• Natural Search Blog , Thursday, March 6, 2008 1:30 PM

Network Solutions, the Web site-hosting company that got slammed for domain name tasting abuse, is promoting its roster of SEO services. The problem is that the Virginia-based company is guaranteeing "Top 10 Rankings on Major Search Engines" in its ads--and breaking one of the first rules of ethical SEO.

According to Chris Silver Smith, there are two main reasons why search experts urge business owners to steer clear of agencies that promise top rankings--the first being that agencies don't control the search engines, and as such, they can't guarantee that keyword optimization, good copy or anything else will secure a ranking. And depending on the industry and associated keywords, competition may be so fierce that "smaller companies may not be able to outrank already-established contenders."

This new, shady marketing tactic doesn't help a company with an already tarnished reputation--but the worst part is that if Network Solutions does burn customers with empty promises, then it helps give SEOs across the board a bad name.

Read the whole story at Natural Search Blog »