
Too Good to Be True: Three Marketing Scams to Watch Out For
Have you ever experienced that panicked moment when Google calls you and tells you something is wrong with how your business is listed on the internet? Join the club. This is something that’s happened to nearly every business owner with a web presence, but the good news is, it’s not actually Google calling. As great as it would be, Google doesn’t call people – not to pitch services anyway (they do have a support team that will reach out upon request). They don’t care if you’re listed correctly in the directory that you didn’t pay to be a part of.
Just like all the other scam calls about your credit cards, your car warranties, student loans, and the IRS, it’s important to be aware of these three types of marketing scams that have fooled savvy business owners in the past…
The concerned person who just wants to help…
If you’ve ever gotten a comment on your blog or a message through your site, there’s a good chance you’ve seen (at least once) the message from a friendly, motivated person who ‘took the time to read over your website and saw some major SEO problems that they could help you fix.’ In our industry, receiving word about this kind of thing from strangers is common. Unfortunately, the reality is that there aren’t just nice people who go around reading websites and want to help you – it’s too good to be true. This is actually just a sales pitch meant to confuse business owners who don’t know any better, because SEO is complicated and most business owners have no idea if what the salesperson is saying is true.
The reality is that search engine optimization (SEO) is a time-consuming, detailed task that takes time and effort to produce top results. Anyone who ‘guarantees you a #1 ranking in 48 hours’ is doing something shady that is unsustainable for the long haul and is trying to swindle you out of money – which could result in your website being banned from search engines altogether.
The call from Google…
Like I mentioned above, Google doesn’t call people. A lot of times these salespeople will suggest that they are partnered with Google and while “Certified Partners” exist, it’s doubtful they’re doing things the right way if they’re having to cold call for business. A key indicator that this type of call is a scam is if the caller sounds like they’re from another country, or if it takes a second from the time you say hello to when they start talking. Again, just the fact that they’re name dropping “Google” is the biggest red flag of all.
The letter to renew your domain name…
A common scam for folks with a website is coming at them through their physical mailbox. They’ll receive a letter saying that their domain name is or is about to expire and the only way to renew it is to pay the fee (usually over $100) and to provide the (private) information requested. If this kind of letter isn’t on company letterhead, from a company you recognize, there’s a good chance it’s a phishing scam. What’s more, most domain hosts (like GoDaddy) will not send physical mail. If you don’t respond to their emails about your domain expiring, they just let it expire – everything is done online.
An easy way to combat this scam is to know exactly which company manages your domain name. If you’re unsure or forgot, the fastest way to find out is by doing a WhoIs search. Type your domain name into the search box and click the magnifying glass, and it will tell you who the registrar is – then you can be on the lookout for emails from that company and trust that they’re most likely legitimate.
If you have experienced any of these scams or have questions on their legitimacy, or if you want to know more about how we can help you, give us a call. We would love to help clear the air and answer any questions you may have!