Ethical SEO

Beating the System vs. Building Great Websites

Web sites are built for people not search engine spiders, and the great web sites are rewarded by high traffic, and good search engine positions. However, where there is an opportunity to gain an advantage by cheating the system, there is always someone who is willing to try it. And so it is with search engine optimization. Over the last ten years, so-called "black hat" SEO experts (those who deliberately try to "fool" the search engines) have necessitated that the search engines impose rules and guidelines on web sites and severe penalties for violating them. But the real wake-up call is that the black hat SEO people don't incur this penalty - their clients do!

 

Too harsh? Look at it this way. The search engines are in the business of delivering relevant results to all of us, and we want them to continue to deliver relevant results that aren't compromized by clever cheaters. The owner of a web site is ultimately responsible for its content, not the SEO expert that optimized it. So, understanding these guidelines is an important first step in developing any SEO strategy. It is equally important when selecting an SEO expert to optimize your web site. You'll want to steer clear of anyone who employs these unsavory practices because the penalty for getting caught far exceeds any benefit gained from them. And, as the search engines get smarter about detecting these forbidden practices, the likehood of getting caught is getting higher every day.

The Rules and Guidelines of Search Engine Optimization

Google and others have published clear guidelines on practices that are considered to be deceptive and which are therefore considered as "search engine spam" (i.e. they somehow try to fool the search engine). The following list of deceptive SEO practices is excerpted directly from Google's guidelines page for webmasters:

 

Google's Quality Guidelines - Basic principles:

• Make pages for users, not for search engines. Don't deceive your users or present different content to search engines than you display to users, which is commonly referred to as "cloaking."
• Avoid tricks intended to improve search engine rankings. A good rule of thumb is whether you'd feel comfortable explaining what you've done to a website that competes with you. Another useful test is to ask, "Does this help my users? Would I do this if search engines didn't exist?"
• Don't participate in link schemes designed to increase your site's ranking or PageRank. In particular, avoid links to web spammers or "bad neighborhoods" on the web, as your own ranking may be affected adversely by those links.

Google's Quality Guidelines - Specific recommendations:

• Avoid hidden text or hidden links.
• Don't employ cloaking or sneaky redirects.
• Don't send automated queries to Google.
• Don't load pages with irrelevant words.
• Don't create multiple pages, subdomains, or domains with substantially duplicate content.
• Avoid "doorway" pages created just for search engines, or other "cookie cutter" approaches such as affiliate programs with little or no original content.

These quality guidelines cover the most common forms of deceptive or manipulative behavior, but Google may respond negatively to other misleading practices not listed here (e.g. tricking users by registering misspellings of well-known websites). It's not safe to assume that just because a specific deceptive technique isn't included on this page, Google approves of it. Webmasters who spend their energies upholding the spirit of the basic principles listed above will provide a much better user experience and subsequently enjoy better ranking than those who spend their time looking for loopholes they can exploit. "

Avoiding "Black Hat" SEO Consultants

How do you recognize an unethical SEO consultant? Its not easy. Again, if you turn to Google's advice on how to spot a black hat SEO, you can find some telltale signs to look for. Here is a summary of Google's recommendations (see Google's site for the details):

• Be wary of SEO firms that send you email out of the blue.
• No one can guarantee a #1 ranking on Google organic listings.
• Be careful if a company is secretive or won't clearly explain what they intend to do.
• You should never have to link to an SEO.
• Some SEOs may try to sell you the ability to type keywords directly into the browser address bar.
• Choose wisely by checking references.
• Be sure to understand where the money goes.
• Talk to many SEOs, and ask other SEOs if they'd recommend the firm you're considering.
• Make sure you're protected through your consulting agreement withthe SEO firm.

 

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