SEO Companies for real?

[Doreen Yvonne Disbro]

Has anyone received emails from SEO companies both here in the US and in the UK asking for links in exchange for payment?  I received two today alone and even with researching the company names I am not able to tell whether these companies are for real or if they are spammers.  Anyone have advice for this?

[SureFlap]

I wouldn’t touch them with a barge pole as they probably are spammers. If they’ve got the time to spam loads of email addresses then they can’t be reputable companies. If you really wanted to consider them you could google them and look for reviews. Hope that helps!

[Doreen Yvonne Disbro]

Oh I am sure they are up to no good but I wanted to know if anyone else is getting these emails?  They usually contact you through your blog and the subject is usually “Guest Posting”.  Then they tell you what company they are with and that they are looking for blogs to add links to in exchange for payment.  Interestingly enough, some of these companies are for real but I generally delete them.

[Dale]

Good Morning Doreen,

 

I think it’s fantastic that you put this question out. I just had this conversation with a local woman with a pet based business. I will say the same thing I told her.

A crowning achievement for anyone that is growing a blog and on the way to being a professional blogger is the ability to create revenue from ad space.  But this also means that if you have gotten to that point it’s because you have put a great deal of effort into creating a strong readership and good content.

I would always suggest that you treat your blog sponsors and link offers just like you would treat the content you would put on your blog.

For that reason, I would suggest that you research any company that is requesting a link or that wants to sponsor your blog.  If it is a real business, they should make it easy to connect directly with them and provide you complete disclosure about who they are.  If not, I would pass on it.

The business relationship between a sponsor and a blog is just that, a business relationship.  If you are not comfortable or have any doubts, pass on it.

This is just my opionion.  Do you have a advertisers page on your blog that gives prices and directions for requesting sponsorship?  If you have grown your blog to the point that you are getting valid requests, you may want to spend some time thinking about how you want to monetize your blog and your rates for sponsorship along with the steps you want to potential advertiser to follow to request sponsorship.

[Doreen Yvonne Disbro]

Dale,

 

I do have a PR/Marketing page on my blog but my prices for advertising are not listed there.  Instead, they are available in a media packet I have available, which can be requested via email.

 

I did look up both companies via Google search and both are valid companies.  However, I am confused as to why a UK SEO company would want to partner with me.  That one leaves me feeling a bit uneasy but I could be wrong about them.

 

I’ve had about 10 of these offers just within the past month alone and I have been deleting them, mainly because I am used to other blogs, some pet-product companies or pet insurance companies, as well as magazines asking to do guest posts but all of a sudden I am being hit with these SEO companies

 

Dale said:

Good Morning Doreen,

 

I think it’s fantastic that you put this question out. I just had this conversation with a local woman with a pet based business. I will say the same thing I told her.

A crowning achievement for anyone that is growing a blog and on the way to being a professional blogger is the ability to create revenue from ad space.  But this also means that if you have gotten to that point it’s because you have put a great deal of effort into creating a strong readership and good content.

I would always suggest that you treat your blog sponsors and link offers just like you would treat the content you would put on your blog.

For that reason, I would suggest that you research any company that is requesting a link or that wants to sponsor your blog.  If it is a real business, they should make it easy to connect directly with them and provide you complete disclosure about who they are.  If not, I would pass on it.

The business relationship between a sponsor and a blog is just that, a business relationship.  If you are not comfortable or have any doubts, pass on it.

This is just my opionion.  Do you have a advertisers page on your blog that gives prices and directions for requesting sponsorship?  If you have grown your blog to the point that you are getting valid requests, you may want to spend some time thinking about how you want to monetize your blog and your rates for sponsorship along with the steps you want to potential advertiser to follow to request sponsorship.

[Dale]

Hello Doreen,

 

I cannot say that I would be very comfortable with a request from a UK SEO company either.  I understand why an SEO company would do it but we both know you need to be protective of what you have put so much work into creating.

I did find your note on your PR/Marketing page.  Maybe you should try to get some feedback from the BlogPaws folks on the services they use.  Did you visit there advertisers page?

 

https://www.isocket.com/group/blogpaws

 

This looks like its more about display ads and not paid links.  But it still looks like a service to consider if they have had good results with it.

 

I think you are doing the right thing by asking the question and nothing is going to do better than going with your gut feelings on it.  It’s clear that you are already taking a real common sense approach to this.

[Dawn]

Last year I got a couple, but nothing recently.  I wonder if you are see so many now because Christmas is coming.  UK companies may be hoping to cash in on those US shoppers who don’t research but just buy.  Just a thought.

[Author]

Posts