Biggest Digital Marketing Scams
We all know that digital marketing is a big industry. It has a crucial effect on business. It is a benefit for small business owners to big ones. But unfortunately, digital marketing scams have become so common nowadays. Unknowingly, thousands of small and big industries fall prey to this web of digital marketing scams. Below we have mentioned some of the biggest digital marketing scams.
1. Useless online directory listings
Online directories are very helpful in business. Their purpose is to submit your business to high-quality, useful directories. But the real problem arises when agencies and SEO professionals start expanding services to deliver your business to thousands of low-quality, ineffective directories. Directory submissions are very beneficial if done properly. So be careful before agreeing to its terms and conditions.
2. Digital marketing agencies with deceptive client lists
Some companies raise their client list and business partners to make them look more experienced and skilled than they are. So, be sure to ask about the full details of projects the person claims he has worked on.
3. Hacked, spammy or technically broken sites
Most of the time, the small errors shown in websites can be fixed. But when you receive a call claiming that they’ll fix the issue, don’t give access to your website, email, accounts, or computers.
4. Digital marketing services priced too good to be true
When you step into the world of digital marketing, many risky players will contact you and make a lot of tempting claims. Question the agencies which claim to provide quality results at a cheap rate. Ask them to define the data they will use to track the impact on your business.
5. Guarantees to rank #1 on Google
Anyone who claims that they know the algorithm of Google and can hack it is fabricating a story. No one fully knows the Google algorithm as it is constantly changing at the hands of machines now. You might get a #1 Google Ranking, but for keywords, almost no one searches. So it’s better not to fall for this scam.
6. Buying Email Lists, Facebook Followers
The two main insights to this are:
- This tactic is so easy that anyone can do it. If anyone can do it, it means from a competitive point of view, it is a disadvantage.
- Whenever you buy an email list, you have not earned the right to know these people’s contact information. So, you run the risk of being reported as spam.
7. Fake website domain expirations/takeovers
Domain names are valuable assets. Many organizations use them to try to scam small businesses. Keep renewing your website domain name from time to time. However, the company where you registered your domain should auto-renew your domain name before expiring.
8. Outsourcing digital marketing services
Other than the challenges like language barrier and time zone, the biggest issue with outsourcing structure is the poor quality of the work being done by unskilled and unqualified contractors. The agencies with a project manager and outsourced execution structure are focused on short-term relationships, selling finite projects, and completion of work at a low price. However, this limits expectations of providing any real long-term value to clients.
Conclusion
With increasing scams, agencies take advantage of people’s unfamiliarity with technology. Don’t become prey to these predatory schemes. You can contact your digital marketing agency and ask them for assistance. They see these scams frequently, can spot the patterns quickly, and help you out. These are the following tips to come out from the biggest digital marketing scams.
