Free SEO Advice Is Not Always A Good Idea

I used to wonder why SEO consultants would hesitate to give away free “SEO tips” to their audiences. I’m not talking about an SEO case study or observation made in the context of a specific discussion. A more appropriate example would be the request from a crowd for the broad based recommendation designed to bring top rankings in search.

First, if a so-called SEO professional guarantees #1 keyword rankings in almost any situation, tread very very cautiously with the rest of the discussion.

The reluctance to answer these requests may often bring skepticism for those participating in the discussion. The underlying tone may lead some to believe the SEO professional does not really know what they are talking about. At the least, they are not giving up some ideas or their opinions on what we all can find for free by Google’ing “SEO Tips” or subscribing to a few SEO blogs here and there.

Consider the following example where “free SEO advice” could really have gone wrong.

  • A colleague wanted guidance on a design template to make sure that it (the design) would not have a negative impact on the performance of their existing SEO initiatives. It was a simple redesign without any changes to web addresses, hosting or domain. At first glance it seemed like a no-brainer - of course there would not be a negative impact to their SEO strategy.
  • Further investigation revealed other non-related issues that were creating a downward trend in organic search engine traffic. Had these considerations not been uncovered, the inexperienced business owner may blame a redesign for the traffic plunge, when it really had nothing to do with it.
  • Thankfully, the colleague wanted to work with a more experienced professional in this particular situation and the issues will be resolved.

What would you have done?
It would have been easy to simply get confirmation that the redesign strategy would not have a direct impact on search engine traffic and keyword rankings. That type of feedback - for the most part - is freely available from SEO forums, communities or other resources online.

But if something else went wrong, such as an unforeseen technical issue or festering problem not often encountered, imagine the frustration and/or anguish thinking (erroneously) that the design change was the cause. When in reality a deeper knowledge of the entirety of the situation was required.

There’s nothing wrong with reading an SEO blog or getting the occasional, free SEO tip. Just remember to consider the objectives or context about what is being discussed and how it may (or may not) apply to an individual SEO strategy. In some cases, the recommendation may not be applicable to a particular business. In other cases, the cost may not warrant the effort.

The more a person learns and understands how SEO factors, best practices and strategies relate to improved search engine visibility (and traffic), the better equipped they become at applying the “free” SEO recommendation appropriately.


July 7, 2008 | Filed Under SEO | Bookmark this post |

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One Response to “Free SEO Advice Is Not Always A Good Idea”

  1. Criminal Lawyer Marketing and Lead Generation » Blog Archive » Free Advice in SEO and Criminal Defense - Not worth the price on July 8th, 2008 9:43 am

    [...] at CapeCodSEO writes about the dangers of “free advice” in the SEO world. People tend to obsess over minor details and narrow tactics about what they think [...]

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