Five years ago, it already felt like a lot of SEO companies were shady. But now, in the post-COVID world where SEO seems like it’s on life support, how many of these companies are even worth paying for?
Link building has always been questionable. You can get the same links on Fiverr for a fraction of the cost that ‘top’ agencies charge. SEO consultants love locking you into recurring payments for minimal work, profiting off you for years without delivering noticeable results.
The costs are high, and the results are far from guaranteed. It feels like investing in SEO right now is a gamble. With so many of us trying to recover the traffic Google took from us last year, I bet a lot of these shady companies had a great year, which feels so wrong.
To anyone new to SEO or trying to regain traffic lost to the Helpful Content Update, I’d advise against investing in this industry right now. Save your money and time. Unless Google makes real changes to the search landscape, I wouldn’t hold my breath.
There are good SEOs out there, but many are freelancers rather than agencies. Most agencies, however, seem to prioritize making money for the owners. If I were a client, I’d ask for references and speak to 3–4 past clients to hear about their results and experiences.
@Kyrie
The focus has shifted. Clients now realize monthly SEO reports don’t equal ROI. Performance in SEO has gotten more complicated, and the old 2010 tactics just don’t cut it anymore. Adapting is key.
The shady practices are becoming harder to pull off, and business owners are getting smarter. I recently spoke to a client who specifically said guarantees would be a dealbreaker for him because he’d been burned too many times. Honesty is becoming more valued in this space.
SEO has always had a shady side, and it’s worse now. I’d say 70–80% of companies are still shady. Agencies charge you for ‘custom strategies,’ but it’s just cookie-cutter work. Recurring payments? Half the time, nothing’s being done. With Google’s updates, SEO feels more like gambling than strategy now. Focus on building trust with your audience instead of relying solely on SEO.
SEO isn’t dead, but it’s definitely changed. Shady practices don’t work as well anymore, which is good for legit businesses. Quality over quantity is key now—focus on getting links from real sources like news articles or credible blogs. Building genuine relationships with journalists or creating unique content is much more effective than cheap Fiverr links.
Shady practices still exist, but they’re harder to pull off now. Some black hat tactics still work, but not as effectively. A lot of agencies rely on hard sales tactics, locking clients into contracts and delivering little. Many site owners come to me after being burned by these agencies. It’s a cycle that needs to change.
A lot of agencies are just glorified sales teams outsourcing the work to cheap providers. They bank on client turnover while delivering minimal results. Paying per job instead of recurring fees might be the safer route.