Jason hired what he thought was a reputable SEO firm, but it turns out that the SEO firm didn’t live up to its promises. stopped paying for The SEO firm then sued Jason for failing to pay. Jason countersued for not providing what he felt he deserved from the company.
This is what Jason wrote in the Google Webmaster Help Thread.
We know, there are many bad bad SEO companies out there. The main question here is can the customer sue her SEO firm and win.
Obviously, most of it depends on the contract between the SEO company and the client.
Most SEO deals probably don’t offer great promises regarding rankings. They will likely provide deliverables such as Monday’s ranking report, her SEO audit delivered to the customer by a certain date, and a follow-up to the customer on another date. But the requirement to rank your website at number X is probably something you don’t see in his SEO contract.
Even Google’s own SEO advice says, “No one can guarantee a #1 ranking on Google.”
That said, many SEO companies have been sued and I’m sure they will be sued in the future.
It is very important to set clear expectations for your customers to avoid being sued, and to protect yourself with a solid contract if they do.
Do you think this client will have a good SEO appeal? Check out the thread for more details.
Forum discussion on Google Webmaster Help.
Image credit to BigStockPhoto for Gavel
