SEO scams, unprofessional SEO, and SEO malpractice could cost you not only big amount of money but also website failure, drop in rankings, or even removal from search engines.

 Hiring SEO expert you shouldn’t rely on promises and great promotional content. Don’t afraid to ask questions which could look even rude but will guarantee you future success.

1.   Ask to provide portfolio with past and present clients. Check where this clients got their backlinks and how many quality sites link them. Look in HTML code to see if you can find suspicious things like hidden content which doesn’t appear on the page or hidden keywords.
2.   Ask if any software were used to promote other websites. Avoid SEO people who offer you to install some kind software which will boost your traffic.
3.   Ask where SEO expert from. Sometimes it is important to know where your money are going. Don’t work with people who hide their location, most likely they will escape with your money.
4.   Ask if SEO expert can give 100% guarantee that website will be #1 on Google for the most popular keyword. If SEO expert promise you this result… refuse to work with this person because: There are no people who can guarantee top positions on Google!
5.   Ask how long it take to improve search engine rankings. Real SEO will tell you that it takes from several weeks to several month depending how popular niche your website in. Stay away from people who promise “boost” in traffic in less than 24 hours.
6.   Ask if SEO expert buys links for his / her clients. Don’t work with people who use link market networks to buy or sell links. Your site could be penalized by Google for buying links (unless SEO expert buys links from very good friends he / she knows in person).
7.   Ask how many years SEO expert in the field of search engine optimization but don’t afraid to hire novice if person know what he / she is talking about.
8.   Ask where you can get feedbacks and recommendations. Contact past and present clients.
9.   Ask for networking experience. Good SEO expert always participate in forums, active in social media, blog, or publish on a regular basis.
10.   Secret: type on Google: (name) scam, (name) stole, (name) fraud etc. You might find forum / blog / network posts where other people complain about your guy services. It helped me 2 years ago to find that some guy was trying to scam me for $500. He was pretending that he can take one of my clients and give extra help.