How to Avoid SEO Malpractice
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Search Engine Optimization is not exact science and different companies do it different ways to improve result and drive web traffic to their business. Most business owners prefer to outsource SEO because lack of experience, knowledge, and time. Some companies use different SEO’s for different purposes such as content writing, link building, tracking, or paid web marketing.
Too Good to be true?
There are different techniques of search engine optimization, most experts divide them in two categories: black hat SEO and white hat SEO. White Hat SEO is a legal way to optimize a website by writing powerful content for readers, building online reputation in social media networks, creating natural links from other websites, and creating site maps with easy navigation’s. Many SEO companies with good reputation provide additional services like lead management, landing pages, press release distributions, integration of online and offline advertising efforts, and more.
”Black Hat SEO” is a companies and “experts” who are trying to find easy ways to trick search engine algorithms and rank on top by performing tricks with website design, content, linking, and structure. Black Hat techniques can help to improve rankings but it gives short therm success and can cause future website punishment or even full removal from search engines.
Applying for SEO service business owners should fully understand that SEO malpractice can affect their website in the future.
Things to avoid when you hire SEO company:
- Don’t believe SEO companies which promise you #1 results on Google or other search engines. No one can guarantee #1 on Google or any other search engine.
- Do not hire people who appeared out of nowhere (random spam email, walking in, telemarketer). SEO companies which provide quality SEO service use different selling techniques trying to establish connection with potential client, they also never spam or use telemarketing services. Also, remember that many SEO’s with good reputation find their clients through word of mouth or by driving people to their own website or blog by publishing useful content. Find SEO by yourself or “black hat” SEO’s will find you.
- Be careful with people from another countries such as India, China, Russia, etc. Some firms actually provide quality SEO work, but there are many scam alerts. Don’t send any money or sign for any services until they provide you real references (preferred from your country) and portfolio.
- Avoid “too good to be true” promises like “We can list you of 250 000 search engines for only $59.99″ or “Top Google positions in 24 hours!!!”. First of all, you don’t need to appear in 250 000 fake search engines, you need to appear only on Google, Yahoo, Bing, Ask, and some others. Secondly, professional SEO work takes at least 2-3 month or even more depending on your niche.
Black Hat SEO will suggest:
- Place more keywords / content on the pages and hide it with background, CSS, images, etc.
- Cloak pages. It means, search engine bots will see one page but visitors will actually see other pages and content. Google and other search engines can remove a website from the index for those type of things.
- Upload specific software to exchange traffic, links, or “boost” traffic to a website.
- Exchange links with thousands websites (using software or link scheme).
- Be careful when sales man tells that it is possible to buy hundreds links, Google punish for buying links unless rel=”nofollow” tag placed.
Strategies real / professional SEO companies use:
- Website audit and analysis. Suggestions to improve site map, internal linking, Meta Tags, titles etc.
- Improvement of URL structure, removal of duplicate content, cleaning dead pages etc.
- Proposal to build backlinks from quality and related websites.
- Suggestion to increase presence in social media networks.
- Help to write and improve content.
- Press release and content distribution services.
There are many articles has been written about SEO companies and strategies, do your own research and analysis to make a right choice.
