Search Engine Easy Adwords Review

Note: Orignally published in 2012. I found my original blog post and decided to write about it again today.

Edit: Read the comments people have left under the blog post for more information.

Matt from Search Engine Easy called my number today as I had done a new Hotfrog listing for a client without a telephone number at present, so I added my personal mobile on there.

Matt would not confirm or deny that he used Hotfrog, but because it’s the only thing I did today for the client it’s not rocket science.

Had Matt googled my mobile number he would have come up with my website but I guess he was too interested in trying to sell me a £99 Adwords package for this.

Personally I found his attitude very pushy, I listened to the entire 21 minute sales talk as previously I have not had the time or inclination to listen to an agency, and pretended I knew nothing, but today I had time, as it was gone 4pm and I was getting the kettle on anyway.

To be continued below

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… Continued

There was a lot of repetition of the words “Do you get me?” and telling me free directories were useless to getting sales in and Google was the only way forward to get traffic and make money and no one uses free directories or buys from them.

I didn’t tell him I have proven sales for a wide range of clients [that would have given the game away] as a direct result of free directories, for the right business they are more than a quickie free backlink, a good profile completed gives a great impression.

Matt said to me – and I quote – “The only calls you will get from free directories are from companies hammering you with cold calls”

The £129.99 deal (that reduced to £99 within 5 minutes) is this:

Search Engine Easy told me they are ‘selecting clients in certain areas so this offer is not available for everyone’ and that for £99 ‘there would be unlimited traffic for 5 search phrases for 30 days with no contract with ads showing 24 hours a day’.

What he didn’t/couldn’t tell me was the 5 search phrases – the Google Certified Consultant would talk through everything with me. So, just to get my facts straight, at the end I recapped and said “So is this Google Adwords all over the UK?” and Matt told me no, if I wanted that and I had the budget I could have that, but for £99 this would be local to my area.

The client in question is an internet-only store selling globally. No bricks and mortar. No one is going to search for ‘blue metal widgets basingstoke’ and to me the whole spiel was a massive eye opener to the sales tactics of large SEO agencies targeting businesses online as soon as they add their business to a directory – as perhaps this would show the company newly listed is desperate for more traffic, more sales, and these are prime selling leads?

When I would not agree there and then and asked for the details in writing he refused to email me (shame as I was going to give him my domain email address) and when I said I was in partnership and could not sign up there and then without speaking to my business partner more questions were asked

What’s his name?
Can I speak to him now?
Surely he would agree that being at the top of Google 24/7 is a good thing?
Is there another number I can take to speak with him?
I’ll call at 9.30am in the morning is that OK?

– I even read out a 2 word keyphrase – 33k global searches – and was told that was rubbish and not good enough – to me this means that his ‘blue metal widget basingstoke’ was better?
– This 2 word keyphrase hit Google page 1 UK recently for my client who is very pleased with the resulting orders. I am pretty sure my client would not be pleased if I was targeting a local area.

Search Engine Easy Use Directories For New Business Leads

[Taken from the Hotfrog website] “Does Hotfrog provide my information to telemarketers?

Hotfrog does not use telemarketing with our customers nor do we sell your contact details without your explicit permission to any third parties for telemarketing or any other purpose.

 

We are actively trying to block (technically) and discourage (through direct communication) telemarketing companies from this intrusive practice and we will be putting in place more overt tools to help our customers discourage telemarketers in the near future.”

I clearly ticked the box that states: “No telemarketing calls” and this is exactly what happened.

Search Engine Easy ignored this on 10th October 2012

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Lastly: On 11th October 2012 I found this information about an Online Directory owned by Manchester-based Search Engine Easy and recommended by another Manchester-based company First Found:

The Carbon Directory (URL removed) is owned and operated by S.E.Easy Limited, a limited company registered in Ireland (registered number 473196).

Funny enough, on the Carbon Directory website the terms also state:
Using thecarbondirectory.com
The Carbon Directory allows you to search for goods and services and to contact any of the organisations as listed.
(2016 edit: This information still remains on the website)

You may not use the website to create, check, confirm, update or amend your own or someone else’s database, records, directories, customer lists, mailing or prospecting lists; provide any kind of commercial information service or for any other commercial reasons.

To me this means Search Engine Easy state terms on their own directories but ignore terms on directories not owned by themselves.