If you are foolish enough to resort to questionable SEO strategies, or hire an SEO consultant who does; the answer is a resounding yes. There are no short cuts to improved performance at the search engines, no guaranteed formulas for overnight success. Promises of instant results, or a cast iron top listing should be greeting with a healthy dose of skepticism. If you choose to forego the task of optimization yourself, there are plenty of reputable consultants online to choose from, but you would be well advised to ask what methods they will employ.

If an SEO consultant suggests submitting your URL to 10,000 search engines and directories wouldn’t you want to know exactly where it will end up? After all, we’re talking about the credibility and reputation of your Web site. Trying to artificially boost your ranking at the search engines is poor strategy. Their algorithms will not differentiate between a premeditated attempt to trick your way to a top ranking, or your innocent use of a consultant who employs such methods, but the result may be that your site suffers either way.