SEO Spam Emails: Do You Really Need to Be Concerned?

If you have a website, you’ve probably been on the receiving end of some SEO spam. And I don’t know about you, but I find these emails really annoying. 

For those of you who aren’t quite sure what this is, SEO spam looks a little something like this:

Hello!

I was examining your website and it is really well developed, but doesn’t rank on the first page of Google and other major search engines, you will likely be losing a lot of traffic, and leads to your business.

I’m an SEO Expert and I helped hundreds of businesses rank on the first page of Google. My rates are very affordable.

May I send you full detailed information? 

Thanks & regards,

Spammer Name

SEO Consultant

The fact is: these SEO spam emails are exactly that — spam.

To help you better understand what exactly these spammers are up to and how to identify these scams, I’m going to break down everything you need to know. 

The Reality of SEO Spam

Fun fact: I get dozens of SEO spam emails every single month, despite the fact that about half of my clients find me via a Google search.  That’s a major red flag that these attempted scammers aren’t dealing with facts. 

These emails are usually well-written and sound knowledgeable, but the person writing the email hasn’t looked at your website specifically. They’re preying on the fact that most small business owners don’t know too much about SEO and can be scared into thinking they’re doing something wrong. 

The truth is there’s probably nothing urgent or extreme going on here. 

Your website is likely no different than your competitors who got the exact same email! However, if your website is old or if it wasn’t designed with search intent in the first places, there’s usually room for improvement.

So, as someone running a small business, what should you know about your SEO?

Let’s take a look. 

SEO Basics

First, let’s set the stage. How your website shows in search results is not dependent on one isolated magic thing. It’s a combination of three components:

#1. Technical

This includes website speed, page structure, mobile responsiveness, security certificate and more. These are some of the most commonly known pieces of SEO, so it’s where most people fixate and often ignore the other things, which is a big miss. 

#2. Authority

How credible does Google see your website? This is largely influenced by how many other credible, relevant websites are linking to your website and who you link out to (aka your link profile).

#3. Content

This covers the words, images and videos you have on your website. Google is in the content game, meaning they want to show the most helpful content to searchers. Your website needs to have helpful content, and it needs to make sure Google understands what that content is (see more about page optimizations below). This SEO pillar is hugely important, relatively easy to improve, and is often skipped over because it feels hard.

Now, back to our SEO spam emails…

The Local Relevance Factor

Marketing agencies and SEO consultants alike make general reference to your “Google rankings.” It’s important to understand that this is not a black-and-white metric— it’s all about what you choose to measure.

That means whatever data is being used (if it’s being quoted at all) in that spammy email is often very subjective. But they often like to include some sort of numbers to get you panicked and taking action.

The reality is that not all terms are important to your business and not all traffic to your website is valuable, but Google Search Console will show EVERYTHING you rank for, up to 1000 terms (and some tools will do even more). 

For example, let’s say you’re a Pilates studio in Knoxville, TN. Your offerings include pilates classes and private sessions. You’re ranking at #70 for the phrase "pilates reformer equipment sales" and #1 for "pilates studio knoxville". So if someone was looking at ALL the things you rank for, they could honestly tell you that you'd have an average rank of 35 — which totally misses the point.  You don’t care one bit about that #70 ranking as you don’t sell Pilates equipment. The search keyword that’s going to bring money into your business is doing great in the #1 spot.

This example shows how it's possible to skew those numbers completely unless they’re doing the work to find out what location modifiers and services actually bring money into your business. The same goes for traffic. 

Often people like to alarm you with a drop in traffic numbers. However, if all that traffic dropped off was from another country across the world, then it just means your website is getting better at communicating the right things — and Google is getting smarter about what your business does and doesn't do. 

It’s worth saying again: not all traffic is good traffic and not all google rankings are relevant for your local business.

Bottom line: Context is everything and you should be suspicious of general numbers without location and keyword context. 

Your Search Footprint: What Actually Matters

Now, let’s say you end up talking to an SEO consultant (there are lots of good ones too!). The important thing to remember when evaluating SEO agency or consultant options is if their strategies are relevant to local businesses. 

Many SEO and ad agencies will lump your results in with eCommerce brands, digital product business models and online services businesses while ignoring the fact that you don't care if you get traffic from anywhere outside of a tight radius around your local area. 

