So you’re trying to work out which SEO company to work with and you come across a company that guarantees they will get you on Google’s first page.
It sounds good, right?
Who wouldn’t love a guarantee like that?
The trouble is no agency can guarantee that they will get you on page one for a competitive keyword that drives traffic and sales to your business.
Sure, they may be able to guarantee that they’ll get you on page one for a long-tail keyword such as “that guy Dan Richardson who lives in Liverpool and works as an SEO Consultant“, but I’m not going to be very impressed with that because no one ever searches for that keyword so it adds zero value to my business.
My advice to anyone considering working with someone who offers this kind of guarantee is run!
Is It Possible To Guarantee First Page Rankings?
In theory yes, as mentioned above it would be very easy for me to guarantee page one, even a position one ranking for a keyword that no one ever searches for such as “that guy Dan Richardson who lives in Liverpool and works as an SEO Consultant“…search for it now, I probably rank no.1 with no effort just by virtue of having mentioned in here.
..but that doesn’t mean anything, it won’t drive any traffic to my site let alone generate any meaningful revenue.
Anyone who guarantees first-page rankings and when questioned shows you an obscure zero-volume keyword is attempting to pull the wool over your eyes.
You’re best walking away and choosing a more honest SEO to work with.
Why You Can’t Guarantee First Page Google Rankings
Guaranteeing first page rankings on Google is impossible for many reasons, here are some of them:
- Google makes changes to its algorithm over 10x a day, this means that rankings frequently fluctuate with very little indication why.
- There are more than 200 ranking factors, there are a whole lot of variables when it comes to ranking any site.
- Competitors may overtake you at any point, you may win the top position but then a competing site may make changes which cause them to climb above you.
- No one has a ‘special relationship’ with Google, despite what some agencies may say about being Google partners none of this will do anything to help you rank better.
- Change happens all the times, ranking positions are in a constant state of flux, holding onto a number one position for months or years is not common.
No SEO has any control over any of these factors, all we can do is optimize your site as best we can and hope that Google rewards our efforts.
What To Do If You Are Guaranteed First Page Rankings
If you speak to an SEO agency that guarantees they will rank you on page one, here are a few things we suggest you do:
- Run away.
- Say no thanks.
- Leave and never return.
- Choose a different agency/freelancer immediately.
- Cancel your contract and hang up.
…you get the idea, agencies and freelancers that offer these kinds of guarantees are more concerned about getting your money than they are about offering a valuable service.
Do You Guarantee First Page Rankings?
No, I don’t.
However, as an SEO Consultant with over ten years SEO experience and a portfolio of sites that now make me a full-time living I guarantee that I know what I’m talking about when it comes to ranking websites.
I would never guarantee that a particular keyword will get to page one, however I am confident that I can and will get any site I work on to grow.
I make my full-time living from my portfolio of sites, if I couldn’t rank I couldn’t eat.
Case in point, below is one of my newer sites that I’ve been working on for the last 18 months:
