This case involves a company that was allegedly misled by an online marketing consulting firm. The plaintiff in Hawaii searched for, and later located, a company who had extensive experience in enterprise search engine optimization. The SEO company was hired to assist in regaining the number one rank for a particular keyword on multiple search engines. The plaintiff company which hired the SEO consultant relied solely on internet marketing as a primary means of business development and marketing. Search algorithms are routinely changed by the major search services providers, and the company’s rank dropped significantly on organic search following one of these updates. The defendant in this suit promised his company would be able to get the company back on page 1 within several weeks. As time passed, their search rank did not change, and it was apparent that nothing had improved since they’d hired his firm. It was alleged that the vendor overstated his qualifications and has done nothing in terms of page ranks for their new site or prior sites.
Question(s) For Expert Witness
1. Do you have extensive experience with nationwide- search engine optimization?
2. Do you have knowledge of scams/illegitimate companies marketing themselves as high quality SEO consultants?
Expert Witness Response E-008951
I have extensive SEO experience both in the US - where my work is focused on local, regional, and nationwide businesses - and also internationally, where I work with global businesses. I also wrote one of the best-selling books on the subject, and completed 5 editions since 2004. I've been working in SEO since the late 1990s and have extensive Internet experience dating back to 1993. I would be able to review what the defendant (and his company) should have done to see if they handled this project appropriately or not. If there's sufficient specificity in the contract, it will be easy to assess the work that was rendered and the work that should have been rendered / required. It is generally difficult to guarantee that a firm can earn a number 1 ranking on a given keyword, especially when it is in an industry vertical with significant competition.
About the author
Joseph O'Neill
Joe has extensive experience in online journalism and technical writing across a range of legal topics, including personal injury, meidcal malpractice, mass torts, consumer litigation, commercial litigation, and more. Joe spent close to six years working at Expert Institute, finishing up his role here as Director of Marketing. He has considerable knowledge across an array of legal topics pertaining to expert witnesses. Currently, Joe servces as Owner and Demand Generation Consultant at LightSail Consulting.