Top 3 spots of any SE guaranteed?

[DXL]

I recently surfed onto a design company's site that GUARANTEES that they will get you in one of the top 3 spots of every major search engine based on the keywords you want used. All within a week. I'm still trying to figure out what I'm missing here. Anyone can simply grab their meta tags, anyone can spend money on a paid inclusion. Seems like a pretty bold guarantee.

[Chicago]

blah, blah, blah...

they are talking pay per click. every major engine in the world has ppcs. which will still fool 90% of the consumers out there.

guaranteed rank companies are for the birds. they do not take into consideration core competitive, site and keyword variables which make that statement impossible amongst the professional seos. optimization couldn't be more different than ppc in our world (both critical but different ends of our spectrum).

there is no PFI (pay for inclusion - different then PPC `if that is what you were suggesting) that is relevant here.

[edited by: Chicago at 4:45 am (utc) on June 29, 2003]

[chiyo]

chicago is right

there is no way that SEO companies can make those sort of guarantees. The result is out of their hands. SE's change their algo at will. PPC bidders change their bids daily. Look at the fine print also. Unless they have covered themselves they are fools, or alternatively less than legal.

DXL.. best way you can get synergy working out of these companies is to have the contract checked by a lawyer that it is legally enforceable and what exactly it guarantees, and that the company is well funded... In a few months you maybe able to sue them for much more buckaroos than they would ever have made for you..

[DXL]

I was guessing that they were referring to PPC deals. I have a client who has been on me about his rank on yahoo (previously he wasnt listed). I basically told him that the most I can offer is to use meta tags to help index the site a little better, but thats only if he pays yahoo the $299. Even if he pays the inclusion, though, he could wind up 7 pages back and there wouldn't be much I could do about it.

I've checked out overture, but in the other forums people were saying its not an effective way to spend money (considering your competitors will be the ones clicking on your link to cost you money). Overall, I was just wondering how this company was making these promises, but I did figure they were referring to PPC.