You’ve heard all the success stories and case studies from search engine optimization (SEO) companies’ websites: get search engine rankings, fame and fortune follow. But does it always work that way? As an insider in the SEO field, I can assure you that it doesn’t. I’ve seen too many companies lose money on a successful SEO campaign—SEO that is Pointless. How can you avoid their fate?

First, understand what SEO is and what it isn’t. Legitimate search engine optimization doesn’t involve shady tactics to “trick" search engines into giving you rankings. Search engines do not take kindly to being tricked. When search engines find out you’ve manipulated them, your site could be demoted or blacklisted.

Second, define expectations. When dealing with an SEO company, be sure to define what success is. Do write out which search engines you expect to see results on—you probably won’t be happy with a #1 ranking on www.theultimatesearchenginethatnooneuses.com if you’re nowhere to be found on Google. Remember that you don’t have to be #1 to get traffic, either (although it certainly helps). There are no guarantees in SEO, even if your SEO’s cousin’s grandma’s neighbor’s dog walker’s wife works at Google.