trust you a little more. BUT if you're selling your SEO services like this, you MUST make sure you have control of everything you need... e.g. you need to be able to make changes to their website, and they must agree not to change it without checking with you first. Otherwise they could change their website and all your SEO work would be gone. I know some BIG businesses that work in this way... and they get clients because they are happy to PROVE they can do the work. Their clients have usually used poor companies in the past who have taken their money and provided little or no result.
I agree, it should be payment by result too. What I just can't believe is there are seo freelancer offering money back guarantee on their services which I think is no difference from paying them when the final result is achieved. I understand from a provider point of view. As I mentioned above, there is no point of offering "money back guarantee" since its the same thing as paying when the final result is achieved. Let say John is the SEO service provider and Luke is the client and John told Luke OK this is how much it will cost you to get your site ranked, pay me in advanced and just to gain the client's (Luke) trust John will say "if we dont reach your goal we will return your money guarantee"... It's the same thing as paying in the end if the money will be return anyway when the goal is not reached. My main point is, this "money back" guarantee catch phrase its just a sales pitch, and you cant give this pitch in any proper SEO services because there is always an overhead cost and the provider need to spend to get links, and how can he give the money back incase he cant reached the goal if he already have spent it.