people have mentioned that they're being contact by these people by telephone.. how are they harvesting phone numbers? do they just randomly look up domain names and call the owners?
Wow... That site is such a joke! They say that they don't use doorway pages, yet have something called SEE's. (?) They are not a bit fan of foums either (wonder why ; ) I really would like to call these guys up and ask them to give me a quote, and tell me exactly what they will do to the site. Maybe I should show them an already seo'd site and see what they want to do with that... Man, they would get so mad with all the questions I asked. lol. Jen, I'm really sorry that you got burnt. I hope that you don't have a bad impression of ALL SEO's now. Not everyone is like that. All I can suggest, is for you to buy a new domain, join in with the forums, and get a good idea of what you need to do in order to SEO a site yourself. There are some great articles out there that can be of real help when you are just learning. In a couple of weeks, you could have picked up the key points of SEO, and understand how to use them really well. If you do decide to employ another SEO, here are a few suggestions. Download the Google Toolbar. Make sure the Page rank meter is switched on. WHen you do your research for a good SEO, make sure that their site hasn't been *grey barred*. This basically means that they either have a new site, or that they have been either penalised or banned by Google. Ask the company EXACTLY what they will be doing. Make a note, then go online and ask people (in forums normally) if this is the right thing to be doing. Make sure you get to see LIVE examples of work that they have performed in the past, and also some testimonials. If possible, try and speak with some of the site owners themselves, and see what they think of the work that has been done. GET IT IN WRITING. If you do get stung, make sure that you have (in writing), what they said would be delivered. Use your instincs. If you don't trust the company, don't use them. Hope this could be of help SE
And today from Google-Guy http://www.webpronews.com/ebusiness/seo/wpn-4-20040630GoogleBansSEOFirmanditsClients.html under the heading Google Bans SEO Firm And It's Clients GoogleGuy recently broke his silence to confirm that Google has taken action against an SEO firm and it's clients for spammy techniques. The SEO company convinced some its clients to use javascript redirects and place hidden links to doorway pages created by the firm. GoogleGuy explains:
well I'm glad Google have started this. Sorry to hear you got conned, but their techniques effect all use honest web masters...
It's outrageous that people can get pissed about like this. This kinda thing puts the SEO industry under a even darker picture than it already has. After the experience I had when I started the business I'd never employ an SEO again.
that's not entirely true. you can send reinclusion requests if traffic power or a similar site got you banned. calmly explain to google what happened, and it's possible that you'll be reincluded. googleguy's actually mentioned this it's also quite possible that you won't be, but it's worth a shot
NEVER, is too strong a word. ordinarily it can take 6-12 months minimum to get re-instated into Google. But If you have been done by TP, then you can get back in very quickly. We have just seen a site get back in by simply going through every bit of code on every single page, and removing the hidden links in the code. It was very intense and time consuming, but it worked. The site has to be 100% clean, without a trace. One single line of TP code is going to dirty your nest, and then Lord knows what will happen with regard getting back in. Google take this sort of action when they are getting grossly abused, remember 'search king'?
What kind of rubbish is that? They will reinclude, if you have a valid reason. I think the original poster does. I know of 2 sites that have been included after being banned.
First major big thanks for all of the help, information and support. I just dropped in to add an update and search for more information to help me on SEO. TP has agreed to refund my money. My complaint went beyond just the Google thing. The whole ordeal was a fiasco from the word go. I still haven't received my funds. My fingers are still crossed. But I do have hope since they have committed themselves to the refund. They did offer to go in and clean my site up, but I refused. The last time they went in they denied us access, which didn't set too well with me as we update every few days. We attempted to "clean" the site ourselves. Question: How can I be certain my site is totally clean? I have not contacted Google for reinclusion yet as I want to be perfectly clean. Any suggestions? Thanks bunches to all of you! Jen
Hi Jen, ther really is no easy way, you are going to have to go through every single line on every single page on the site, plus any style sheets used. You are going to have to look for includes as well, as they could be calling them from anywhere. It really is a case of line by line, every single action of every bit of code scrutinised and understood.
djarcadian, You may have missed an earlier post, it was Traffic Power. Welsh Guy....Thanks, Just as I thought I had it all..... when I check my 404's I see request for their phoney pages (sigh). They did offer to clean the site but I have gotten weary of giving them my password and allowing them into the site again. We are totally self taught and try to manage more sites than we can. I will start right away going line by line, I sure miss the revenue our site once had. Thanks for your input and advice. Jen
I recall that in the UK there is an arguement one can use that one has justifiably lost faith in the company's ability to put things right... from what I have seen in this thread, I would not let these guys near my kettle, let alone a website!!
Jen I am sorry to hear about this. It's sad there are companies out there who knowingly do this...for profit. I hope you at least get your rankings back. The others' are right. Never deal with someone who approaches you. It's like clicking on a link in an email from a sender you do not recognize. You never know what will happen, it's just best not to do it. I hope you come out on top. PS look into filing a small claims suit against the company.
Maybe if all this hadn't happened over 3 years ago... Seriously, how did you manage to dig up a thread this old?