WHAT TO AVOID : BAD SEO COMPANIES
SEO - What NOT to do !
The FUNDAMENTAL NO-NOs
- Do not use Hidden Text or Hidden Links
- Do not use cloaking
- Do not use hidden re-directs
- Do not send automated queries to Google
- Do not stuff or load pages with irrelevant keywords
- Do not create pages or websites with Duplicate Content
- Dont allow or use malicious tecniques to gather data or affect the user expeience of your site
- Specifically dont use Trojans, Phishing or Malware or allow downloads of same on your site
- Do not use Doorway pages
- Do not use affilliate or viral methods that dont add value to your site
- Do not drop links or spammy "sigs" on Forums
- Do not try to fool Google in any way!
Google are happy for SEO companies to help make their clients' websites more useful and search engine friendly but have stated that the above points will get you absolutely nowehere and WILL adversely affect your position in the SERPS when you get caught.
In July of 2013 Google issued some new guidelines that will cause ADVERSELY IMPACT RANKING:-
Excessive "Link to me and I will link to you" links. However we assume that linking between similarly themed websites is still OK
i.e. You can and should swap links with partners and associates so long as they are in the same business or known to be linked.
Large Scale Article Marketing campaigns (with spun articles) - Google also frowns on multiple embedded keyword rich links within articles.
Adverts, especially text ones that use keyword rich links to "game" Google. You can avoid being penalised by using the NOFOLLOW tag on genuine ads (eg rel=nofollow). This is also called Preventing Passing Page Rank.
The use of automated software / services to create links or bookmarks - Google would like to know if you see someone doing this by filling in the form here ... Google's Report Paid Links Form
Forum comments (dropped links) with embedded backlinks. Also forum signatures with excessively keyword rich links.
Keyword rich footer links.
Finally Google qualifies the above disqualifying practices by saying ...
GOOGLE SAYS ... "The best way to get other sites to create high-quality, relevant links to yours is to create unique, relevant content that can naturally gain popularity in the Internet community. Creating good content pays off: Links are usually editorial votes given by choice, and the more useful content you have, the greater the chances someone else will find that content valuable to their readers and link to it."
Here is the SEO expert from Google, Matt Cutts taking about User Generated Spam, how to prevent it and how to fix it.
"We will get your website thousands of inbound links!"
Many companies advertise that they will make your site number one in Google by increasing the number of inbound links. While its true that genuine inbound links will greatly help your rank in the SERPS, the opposite is also true; fake links from people who create link websites (link farms) simply to fool Google et al into believing your website is more popular than it really is... will get you demoted or banned. The Search engines treat as suspicious the following indicators of fake inward links:-
- Your website get a lot of additional inbound links a very short time.
- Many links that point to your website are from unrelated websites or blog comments.
- Your web pages contain hidden links.
- You get links from links farms or automated link exchange systems.
- Paid links point to your website.
- Known spammers link to your website.
- Your website links to known spammers.
If you are using such techniques or employ someone to use such methods the search engine people say ...
"When probable manipulation is detected, a spam rank factor is applied to a site, depending upon the type and severity of the infraction. If the spam rating is high, a site can be penalized with a lowered rank. If the violations are egregious, a site can be temporarily or even permanently purged from the index."
Its also thought that Google are smart people. They read all the websites the SEO people do and know all the published tricks. For example. If a new website appears and gradually becomes popular via incoming links over 6 months - this is normal growth and will rank highly. If however the site suddently has 21,000 incoming links; its either about someone or something very popular, or its owner is trying to manipulate Google's search results.
Here is what Matt Cutts from Google and his colleague say about soliciting links and buying links (Unnatural Links)
More less obvious Problems you should avoid in Ethical SEO work
RECIPRICOL LINKS
When someone gives you a link because you gave them one (and vice versa) it is called recipricol linking (link swaps). Google does not give as much credence to Recipricol Links as it does to "real" links when someone unsolicited reccomends your website. There are exceptions and Google remains pragmatic on the subject allowing a little leeway in cases such as Press Clippings EXAMPLE: Click here to see what the Womans Weekly News Daily says about us. Matt Cutts, an engineer at Google, suggests using only your best press links ( your favourite ones) and NOT every single mention. Matt Cutts Video on Recipricol Links
NON-SAFE WORDS
Google participates in safe web surfing so that its results can be filtered to exclude non-safe words and images - its called Safe Search and can be switched on and off in the Google Preferences. It follows then that if your website uses words that could be misconstrued by Google's Search Programme as "grown-up words" when it scans your web page, then its likely the mention of non-safe words will adversely affect your page when the general public use Safe Search. What is not generally known is that by default (if you dont change the Google Preferences) then your search results will be filtered using Safe Search set to Moderate Filtering. However Google have said many times that one or two words here and there (medical context, education or art etc) will not automatically exclude you from a specific band of results. For example Childrens Books are becoming more explicit in their content and are specifically designed to reach a younger audience. Its logical to assume Google would like to remain impartial here and go with the consensus that a book is suitable for children and not block the review or whatever bcause it contains a few naughty words.
JUST SAY NO - NEVER USE UNETHICAL SEO
Google References for problems and solutuions to any existing bad seo issues you may have:
Google Webmasters Forum Google SEO General Help Pages
Google Webmasters Forum Find reasons why your website might have dropped off the SERPS or fallen suddenly in rank
Google - Please Reconsider My Website - I have got rid of all the non ethical techniques
Google Disavow Links - You will need a free Google Webmaster Account
How to ruin your business!
The sad but common tale of using bad seo.
One day you open your email and it heralds a new dawn in your business empire by enabling your website to be top of Google and gain untold traffic in no time at all. The cost? A monthly fee of 49 dollars.
You realise it doesnt matter where this guy does the work from and 49 dollars is peanuts as the pound converts well... even better!
What is there to loose by giving it a go? .. and you hand over the 49 dollars.
Well time goes by and little happens. Lengthy reports arrive by email, full of occult SEO methods applied to your website promising the pinnacle of Googles listings and allegedly showing all your competitors web positioning. Wow.. There is a LOT of it; and what depth of analysis - so it must be good value.
However when you type in some common keywords relating to your business into the Google Box, nothing seems to come up. Worse still typing your company name into the Google-box now seems to be revealing a DROP in position from first page to nowhere!
The SEO Guru Guy tells you "This is normal" and requests his monthly 49 bucks. "Sorry", he says, "Dind't you realise we submit monthly and by stopping now you risk loosing the value of all this work, outlined in my extensive email reports"
You pay again and once more your website fails to appear and you seem to have fallen off Google completely.
You decide SEO is for chumps and never want to deal with SEO people again. They are all shysters.
Calco are not shysters and are available for consultation whenever you need us by email or telephone! (and we charge more than 49 bucks) See SEO Packages