I recently wrote a post explaining what SEO, or Search Engine Optimization is and gave you a very brief outline of how SEO is done. Today, I’d originally planned to talk about SEM, aka Search Engine Marketing but I received an email that I just had to share with you first.

The email, is from someone that I’ve never heard of, came completely unsolicited and is by definition spam. Here’s the text of the email for your perusal:

We would like to get your website on first page of Google.

All of our processes use the most ethical “white hat” Search Engine Optimization techniques that will not get your website banned or penalized.

Please reply and I would be happy to send you a proposal.

Allow me to explain why I believe this to be an SEO scam.

1. No reputable, and knowledgeable SEO specialist will ever promise you a first page Google ranking. Let me say that again: no REPUTABLE or KNOWLEDGEABLE SEO specialist will EVER promise you a first page Google ranking. A first page ranking happens, it is not promised, nor is it bequeathed unto someone.
2. This guy is already telling me that my site could get banned from the search engines for using his techniques. He feels the need to tell me he uses “white hat” (think the old spy vs. spy comics) methods and techniques, yet he’s spamming me for business.
3. Real SEO firms will have their own domain and will send emails from their own domain and not from a gmail or yahoo address.

A legitimate firm that specializes in search engine optimization will be knowledgeable enough and reputable enough to know that they cannot promise you a first page listing. They may want to get you on the first page, but they will not tell you, nor imply to you, that they can get you on the first page of Google.

The best that they can promise is to get your listing “as high as possible” but never flat out say a “first page listing.”

Mr. Scammer, if you happen to be reading this post, I’m not interested.

Had you taken the time to look at this site, you would have noticed that we are an online marketing agency and offer search engine optimization services.