If getting customers into your brick-and-mortar location is the goal of your business, here are a few things that ARE important to your search footprint. 

#1. Clearly stating your ‘service + location’ keywords in your headlines and page titles.

This comes down to a little keyword research and making sure that you’re using the words that your prospects are using in your web copy. Aim to use that service and location keyword phrase at least once in your headlines and also in your page title. (If you’re using Squarespace, the page title can be found under Page Settings > SEO. )

#2. Optimizing your Google Business Profile

More important than your website in searches with local intent (for example: yoga studio near me) is your Google Business Page (GBP). This is how you get literally “on the map” and is the search results that show at the top of every search query that Google deems as having local intent.

Where your GBP shows in relation to your competitors has nothing to do with your website and everything to do with what’s happening on your GBP itself. To optimize your profile, check out these tips and tricks.  

Clearing Out Digital Clutter

Another alarming thing that you may be told by SEO consultants is that your site has a large number of broken links. You can use the free tool Screaming Frog to check this but if your site is a few years old, you likely do have some broken links (this is very common).

As our businesses grow, so do the number of pages on our sites. As a result, older content can become outdated, accumulating some digital clutter. This is why most sites need redesigning and a good clean-out every three to five years.

If your site is more than a couple of years old, it would benefit from a robust SEO review and redesign to keep everything performing at maximum capability. 

Here’s how to fix broken links in Squarespace

Local SEO Frequently Asked Questions

Last but not least, when it comes to SEO spam emails, knowledge is power. Understanding what SEO is and how it actually works can help you identify spam when you see it.

Let’s take a look at some of the FAQs I often get related to this topic. 

#1. Is it possible that my Google credibility dropped quickly?

It may be possible but it’s not likely. Google wants to reward long-standing businesses that are trustworthy and are providing helpful services and content to the searcher — because that’s Google’s job! So, in most cases, your credibility in Google’s eyes will only build with time. That said, if you do notice a dramatic drop-off in search traffic it’s good to check your Google Search Console and make sure nothing is amiss. 

#2. Will my search ranking drop with a website redesign?

If your website design is handled correctly, not only will your search engine ranking NOT drop but in the majority of cases, it will actually improve. A seasoned web designer will know how to support and improve your SEO rankings by focusing on user experience during a redesign.

You can learn more about maintaining your SEO ranking during a website upgrade or redesign right here. 

#3. Is Squarespace good for SEO?

Yes! While it’s possible to get a hand-coded or WordPress site to run slightly faster than a Squarespace site (if you’re very picky about what plugins you use!) remember that speed is just one component of a successful SEO strategy (see above).

Most small business owners find the trade-off in speed ceiling an acceptable trade-off to being able to create content easily and implement keywords. Squarespace is built responsive and comes with an SSL so it’s a technically sound platform. 

#4. Should I blog for SEO?

If you’re wondering whether blogging for SEO purposes is a good idea, the answer is maybe, maybe not… clear as mud, right? As far as SEO goes, not all traffic is relevant traffic, so keyword choice is a huge factor.

There are a limited number of money-making keyword phrases that show local buying intent and those can and should be optimized for within the main pages of your website.

That doesn’t automatically mean you should be blogging. If you want to learn more about how you can effectively focus on content marketing for your studio, this post is a great place to get started. 

Get the Support You Need with SEO and More

Now that you know a bit more about SEO spam and how business owners are targeted, it’s probably worth considering how your own website is currently functioning.

When was the last time you did a redesign? Is your website SEO optimized? Are there any other areas on your website that need some improvement?

Remember: website redesign projects aren’t just for a fresh look! 

One of the advantages of redesigning your website every three to five years is that it forces you to deal with the digital clutter that has undoubtedly accumulated and make other updates to improve your website’s overall performance and effectiveness. 

This can be done by streamlining your sitemap, creating an intentional internal link structure, and updating content to the most relevant stuff.

The best person to do this? A web designer who understands local SEO!

Whether you’re looking for a sitemap to show where your website needs to improve or you’re ready to launch a full-scale redesign project, Pixality can help! 

Check out the Site and Search Map Strategy Package or the Flex Fit Website Project to see what will best suit your needs.

Not sure what you need? Let’s talk! You can contact me right here.