SEOs that don’t do their homework, Pabitra

Filed Under SEO Callout on 2008-08-13, 11:44

I run several websites, many of these rank #1 in Google results for their keywords. If they don’t rank #1, then they’re almost always on the front page. I keep an eye on search engine optimization and try my best at it. Occasionally I’ll get an email from a so-called “professional SEO” who wants to help me get my sites ranked at the top of the Google results. These emails are form emails but make an attempt to be personalized to my site. They fail. Here is where I start to call out these SEOs on their BS:

from: pabitra <[REDACTED]@freedomcoach.org>
date: Wed, Aug 13, 2008 at 2:42 AM
subject: SEO Service

Hello and Good Day!

I am Pabitra Kumar, Marketing Manager

I was surfing through your website and realized that despite having a good design; it was not ranking on any of the search engines for most of the keywords pertaining to your domain.

I was wondering if you would be interested in getting the SEO done for your website.

There is a simple equation that is applicable to the online world.

Ethical SEO -> Better Traffic -> Higher Sales.

We are an ISO Certified, SEMPO registered Online Marketing firm and have over 5 years of working experience. All the techniques used are ethical and proprietary.

In case you require any additional information, it shall be our pleasure to furnish the same.

I look forward to your mail.

Yours sincerely,
Pabitra Kumar
Marketing Manager
Email:[REDACTED]@freedomcoach.org

PS: “Buying a website without search engine optimization is like spending your entire budget on a commercial without buying any air time to show it to the world”

First off Pabitra, my web design sucks. I’m a programmer, not a designer. Second, I already rank #1 for my main keyword and first page for any secondary keywords I target. Sending an email that says the following might be better:
“I took a look at your site, http://www.whatever.com and checked the search engine results for several keywords I believe are related to your site. I see that you rank:
#2 for “keyword 1”
#8 for “keyword 2”
No ranking for “keyword 3”

I can help you obtain higher search engine results for these terms if you’d like.

This would show that you’ve actually looked at my site, you understand my niche, and you’re willing to put a little bit of work into things. While I would probably never hire someone to do SEO for me, it’s a much better approach that would attract clients that would be willing to pay for your services. You might also want to work some SEO on your own name, as the first thing I do when someone contacts me trying to sell services is to search for them on Google. If you don’t turn up on the first page, that’s a bad sign. If the website of your email address isn’t accessible, that’s even worse.

PS: Sending email to potential clients without doing your research is like shouting on the street looking for customers. You just look silly.

UPDATE: Apparently it _is_ just a form email, as I also have the exact same email in my inbox from your friend, “hasan”, the “SEO Manager Mosaic”


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