Understanding SEO frauds can be as confusing as discovering them in the first place. The most important step you can take, however, is to educate yourself about what SEO frauds are, where they come from, and how to identify them. Once you have an understanding of SEO frauds and have identified one, don’t panic. In a conversation, Faisal Abidi told us plenty of ways to fight against these spammy practices and make sure your website gets noticed for its high-quality content rather than its keyword stuffing techniques.
Understanding the Problem
Understanding how and why you’re being targeted by these fraudsters is a crucial step in protecting your business. Many of these scam artists rely on thin content, so make sure that yours is rich with research and thorough analysis. Spammy texts should be avoided, especially if they contain misspellings or grammatical errors; after all, if it seems like a spammer wrote it, most people will reject it as spam—whether they realize why or not.
Why are these types of SEO Services becoming Popular?
There are many factors that have caused spam-based companies and scam artists to start dominating popular search engines like Google. The most prevalent is Google’s algorithm updates over time, which have made it nearly impossible for people who want a quick fix in their website rankings. In addition, there are hundreds of thousands of spammers who are writing articles and buying backlinks on a daily basis; these websites distract your readers by providing inaccurate information and views that benefit only themselves.
What is an Organic Search Engine Result (SERP)?
Any of several types of search engine results that are generated without spam, scams, or deception. In other words, organic results are legitimately earned via a high-quality website or a link from another legitimate site. For example, if you have an outstanding website and it has lots of legitimate links from other great sites then your website may appear in an organic result for a search term related to your content.
The History of an SEO Service
It is hard to believe how much spam and scams have taken over search engine optimization since its conception in 1994. Search engine optimization was initially intended for helping businesses on search engines, for example, if you owned a golf store and someone searched for golf clubs you would be ranked higher if your website had content about golf clubs that included keywords related to golf like clubs, golfing, etc.
Do I need SEO Services?
Search engine optimization (SEO) is an essential service for any serious business, particularly those that are online. Sites that aren’t optimized may get left behind by their competitors—who understand how important it is to secure a top spot on search engines.
Will using these services affect my website?
There’s an ongoing debate about whether it’s worth using SEO services at all, as they can be an easy route to link-spamming or other black hat activities. The whole idea behind white hat SEO is that you do your own work and build up a real, sustainable backlink profile naturally over time—which is always better for your site.
Questions to Ask Before Hiring an SEO Company
Before hiring an SEO company, check whether they have a transparent website that explains their services and their methods. Do they make outlandish claims? What guarantees do they offer? Is there a risk of spamming by buying in on services that are more expensive than those you could obtain yourself with time and patience? How do they handle negative feedback online? Hiring an unscrupulous company can cost you time, money, and potential business—it pays to be vigilant.
Tips for Selecting an SEO Company
This is one of those areas where it’s definitely better to be safe than sorry. Before hiring any company, do a little research on them first and make sure they are certified by Google or another credible third party. Get recommendations from other business owners in your network, and pay attention to online reviews.
