SEO is a foundation, not a quick fix
Many companies who are not veterans in online marketing do not understand that there are good guys and bad guys on the Internet exactly as in any offline business. It is often difficult for inexperienced firms to understand how search engine optimisation works. That is why they call an SEO consultancy in a panic when things go wrong.
They expect the optimisation specialist to fix things fast when they receive bad press in blogs and forums. To make matters worse they look for the cheapest SEO firm they can find to save costs. This is a sure-fire ticket to turning a bad situation into a disaster.
Any SEO company which promises the earth - and quickly, is likely to be using techniques which are unethical (known in the industry as 'black hat') and are more likely to get your website blacklisted by search engines than championed. There are no guarantees with SEO, but a good agency can develop a multi-faceted and comprehensive campaign which will have the greatest chance of success.
Prevention is better than cure
SEO is the foundation that you build everything else on. Reputable white hat optimisation takes time and effort. It can be compared to preventative medication that must be taken regularly in sufficient dosages. It is reputation management through ongoing SEO that builds your brand reputation over time. In this way you maintain credibility and in the event of receiving bad publicity you have huge credibility to fall back on.
This means that you already have all the mechanisms in place to counter bad publicity and turn it around into positive opportunities. Ongoing reputation management means that bad publicity usually can be contained to a hiccup instead of trying to defuse a bomb. Prevention is always far better than a cure.
