I just got done reading an interesting report on SEO called “Ten Reasons Why You Shouldn’t Trust Search Engine Optimization Companies” by David Bain. It was published several days ago so this is by no means breaking news. But I thought it was worth my time to address some of the things Mr. Bain mentions in his report.

First and foremost, let me say that I actually agree with some of what he says in his report. The basic, underlying message is that it’s extremely important to do your homework before hiring anyone to do your SEO. In addition, Bain stresses the fact that it’s important to know what’s being done on your behalf by any SEO company.

That’s good advice.

However, much of what Bain talks about isn’t really standard practice by legitimate SEO companies. I’m not doubting there are folks out there claiming to be SEOs who engage in these practices. But after reading this report, someone who didn’t know much about SEO would be left thinking that it’s a shady industry, filled with shady people, who all do shady things.

And we know that’s just not true.

The title of the report is fantastical and over-generalizing. Why? Because it gets your attention. If it had been called “Ten Reasons to Do Your Own Research Before Hiring a Search Engine Optimization Company” fewer people would read it (not only because it’s less fantastical, but also because it implies they’d have to work).

So what are Bain’s 10 reasons to not trust SEO companies?

1) They pretend that SEO is complicated

Is SEO complicated? No, it’s not. But is it well understood? No, it’s not. If it was, everyone would do it. Is it something that anyone could do? Sure… with some training, education, and experience. But so is brain surgery. He goes on to suggest that ALL SEO consists of two steps: coding and link building. I know SEOs read this blog. You tell me… is that all you do? I know it’s not all we do.

2) They don’t understand your needs

SEOs are technicians, says Bain… not strategists. Again… an inaccurate blanket statement. A good, legitimate SEO company will have technical skills and strategic skills. Strategy is a big part of ANY SEO initiative and a company would hiring knows this. Heck… if Mr. Bain spent a day reading through the content I monitor for writing this website he’d quickly realize that the SEO companies he’s talking about are not representative of the whole. I won’t argue that there aren’t incompetent SEO firms out there - I’m sure they exist. But a better approach to his topic would have been to highlight what to look for in an SEO company… not the application of bad example to the entire industry.

3) They might not use the right keyword phrases

I’m not sure how every SEO goes about determining the keywords to optimize a site for. But I know that a good SEO would never make such a determination on their own. The company paying an SEO firm is an integral part of the entire decision-making process… from the big stuff (like where to target link-building strategies to any keyword optimization). He spends a lot of time here talking about the long tail, which is good. But what legitimate SEO doesn’t understand and take advantage of this? What legitimate SEO wouldn’t make sure that their clients understood this?

4) They make actually REDUCE your Google ranking

Haha. If you’ve got an SEO company that’s reducing your Google ranking… get a new one. He spends a lot of time talking about SEOs that optimize for MSN. What? Who? And huh? Most SEOs don’t optimize for any one search engine. They really don’t. But if they do… they’d optimize for Google. SEOs understand probably better than anyone why an optimization campaign targeted for MSN only would be a waste of time and resources. So it makes no sense to even throw this argument in.

5) They go for quantity over quality

Again… this is not representative of the industry. Spend time in an SEO forum or at an SEO conference and you’ll see entire discussions and panels and training resources on the importance of quality, relevant SEO. How many of you don’t understand that 10 quality links are worth more than 20 crappy ones? What SEO doesn’t get that? Show them to me because I have yet to meet one.

6) They may make your rankings plummet after you stop using their services

First of all… no SEO would “make” your rankings plummet after you stop using them. Second of all, if your rankings plummet after you stop using an SEO, it probably means you didn’t carry on the work that they started. There’s no such thing as one-time SEO. It’s a continual, on-going process that has to be implemented for as long as your website exists. So if an SEO company tells you otherwise, find a new one. That’s why it’s so important to forgo giving an SEO the task of helping you without taking the time to learn from them. They won’t be there forever. If you hire an SEO, insist on training to accompany their services. Trust me… a legitimate SEO company will either offer this service out-right or have no issues with it at all.

7) They might only use one method of building links to your site

Who does this???? Maybe SEO Jr. who’s playing search engine optimizer between classes. Maybe someone who thinks they know what they’re doing but clearly doesn’t. More than possibly any other group out there, SEOs understand that a single approach to ANYTHING isn’t optimal. In fact, one of the most commonly cited areas of improvement with existing Internet marketing that just about any SEO will point out is single-channel approaches to link building, advertising, etc. This is basics, people. If your SEO is using one method of building links… they’re not an SEO.

8) They don’t represent your brand in a professional manner

Again… I can’t speak for everyone here. Maybe some SEO companies do get into the practice of active brand representation. But the best approach here is to educate a company’s PR and/or marketing department on ways that THEY can represent the brand online. SEOs might work with those departments to implement advertising campaigns, link building, or other brand awareness initiatives. But do they actively do these things themselves? Do any of the SEOs reading this actively represent their clients online?

9) The focus on search engines rather than people

This one is a legitimate concern. I’ll give Bain that. Some SEO companies do tend to get over-zealous with the search-specific optimization. But a lot of them don’t. The companies hiring SEO firms need to understand that what’s good for the user is generally good for the search engine. They need to make sure that their SEO company understands that their focus is on the customer and all SEO needs to fall within that realm. The problem is, some SEOs consider the “people” aspect outside their job description. The best way to avoid this disconnect is to integrate your SEO company, your copy writing department, your PR and marketing departments, etc. Don’t let any one member of your organization take the reigns completely. Work together, folks… work together.

10) They won’t tell you about other forms of marketing your business online

This argument makes no sense to me. What SEO would withhold information from a client that could potentially make their work even more successful? SEOs want the companies hiring them to be happy with their work. So it would seem to me that withholding information about other forms of Internet marketing would be a shot in the foot to any SEO. Common sense tells you that.

A better title for Mr. Bain’s report would be “What to Look for When Hiring an SEO Company”. The issues he raises are NOT representative of the industry and highlight problems that might crop up if you hire a sub par SEO company. But a lot of these things are SEO 101, people. A lot of the things that this report claims SEO’s “do” are the very things we try to educate people against. These are the things we try to teach companies to avoid.

If this report describes your SEO company even in the slightest… get rid of them. And then find a real SEO company and find out for yourself what you’ve been missing.