If you’ve ever spoken to a few different SEO companies, chances are you’ve heard something along the lines of:
👉 “We GUARANTEE page 1 rankings in 30 days!”
👉 “Your traffic will double—we promise!”
👉 “We’ll get you 100 backlinks or your money back!”
While this sounds great, there’s a big problem with those statements…
Here at DASH-SEO, we’re asked this question all of the time: “Can you guarantee SEO results?” And the short answer is: No. And no ethical SEO company should truly guarantee SEO results. In this blog post, we’ll explain why “guaranteed” SEO results are commonly a red flag, how Google’s algorithms actually work, and what you can expect from a great SEO agency like DASH-SEO.
Why Do Some SEO Agencies Guarantee SEO Results?
The answer is quite simple, because it’s a very easy way to close a deal on someone who doesn’t know what SEO is about and how it actually works.
Promises such as “Guaranteed page 1 rankings!” sound quite promising to business owners who are unaware of how SEO works, or maybe the business owners do not even care either way, they just want results. Yet in reality, these guarantees are often:
❌ Unrealistic
❌ Based on low-competition, irrelevant keywords
❌ A sign of shady tactics that could harm your site
At DASH-SEO, we always believe in being as transparent as possible, even if it’s not as flashy as other SEO agencies. We’d rather underpromise and overdeliver than sell you false hope and a pipe dream where disappointment can be inevitable.
Why SEO Results Can’t Be Guaranteed
Here’s why no one can honestly guarantee SEO results:
📈Google’s Algorithm is Completely Out of Our Control
Within Google’s ranking algorithm, there are over 200 individual ranking factors, many of which are updated on a very regular basis. No SEO agency has insider access or special privileges with Google, despite what some may say.
Even Google itself has said:
“No one can guarantee a #1 ranking on Google.”
(Source: Google Search Central)
⏳SEO is Always a Long-Term Strategy
When you compare SEO to PPC ads, SEO does take some time (usually around 6 months). Building up your domain authority, earning high-quality backlinks, and creating high-quality content is not an overnight process where you see instantaneous results.
Here at DASH-SEO, many of our clients will often begin to see measurable improvements within 3–6 months, with major growth being achieved within 6-12 months. With this being said, we’ll never place a “timeline guarantee” on organic results.
🔗Your Competition Isn’t Standing Still
Your competitors are also investing in SEO, possibly more than you are at the moment. Their actions will affect how quickly you can move up in rankings, as there’s a limited number of spots (10) on the coveted first page of Google. If your industry is competitive, a guarantee ignores this ever-evolving moving target and oversimplifies the reality of ultra-competitive markets.
The Red Flags of “Guaranteed SEO”
When you see SEO guarantees, it’s a wise idea to ask questions and dig deeper. Oftentimes, these guarantees are tied to SEO tricks and tactics that can actually end up hurting your site in the long run:
🚩Targeting easy, low-traffic keywords
Example: Ranking for “best coffee mug for left-handed Canadians in 2025” sounds like it could be an impressive search query to rank #1 for, until you realize no one actually searches for that and it’s ultimately worthless to pursue.
🚩Black-Hat SEO Practices
Any form of paid links, keyword stuffing, and private blog networks (PBNs) may possibly deliver short-term results, yet they violate Google’s guidelines and will likely end up causing your site to receive a massive penalty, resulting in deindexing of your content, making you invisible to users searching for what you offer on Google.
🚩Vanity Metrics Over Real Business Goals
An SEO agency may guarantee vanity metrics such as a specific number of impressions, positioning, or click-through-rate, but not leads, conversions, or revenue. What good are these vanity metrics if no one’s clicking or converting?
What Can a Good SEO Company Promise?
While we cannot guarantee rankings, here’s what our team of SEO experts at DASH-SEO does promise:
✅ Transparent Strategies: We’ll show you exactly what we’re doing, how we’re doing it, and why we’re doing it
✅ Regular Reporting: You’ll receive clear updates on rankings, traffic, and conversions on a monthly basis
✅ Customized Plans: No cookie-cutter SEO. Each and every business we work with is unique, therefore requiring a unique strategy
✅ Long-Term Growth: Ethical, white-hat SEO, to build long-lasting, sustainable results for many years to come
We focus on metrics which actually matter to your business:
- Organic traffic growth 📈
- Keyword improvements 🔑
- Leads & sales 💳
At the end of the day, SEO is not about vanity metrics, it’s about results that positively impact your bottom line.
How to Find a Trustworthy SEO Agency
When interviewing SEO agencies, ask the following questions:
✔️Can you share any case studies or real client results?
✔️What’s your approach to link building?
✔️How do you measure success with an SEO campaign?
✔️Will I own my website, content, and data?
An honest agency like DASH-SEO will more than welcome these types of questions, and happily answer all of these questions and more, no problem.
A Real-Life Example from One of Our Clients Here at DASH-SEO
One client came to us after working with a “guaranteed SEO” provider. That specific SEO company had promised:
💥 Page 1 rankings in 30 days
💥 100 backlinks per month
They delivered for a short period of time (roughly 6 months), yet most of the backlinks originated from spammy sites, and search traffic plummeted after a Google update.
We stepped in and:
✅ Cleaned up toxic backlinks
✅ Redesigned their site for better UX, Core Web Vitals, & CRO
✅ Built an ethical, content-driven, problem-solving SEO strategy
The Result?
After just 8 months, they regained all lost rankings, and on top of that grew organic traffic by 270%. No shortcuts, no gimmicks; just sustainable SEO-focused growth.
So…Are SEO Results Ever 100% Predictable?
Short answer: No.
Long answer: While no one can explicitly promise you #1 rankings, a good SEO agency can provide you with a clear roadmap, set realistic expectations up front, and deliver steady progress as each month passes. At DASH-SEO, we treat SEO like a true partnership. Our success is tied to your success.
✅ What We Can Guarantee at DASH-SEO:
🔹 Open, honest communication where any question can be asked
🔹 Time-tested, proven SEO strategies based on quality data sources and past performance
🔹 Ongoing optimizations to best align and adapt to Google’s ongoing updates
🔹 Transparent reporting every month which includes true results, not just vanity metrics
We believe in doing SEO the right way.
Always Beware of “Guaranteed SEO”
If you’re able to take one thing away from this blog post, please let it be this: Guarantees in SEO are a red flag, not a reassuring quality. The only true guarantee in SEO is: shortcuts and shady tactics will most likely backfire. Choosing an SEO partner who’s in it to win it with you for the long haul should be the goal. Here at DASH-SEO, we’re committed to helping your business grow sustainably for many years to come, without risking your reputation with Google.
Want an Honest SEO Audit?
📞 Call us at 512-202-1264
📧 Email: contact@dash-seo.com
🌐 Or visit DASH-SEO.com to request your FREE SEO Audit
👉 Let’s create a roadmap for your business; no false promises, just real results.