Before someone hire me or any other SEO company, I always suggest to read Google page called What’s an SEO? Does Google recommend working with companies that offer to make my site Google-friendly? Google gives practical advises about how companies should work promoting a website and what clients should be aware of. 

 Google opinion about SEO companies is clear:

“Many SEOs provide useful services for website owners, from writing copy to giving advice on site architecture and helping to find relevant directories to which a site can be submitted. However, a few unethical SEOs have given the industry a black eye through their overly aggressive marketing efforts and their attempts to unfairly manipulate search engine results.”

 On Google page we can find good statements about SEO:

• No one can guarantee a #1 ranking on Google.
• Be sure to understand where the money goes.
• Be careful if a company is secretive or won’t clearly explain what they intend to do.
• Be wary of SEO firms that send you email out of the blue.

 and more…

  Almost every client who came to me used to be a victim of “black hat” SEO, it requie a hard work to deserve DomainTrust back. Many people simply hire “SEO experts” who promise 100% good results for cheap price, at the same time this clients turn away from good SEO companies and specialists who never promise and ask for a solid price.

 From my experience i would like to show more examples when SEO company simply rip people off.

1. SEO company promice top positions and in 3-4 month your website on top with most keywords you expected. Euphoria and success makes webmaster pay even more on a monthly basis… After job done and website on top many SEO companies forget about website and never work with it unless site dropped. In most cases company which promote a website still charge client on a montly basis telling that money go to keep high positions.  
2. SEO company charge client thousands of dollars providing services like free directory submission only. In reality, there are millions directory submission services with average price $20-30 per 100 directories.
3. Good example how company can rip people off you can find in Kalena Jordan blog: Should my SEO company submit my site to search engines regularly?
4. $1000+ for search engine submission service, typical scam when fake SEO companies look for small business owners charging thousands for simple Google submission.
5. AdWords management is another big problem about SEO. There are thousands companies which promise to help with AdWords PPC management. Even a child can set up AdWords account in 10 minutes using Google application. Fake SEO company just submit form for client and keep percent from each click website received. Real AdWords management requie knowledge and skills to lower the price, find good keywords, increase Share of Voice, find AdSense users to advertise on their sites and blogs through Google ads.
6. Recently i met a guy who in real estate business and he did’t know that it is possible to get free traffic from Google. SEO company he hired was telling him that business owners have to pay for each click. The funny thing is… this SEO company was charging him for each visitor who came through organic results ($15 000 loss).