All business gurus are saying it: as a business, you need to have a digital blueprint. However, this might overwhelm you if you’re new to digital marketing.
You need to get yourself acquainted with a lot of jargon. Undoubtedly, it can get confusing really fast.
But there’s a dark side to digital marketing that you need to know as a newbie, and that would be scams.
With the advancement of digital marketing nowadays, it’s not surprising that some people out there would take advantage of this, especially those who are new to digital marketing.
And the worst part about it all is that it’s getting harder and harder to distinguish scammers from legit digital marketers and strategies.
Hence, today, we will discuss some of the most common digital marketing scams you might encounter in digital marketing. Let’s start.
SEO Quick Fix
Like followers, gaining high rankings in search engines like Google, Bing, and YouTube takes much time and effort.
This is because SEO gains an organic following through white hat techniques, which can take time.
This is done through keyword research and application, creating relevant content, and increasing your authority in the industry. It will take you months or even years to do that, but it’s all worth it.
What scammers do, however, is to promise you that you’ll gain a high ranking in search engines in just a few days or weeks.
Of course, they’ll probably do this feat with black hat techniques, which will tank your ranking instead.
Remember, there’s no such thing as a SEO quick fix. Luckily for you, there are a lot of legit SEO agencies in the US.
However, if you want to gain high rankings on search engines in other countries like Australia, you can work with Sydney’s Finest SEO Services: Propel Your Brand Forward to help your branch get a good ranking in search engines.
Business Directory Scams
You might have heard of the Yellow Pages if you’ve been a business owner for some time. The Yellow Pages is a big yellow book containing directories for local shops in your area and the US.
If you’ve used this before, it would please you to know that they have gone online. There are countless business directory websites, some even specializing in different industries.
Of course, as a business, you would want your company to be listed on these popular sites so more people could see and contact your business. This is where the scam goes in.
The fake digital marketer would tell you they will put your business in popular online business directories for a price.
But they will just put your business in an unknown business directory, not those popular ones.
Take note that if your business is listed in a shady online business directory, it could spell disaster for your business.
Getting listed in a shady business directory will make potential clients think that you’re involved in some sort of scam.
Buying Followers
As a business looking to have a following, one way you can build your community is to create your page on popular social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc.
Creating a following on social media sites can take a long time. However, scammers would promise you that you’ll be getting a thousand or even a million followers online in just a few days or two.
Of course, this is fake, but you might wonder how they are doing this. One word: bots.
These scammers would create bots with social media accounts and make them follow your pages. Of course, this is bad for a few reasons.
Once your real followers figure out you’re using bots, it will tank your popularity. Not only that, you might even be reported and have your page discontinued.
Social Media Click Farms
It’s quite obvious how large companies can amass huge likes and hearts in just a few minutes of posting.
Of course, you would want that as a business since it’s a sign that your business is booming. This is what scammers are looking to take advantage of.
They will tell you you can get the same, but they use bots that automatically engage with your posts when you create them. It’s not a good look for your business.
Fake Custom Websites
One way you can create a digital footprint for your business is to create your very own website. However, this doesn’t come cheap, and it’s considered a huge investment. Scammers, conversely, would offer you custom websites with rock-bottom prices.
While this might sound good, don’t get too excited now as, most likely, these rock-bottom-priced websites are using copyrighted material and even a duplicate of another popular business website and content.
Final Words
There are a lot of scammers in the world, especially on the internet, where anyone can operate anonymously. This can spell disaster for a business just starting out.
So, if you want a legitimate digital marketing campaign, you best get these services from legitimate agencies and digital marketers.
It’s better to spend a lot for your business and prosper than to spend cheaply and have your business journey meet an immediate end.
Ella Marcotte
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