Your website's design is absolutely brilliant!

Have you received an email something like the following? I get them all the time, and I'm an expert in Website Design and SEO.

First Name: Lauren
Last Name: Green
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 2012012012

Comments / Questions: Hey

Your website's design is absolutely brilliant. The visuals really enhance your message and the content compels action. I have forwarded it to a few of my contacts who I think could benefit from your services.

When I was looking at your website, though, I noticed a slight issue re: your SEO that I thought you might not be aware of. It is a relatively simple fix. Would you like me to write it up so that you can share it with your web team? If this is a priority, I can also get on a call.

Regards,

Lauren Green

(or Melissa, or Celina, or ...)

Or maybe you've gotten this contact form submission from your website:

www.YourNewSecretWeapon.com is the best software for generating leads for Web Design and Marketing companies, $0.05 per Business Contacted, guaranteed to get into the inbox.

What does it mean when someone emails me out of the blue about "your website's design?"

My clients get them all the time, and I tell them 2 things:

1. The good news is that your website is ranking on Google!
2. The frustrating news is that you'll get more and more spam like this as time goes on.

Just like door-to-door solicitations or telemarketing calls, these emails are unsolicited attempts at trying to sell you services, whether you need them or not. It is important to recognize these and not unwittingly hand over your credit card to people who:

1. You never met
2. Are hiding their identity
3. Can disappear as fast as they appeared in your inbox

How can I spot these spam form submissions?

Just like spotting phishing emails (the ones trying to scam you into handing over your bank credentials, Amazon account info, PayPal, eBay, etc.), you should familiarize yourself with spammy internet solicitations. Here are a few quick tips:

1. Look at the phone number. This one, 2012012012, is quite obviously a fake number. Some of them don't even have the correct number of digits.
2. Look at the email address. If it's a generic domain, like gmail.com, outlook.com, yahoo.com, or any other free email domain as opposed to an actual business domain, it's either spam or at the very best a digital marketer that is not running a professional agency. The investment in a business domain email account is a very small step to show the world that your are serious about your business. A respectable digital marketer will not skimp on this step.
3. This pattern of a complement followed by a small hook is textbook solicitation.
4. Copy the email address and paste it into a google search. These are usually widespread spam campaigns, and others have likely posted this email address to spam blacklist directories. Googling "[email protected]" returns a series of spam blacklist pages.

Are there ways to block these spam / scam emails?

Yes, there are some spam filters that attempt to contain this type of submission, but none are perfect.

The whole goal for the spammer is to get you to respond. That initiates the conversation, which can be particularly effective if you nibble on the bait that you have only a "slight issue with your SEO".

What should you do if you receive an email like this?

If you are unsure about how to handle solicitation emails like this, simply do what our clients do: ask your trusted digital marketing partner. If you don't have one, we'd be honored if you would take a few minutes to chat with us about what your business goals are, and together we can determine if we'd be a good fit to help you achieve them.

By the way, this email happens to match an email template on a HubSpot blog article about templates that work!