They Said Your SEO Is Terrible—Now What?
You got a new message through your website’s contact form or a direct email. But instead of being a new customer, it’s someone from another country telling you they can help you with your SEO. What do they mean? Should I do it?
The smart thing to do is to ignore the email if you’re not interested. Many SEO solicitors are out there these days promising to help with everything from content writing to backlinks and even boosting rankings without any real backing. Should you trust them? First, let’s talk about what SEO is and what you should consider before agreeing to someone’s SEO solicitation.
Should I Hire This Person Who Told Me My SEO Was Bad?
If someone reaches out unsolicited claiming your SEO is terrible, take a step back before engaging. Many of these messages are generic scare tactics or even phishing scams designed to create urgency and manipulate you into a hasty decision.
Never pay upfront for SEO services from a cold contact—legitimate professionals will be willing to share a detailed proposal outlining what they plan to do and how they’ll measure results. Before giving them access to sensitive tools like your Google accounts or website backend, ensure you've reviewed their plan and verified their credibility.
If you do decide to hire the SEO person who emailed you, just remember that they are often not a local person. If you have issues with your website, or you want to make content changes, it might take a while for them to respond to you. They also might not be familiar with the area and may try to target customers in the wrong area of your city, or not understand your services very well. A lot of SEO solicitors lately rely on AI to write content, and then post it without feedback to follow through. This could also hurt your website too.
Being able to meet someone in person to talk about SEO and your website can make all the difference. A reputable Indianapolis SEO specialist will prioritize transparency, not pressure.
What Is SEO? What Will They Do To My Website?
First: what is SEO? SEO, or Search Engine Optimization, is the process of improving your website so it ranks higher in search engine results—making it easier for people to find you online.
SEO is a three-pronged attack: technical, content, and authority.
Technical - Does your website run fast and does it have broken links? Do people click around your website or do they only stay on one page and then immediately leave? Technical SEO issues address these problems.
Content - Keep your website up to date with relevant content. Google and other search engines like to gauge if your business is still working and running by how much new and relevant content you have.
Authority - When other websites link to you, your website gains authority. You can generate links by sharing content on social media pages, through news organizations, or through affiliate marketing.
When you are contacted by an SEO solicitor, they may offer some of the following services as part of their SEO strategy.
Fix Technical SEO Issues
A good SEO provider will start by fixing technical issues like slow page speed, broken links, or confusing site structure that can hurt your rankings. In their SEO soliciting email, they might tell you have you have so many URL issues or broken links. These are issues that need to be fixed, but they are often used as a scare tactic in soliciting emails.
Content Writing
Search engines like Google, look at your website and try to understand your business by looking for keywords or key phrases. Based on the keywords on your website, search engines will refer you to searchers if they feel that your website matches their search. You can create content based on these keywords so potential customers find you.
Backlinks
Many solicitors promise more traffic with backlinks. But rather than sharing your content with organizations you trust, many SEO solicitors buy links through shady means and spam your website links all over them. This is a bad practice and can hurt your SEO even more.
What is Good Isn’t Cheap and What is Cheap Isn’t Good
Don’t get scared when it comes to SEO solicitation. Just remember that if it seems too good to be true then it probably is. If anything, an email from an SEO solicitor should prompt you to do your own research to see if what they’re selling is true.
I’m going to be honest with you: SEO isn’t rocket science, and almost anyone can do it. But it is a lot of tedious work that many business owners don’t have time to do. Hiring an SEO specialist is a smart part of any digital marketing strategy, but be careful about who you hire.
I heard this phrase once regarding tattoos, but I think it applies to almost everything: what is going isn’t cheap and what is cheap isn’t good. If you look around for a local Indianapolis SEO specialist and you find one that is way cheaper than the others and you go with them, think about why they are so cheap. Are they cheap because they’re just starting out? Are they cheap because they just want some quick cash? Whatever you decide, just make sure you have an idea of the full scope of the services that they’re offering.
Does Your Site Suffer from Bad SEO? Talk to a Local Indianapolis SEO Specalist
I once worked with a client who had used SEO solicitation for their website, and it was clear that the person they hired was not from Indianapolis. Not only were things inconsistent, but they weren’t targeting areas the customer wanted to work in. But the thing that sticks out most in my mind was they had a page for “Caramel, IN” and not “Carmel, IN.” A little mistake like this could potentially cost you a lot of customers.
If you’re interested in learning more about SEO, or maybe want a second opinion on an SEO strategy, I would be happy to help. I am a local Indianapolis SEO specialist who can help improve your search engine rankings. My experience has helped local businesses just like yours find more customers and solve technical SEO issues. Shoot me an email and let’s chat today.