SEO Fun Friday: When Google Gets Miffed at Your SEO Agency

By | January 14, 2011, 10:00am PST

Summary: If there was ever an SEO agency to avoid, this would be the one. Why? Because Google said so!

pwned: When someone lays the smack-down on your @$%.

pwned: When someone lays the smack-down on your @$%.

Yesterday (1/13/2011), I read a post that truly made my day. In a nutshell, an SEO (Search Engine Optimization) agency by the name of “Better Placement” was brought to question by an individual on Google’s Webmaster Central forum. Better Placement was noted as claiming to work directly with Google via some new program Google supposedly rolled out which allowed people to purchase rankings based on keywords in organic results. It’s a pretty creative lie these people fabricated, but the first page rankings for your keyword(s) would supposedly occur within a 50 mile radius of… well, I’m unclear at the moment, but it occurred via “geo-tracking.” What followed from there was responses-a-plenty from Google and a defensive individual who claimed to not be affiliated with Better Placement despite all signs pointing to the contrary. Well, then the head of Google’s Web spam team, Matt Cutts, came rolling into the discussion and handed user “bruben25″ a good old fashioned “pwning” courtesy of Google! Straight off the bat, Matt put things into perspective for everyone (bold emphases added by me):

 

Let me make it more relevant for you as a Google employee based in the United States: I would definitely avoid Better Placement.

After crafting a well-purposed paragraph, he begins another with once again stating a similar sentiment:

Based on a quick assessment, I personally would choose not do business with Better Placement.

Well, “bruben25″ didn’t think that was too hot but maintained he wasn’t involved with Better Placement in any capacity. After a bit of back-and-forth, Matt Cutts finally took the bull by the horns and put the kibosh on the matter with a large portion of “BOOYA!” followed by a fine delicacy of STFU (once again, bold emphasis added by yours truly):

“Matt I am not part of Better Placement, nor is my firm even in the same city”

bruben25, part of the reason I asked is that according to official business filings with the Ohio Secretary of State, the agent for Better Placement is one B. D. Ruben. Here, you can read the official document: http://www2.sos.state.oh.us/reports/rwservlet?imgc&Din=201035100591

It’s interesting because http://www.superpages.com/bp/Toledo-OH/Better-Placement-L2223491442.htm lists the contact info for Better Placement and betterplacement.info as betterplacement25@gmail.com. And your handle is bruben25. And the agent for Better Placement is B. Ruben, according to official records with the state of Ohio.

I think that gets the idea across. No offense, but my advice remains to avoid Better Placement.

Now, it doesn’t take a Google employee to find the data Mr. Cutts did on “B. Ruben” — just good old fashioned search ninja skills. Regardless, I think Matt made it pretty darn clear what Google thinks about SEO agencies claiming to work directly with Google using some program Google supposedly rolled out. It’s bad enough that people guarantee first-page rankings (which, honestly, only reflects negatively on any given SEO agency who fails to provide such a deliverable) and Google spells that out on their SEO-related page on Google Webmaster Central, but claiming to work directly with Google!? Man, that’s a new one to me.

Anyway, the takeaway here if you’re looking for SEO services is to stay clear of people/agencies who guarantee first-page rankings. If you’re an SEO agency/consultant/freelancer, well… you should know better — and if you don’t, Matt Cutts may just come gunning for you should you be brought to his attention! Once again, I maintain that scenarios like this challenge the cliche statement that “all press is good press; even negative press.” I’ve never agreed with that. If for nothing else, a crux to the contrary of that statement is the very rise of reputation management as a service.

So, what do you think? Was this not an awesome move on the behalf of Matt or what? Personally, I love seeing shady SEOs called to the mat — especially the ones who blatantly resort to lies to coax clients into going with them. Not cool. Go, Matt, go! :D

Source of Discussion: Google Webmaster Central Forum

-Stephen Chapman
SEO Whistleblower

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Stephen is a freelance writer based in Charlotte, NC.

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Stephen Chapman

Stephen Chapman is a freelance writer and content strategist. All work that Stephen does for ZDNet is on a contractual basis.

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Biography

Stephen Chapman

Stephen is a freelance writer based in Charlotte, NC.

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gzdyhch 04 mbs
cmakrejktt5701-24379068611056647059556005513161 25th Nov
poylhg,lapplkfk41, qhqjs.
0 Votes
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Google is so upright, 'do no evil', right?
BrotherEGAnderson 14th Jan 2011
REAL STORY: Happened multiple times too.
You work on getting an adwords client for 6 months and set up a campaign. Google then calls the new adwords client (THAT YOU PAID PEOPLE TO BRING INTO THE GOOGLE PLATFORM)
and tells them, "Hi I'm calling from Google," (they are from the new flock of Google selling agents now competing with the people who helped them get where they are), "We want to congratulate you on your campaign, (at the end of the nice conversation), by the way, you don't really need that agency to do your work, (The ones who spend hours introducing you to Google) we can even help you, we ARE Google".
One client called an agency that they appreciated and said, "You know those SOB's at Google called me and said I don't need you!" Really the agent replied, It could not have been Google. Did you get the number? Yes here it is. The agent called. Hello thank you for calling Google."
So it works both ways. Google is downright as dirty as the next guy.
0 Votes
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forget it, dont ant Google as enemy.
0 Votes
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I love hearing "guilty" responses
becabill 14th Jan 2011
...and I hate lying hustlers. Good work, Mr. Cutts.
So what was the good Mr. Reuben's reply, if any?
0 Votes
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Wow Interesting... I am not suprised
SimpleIT Updated - 18th Jan 2011
I get a lot of small businesses say how can I get on front page of Google, They say to me "XYZ company called me and said that they GUARANTEE front page listing within a month..."
$700 later Nothing in actual fact one client lost over 10% or their organic trrafic...
Seriously Stay away from them I smell BS all over those words...

No one can Garantee nothing with SEO, Yes some people are more experienced and can do a better job quicker... But SEO Companies please stop guaranteeing every one out there because one day it will be an issue as to who is going to be in the front page...

Unless if the guarantee is if people Google your business name you will be up WOW REALLY! (Seen that as well...)

No matter what once Google has crawled your website it will be listed for your business name without any SEO Magic.
0 Votes
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No worries.
james347 18th Jan 2011
No worries.
0 Votes
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gzdyhch 04 mbs
cmakrejktt5701-24379068611056647059556005513161 25th Nov
poylhg,lapplkfk41, qhqjs.

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