RANT: Dumb Search Terms, But HEY you Are #1 on Google

I don't usually post rants, but this is such a common scam that I just had to post a recent email I received this morning from one of my long time clients. I have left out the name of the client and the name of 'the guy' that approached her to sell her a blog because it isn't the point to attack anyone in particular here or embarrass my client. She shouldn't be embarrassed anyway, because this is a really convincing scam.

I am going to summarize for clarity, but basically her email was:

Hey Cheryl, check this out. This 'guy' is going to build me a blog for $300 and get me #1 on Google overnight. [link to 'this guy'].

My Answer... (i.e. my rant)

Considering that he is using a common scam to sell you a blog… yeah.. no.. don’t buy a thing from him...

I can put up a blog right now for ‘yourtown florida buy houses 34999’ and get #1 too.. for that matter I can put a blog up for ‘this is the most common scam ever 12345’ and get #1 overnight… but the problem therein lies that NO ONE is entering search terms in that order… its cool to be #1… but who cares if it’s NOT something that people search for.. I don’t personally know the guy nor have I heard of him… but I just hate people that say ‘I can get you #1’ on dumb search terms

Heres proof… go to https://adwords.google.com/o/Targeting/Explorer

Enter in anytown anystate buy houses [ZIPCODE]

Now… at position #1 you get 42% of all traffic searching for that term… let's look at how many people are searching for that term …. none… and how much traffic is 42% of none… well… none… so how much traffic will I get you if I create a blog with that search term… um… you got it… none…

BUT hey… you will be #1 for $300

SURPRISE... 

while I was writing this rant, my client actually had 'this guy' call me on my cell phone to 'explain' what he would do for my client... after about 3-4 minutes of listening to a one-way sales pitch he asks, "are you still there". Wow, i guess it was my turn. So, i ask him... "What search terms are you trying to sell to my client for position #1" and he replied 'anytown anystate buy houses [ZIPCODE]' (and three other dumb search terms). I politely explained that we were not interested in buying 42% of zero traffic for $300. Then after my face came back to a normal color I came back to finish this rant. That just aggravates me.

The point of all of this is this: Be CAREFUL out there. 'This guy' is just like many 'other guys' out there. Now, I dont expect you to know right off the top of your head which search terms are bogus. I do this everyday so I just 'know' when something sounds like a zero traffic term. But, It only takes a few seconds to go over to a tool like https://adwords.google.com/select/KeywordToolExternal 

Just click on that link, enter 'that guys'search terms and check out not only the potential traffic for your selected key phrase but also other suggested key phrases that might be a better fit.

You can also click on the traffic estimator and see exactly how much traffic a key-phrase would attract. Take that number and multiply it by .42 to get an idea of how much traffic a potential site would receive at the number one position. 

Then you can politely tell 'that guy', "Thank you, but I don't want to buy 42% of zero traffic for $300."