Why I don't offer guaranteed Google rankings

Every so often someone asks whether I can guarantee their site ranks on the first page of Google. The honest answer is no — and anyone telling you otherwise is either misunderstanding how search works, or hoping you won't ask a follow-up question.

What I actually do

Every site I build includes proper basic SEO as standard: clear page titles, meta descriptions, image alt-text, a sitemap, and clean URL structure. That's the foundation search engines expect.

What happens beyond that depends on your content, your competition, and time. Google takes months to reflect changes, and no one outside Google controls the algorithm.

Why "guaranteed rankings" is a red flag

If a rank is guaranteed, one of a few things is usually happening:

• The guarantee only applies to an obscure, low-competition search term nobody actually searches for
• The tactics used are the kind that get sites penalised once Google notices
• The guarantee simply won't be honoured, and you'll be offered excuses instead

None of that serves you. Good SEO is patient, foundational work - not some fancy trick, not "the one thing web developers don't want you to know...".