Here is an actual email that I received from a search engine placement firm:
“Our company will now place any business with a qualified web site permanently at the top of the major search engines guaranteed never to move (ex: Google, Yahoo!, and MSN). This type of promotion may produce limited traffic and is not going to last long.
When I clicked the link to view the offer, a web site did not come up. The domain used a .pe extension.
If you get an email offer from any search engine optimization firm, that promises first position placement, then you can be CERTAIN, their SEO methods will eventually get you banned from the major search engines.
Remember, all of the major search engines want to deliver relevant search results to their audience.
If you are seeking an on-going SEO program or even if you just want to tackle a specific aspect of search engine optimization, contact me at cw @vertronics.com.
Update: This article was originally posted on April 9, 2008