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I was contacted the other night on Facebook by a supposed ‘SEO Expert’ looking for work. After a moment of talking with this individual (who will remain anonymous), they immediately began to set off alarms. I asked for a sample of their work, and after a long spiel about everything they’ve done, finally delivered a hastily prepared slide show that only had one example website. I checked everything out from my end, and what they had as results did not match up. They were shooting for a very specific term, and only showed themselves as third rank in their example, which honestly made me very wary of them. After I checked it out myself, I was appalled. Not only did they not show up in the top rank, they were completely off the radar. I shook my head and asked them if they had any other examples, and they began spitting out a whirlwind of references that looked like it was just shameless self-promotion from friends. I was shocked to think this person believed I was buying it.
At this point, they were literally begging for a job, proclaiming they had ‘fresh, new ideas that no one had ever thought about’. I was fed up with it, and referred them to someone who knew what they were talking about when it comes to SEO (Which i admit, I did it to test their mettle). I heard later that the supposed ‘expert’ argued up and down about everything that has to do with optimizing a webpage, but was quickly cut off. Angrily, they blamed me for promising them a lead, I told them to build their portfolio, and immediately ceased contact.
Let’s be frank. Imagine this happened in real life, at your doorstep. A mysterious person comes to your doorstep, proclaiming that they are the master. They proceed to argue everything you have to say, and with nothing to back them up. In a sane world, this would promptly get a door slammed in someone’s face. Experience speaks louder than words, and anyone who was as much of an expert as this person claimed to be could easily show their work. You wouldn’t commission an artist until you’ve seen an example of their work, so you shouldn’t have to deal with people like this just because they say they’re great.
As a parting word, I would like to encourage everyone to do their homework. I’ve said it above, and i’ll say it again: If these self-proclaimed experts of the field are such experts, their portfolios would speak volumes.
Dennis Yu
Dennis Yu is co-author of the #1 best-selling book on Amazon in social media, The Definitive Guide to TikTok Ads. He has spent a billion dollars on Facebook ads across his agencies and agencies he advises. Mr. Yu is the "million jobs" guy-- on a mission to create one million jobs via hands-on social media training, partnering with universities and professional organizations.You can find him quoted in major publications and on television such as CNN, the Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, NPR, and LA Times. Clients have included Nike, Red Bull, the Golden State Warriors, Ashley Furniture, Quiznos-- down to local service businesses like real estate agents and dentists. He's spoken at over 750 conferences in 20 countries, having flown over 6 million miles in the last 30 years to train up young adults and business owners. He speaks for free as long as the organization believes in the job-creation mission and covers business class travel.You can find him hiking tall mountains, eating chicken wings, and taking Kaqun oxygen baths-- likely in a city near you.