Sigh... maybe I'm just looking to vent, and perhaps a few comments saying, "It's OK, your freelance service will take off," or maybe I'm just fed up with this altogether.

I work for a "snake oil SEO Company" (one of the largest in America, actually). I'm their one and only "SEO Specialist." I use quotes because nobody above me can spell SEO, let alone understand what even the slightest idea of the industry is all about. You see, this company started as a template website-offering company. In one of their retention calls, someone gave a bit of advice on getting higher rankings (this person is one of my best friends, and because of this fact, my worst enemy). This was about 3 years ago, and the advice given by my customer care representative friend wasn't exactly spot on, but the company decided to make this a part of their sales campaign. Why not? Why not offer not only a mundane website but also an optimization service we know nothing about, all for a higher price?

So here we are today. The initial promise we make on the sales side is page-one rankings within a few months (hard to blame sales reps, they have to eat). Then, we send a report to the customer showing their keyword density, and very little more. Part of the service entitles the customer to a consultation. In this consultation, customer care is to tell the customer some of the worst advice I've ever heard.

I fight this advice nail and tooth everyday. And every day I'm told that this advice was approved by corporate, and that we cannot stray from their guidelines. As the one and only specialist, I am the one that customers get to once the "basics" have been met. What happens then? I get to tell the customer that we need to start from scratch (diplomatically, so I can keep my job), and we begin work.

I do indeed have a freelance service on the side (which would bring my world to a crashing halt if ever discovered by Joe Company), but I get maybe 1 account a month, maybe a month and a half.

So I sigh again. I come to work, hoping that I will either l and that big account on my own or my voice be heard here and we can work to provide a quality service; but, when I get home, or I am forced to tell a customer something I don't believe in because I am being monitored on the phones, I feel so.... dirty. Every time I put myself in a position to sell my own service, I am met with the wall placed by the customer as a result of a very poor service... and I am only contributing. I could quit, but I don't think my landlord would accept acorns and tales of adventure as payment.

What's an SEO to do?

Come on guys, tell me it will all be OK and the scam SEO companies will one day be banished to the land.