A search engine optimizer (SEO) helps websites improve their rankings on search engines through Search Engine Optimization. The job of SEOs involves writing content for sites, planning the site structure, and looking for the best directories to submit the website URLs to. They also advise the website owners on how to optimize their site URLs.

While SEOs are helpful in general, you must always guard against those that use illegal or unethical practices to get your page ranked high on search engines. If a major search engine detects any malpractice, chances are that your site can be blacklisted, or even dropped from the rankings altogether.

The following points must be kept in mind while choosing a Search Engine Optimization service provider.

1)     Unsolicited Mails

If an SEO sends you an unsolicited mail claiming they can improve your search engine rankings overnight, be careful. Take such claims with a pinch of salt, because improving search engine ranking or being listed is a long, painstaking process.

2)     Partnership with Google

If an SEO claims to be in some kind of partnership with Google, or promises to rank your page at the top, beware. Google does not enter into partnerships with any SEO.

3)     Vague Responses

     If you have doubts that the SEO is not able to clarify, or does not want to clarify, then you might want to reconsider entering into a business relationship with them.

4)     Do Your Homework

Do some research on SEOs, their tactics, and the methods they employ to improve page rankings or listings. Make thorough enquiries about the financial aspect, the click per view programs, and affiliate programs. Consult as many SEOs as you want, you can even ask them to recommend an SEO of their choice. Learn for how long the company has been providing Search Engine Optimization services, and if they have a previous history of using illegal, unethical or coercive tactics.

5)     Legal Protection

Get a detailed contract on paper, so that you are legally protected against being cheated out of the money you paid. If the actions of the SEO result in your website being blacklisted or your ranking dropped, then insist on a refund.

6)     Shadow Domains

Be careful of shadow domains. These are owned by SEOs and are used for directing traffic to the site of their clients through illegal means. If the client decides to end the business relationship with the SEO for some reason, then the SEO may use the same shadow domains to redirect the traffic to a different site, away from the original one.

7)     Keyword Loaded Pages

Sometimes, an SEO might use a page full of keywords on a client site. The content does not make sense, and the page is used simply to attract traffic from search engines. If you think that is good for your site, think again. These pages sometimes have a link to other URLs, maybe even your competitor’s, which means that the keyword loaded page is taking the traffic away from your site to your competitors’.

8)     Selling Domain Names With Keywords

If the SEO tries to sell you a domain name loaded with keywords, then be careful.

9)     Using Little known Keywords

You must also avoid dealing with an SEO that guarantees to rank you on the top, but only for keywords that are seldom used by searchers. The SEO will want a lot of money for this, when you would probably have gotten the same ranking without using Search Engine Optimization for these keywords.

10) Doubtful Links

If the SEO creates doubtful links, or submits your URL to many search engines for listing, then it should put you on your guard. Inundating search engines this way is rarely the best way to Search Engine Optimization, and might even get your website blacklisted by the search engines.

The world of search engine ranking is highly competitive, with each website owner determined to get the best ranking for his or her site. Unethical SEOs simply use this desire of the website owners to make huge profits by promising them the moon. A little background check, some knowledge of unethical Search Engine Optimization practices and some careful thought go a long way in ensuring that the SEO does not get your website blacklisted.