Website built, did not rank first, client haggles? Is it a common scam?

Hi. Sorry, I am not sure if I am posting in the right part of the forum.

I was asked to take at test and passing the test to build the site and it appeared on the 9th page of search engine results for the specific keyword,
I was hired.

After 40 hours work, my client refuse to pay me as the site failed to rank first, but it did end up being 8th. The deal was per hour.

I answered by saying if he wanted top rank, the site should have been micro-niche, which was an option when we first chose what to use for the site name. This means that instead of getting to the top of 6million searches, he should have picked something that was like only a few hundred thousand, which as you all very well know is not challenging or gratifying at all.

I saw a post about this guy saying that he refuses to pay the SEO unless it ranks first. What do you call this kind of scam and did anyone else become a victim?

 

Sounds like you been bent over and shafted there mate to be honest!!

So the test was to prove you can build the website yea?

 

Yeah nothing sounds kosher out of that deal..

 

I'm not a lawyer; I don't even play one on the Internet.

But there seems to be a fundamental principle of law that the other fellow has missed: You build a web site. The site is your property until you turn it over to somebody else. So he "hires" you to build it. You build it. He won't pay. Tell him to stay the hell away from your web site.

You might even want to mention various laws and the penalties for hacking into sites. Or, you might explain to him what your web site might say about him and his product should you wish. Or both.

PS: If he does decide to change his current stance, you could also point out to him that when he refused to pay you $X he broke the contract so he can not now claim that he only has to pay you $X. You could charge him whatever you want.

 

this is what happens if you dont get a deposit

 

What you can do to stop this from now one is to make these two things. Design and then seo.

I would not give them the site until payment is made. Then you can do the seo part. If they do not pay for the seo. You should have the log in for all the accounts that you set up. Go back in and take all the links back down.

Cover yourself. Have customers sign contracts and so on.

Billsboardonline

 

What was the initial contract? Did you ever promise your client first page ranking?