Here is this week's third and final article on SEO: Internet marketing is much like any profession in the world today, in that you have people that do their job, enjoy their job and do the job well. On the other hand there are what can only be described as "cowboys", who fill customers with false hope and rinse them for substantial amounts of money, whilst delivering what amounts to nothing.
As an SEO myself, I know just how damaging this is to the industry. Meeting potential clients who have had bad past experiences with SEO companies, makes it incredibly hard to swing their opinion and restore their faith in the services that the good SEOs can offer. When done properly, SEO can provide results of astronomic proportions.
Many SEOs are Google-fearing, losing sleep over the next algorithm update, anticipating rankings drops and other penalties from the big G. But, if you're playing by the book and listening to discussions within the search community and Matt Cutts himself, there's almost always a way of avoiding being stung. If you play by the book and steer well away from dated black hat tactics, you should sleep relatively easily. Google's after the cowboys, so you should count this as a blessing.
But this raises the question of why so many businesses still divulge in outdated, spammy, nasty SEO techniques? I've seen examples of supposedly reputable agencies still buying links from farms, taking part in reciprocal link programs and all sorts of ridiculously outdated methods, even after the Penguin update. In extreme examples, I've seen people buying links from sites that were actually de-indexed in the Penguin update. The mind boggles!
Do the cowboys think that they need to show the fruits of their labours by presenting hundreds of links to the client each month, regardless of how irrelevant, spammy and cheap they are? Does this make the report look good? No, because their sites are suffering as a result of this activity.
So, I can only see Penguin as a benefit to the industry, as with each update these cheap, horrible SEO agencies will either vanish off the face of the planet, or actually start playing ball and providing a real service. SEO is no longer a quick win service, and it's about time that people begin to realise that it takes time and skill to achieve the desired results.
On the other hand, there are the agencies out there that prey upon businesses that have very little, if any, knowledge about SEO. They promise the earth - number one rankings in a month etc. and when they don't deliver, the client no longer uses their services and the agency moves on to the next victim. This again is so damaging to the industry, but happens oh so frequently.
For us, the good guys, we can keep ahead of the game by striving to build up long-term relationships with our clients by delivering real, tangible results, and allow word of mouth to do the marketing for us and let the cowboys dig themselves a deeper hole.
About The Author: This post was written by Guy Farnworth, an online marketing executive for a boardroom and reception office furniture company in the UK.
Did you like this article? Please let Guy and myself know by leaving us your valued comments below.
Would you like to guest post on the blog? Please use the Contact tab above to get in touch if you write business-related articles or articles on the topics of Internet Marketing, Affiliate Marketing, Social Media Marketing/Optimisation (SMO), Blogging, Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) or Search Engine Marketing (SEM).
Other SEO articles published this week:
How To Hire A Good SEO Company
Negative SEO: What Startups Should Know About It
If you found this or any of my other posts helpful, don't forget to +1 or share the posts to your favourite networks using the toolbar below or by using the "+1" and "Share" buttons located at the bottom of each post.
As ever, if you want to stay up to date with the latest blog posts, don't forget to follow via Google Friend Connect (button on sidebar), on NetworkedBlogs, via Email (maximum of one email per day), on Facebook and Google+ or by subscribing to our blog feed at:
http://feeds.feedburner.com/DereksHomeAndBusinessBlog
You can also follow me on Twitter @djones1509, Google+ and on Facebook at:
http://www.facebook.com/djones1509
https://plus.google.com/104849975941505117776
Until my next post, have a wonderful weekend!
As an SEO myself, I know just how damaging this is to the industry. Meeting potential clients who have had bad past experiences with SEO companies, makes it incredibly hard to swing their opinion and restore their faith in the services that the good SEOs can offer. When done properly, SEO can provide results of astronomic proportions.
Many SEOs are Google-fearing, losing sleep over the next algorithm update, anticipating rankings drops and other penalties from the big G. But, if you're playing by the book and listening to discussions within the search community and Matt Cutts himself, there's almost always a way of avoiding being stung. If you play by the book and steer well away from dated black hat tactics, you should sleep relatively easily. Google's after the cowboys, so you should count this as a blessing.
But this raises the question of why so many businesses still divulge in outdated, spammy, nasty SEO techniques? I've seen examples of supposedly reputable agencies still buying links from farms, taking part in reciprocal link programs and all sorts of ridiculously outdated methods, even after the Penguin update. In extreme examples, I've seen people buying links from sites that were actually de-indexed in the Penguin update. The mind boggles!
Do the cowboys think that they need to show the fruits of their labours by presenting hundreds of links to the client each month, regardless of how irrelevant, spammy and cheap they are? Does this make the report look good? No, because their sites are suffering as a result of this activity.
So, I can only see Penguin as a benefit to the industry, as with each update these cheap, horrible SEO agencies will either vanish off the face of the planet, or actually start playing ball and providing a real service. SEO is no longer a quick win service, and it's about time that people begin to realise that it takes time and skill to achieve the desired results.
On the other hand, there are the agencies out there that prey upon businesses that have very little, if any, knowledge about SEO. They promise the earth - number one rankings in a month etc. and when they don't deliver, the client no longer uses their services and the agency moves on to the next victim. This again is so damaging to the industry, but happens oh so frequently.
For us, the good guys, we can keep ahead of the game by striving to build up long-term relationships with our clients by delivering real, tangible results, and allow word of mouth to do the marketing for us and let the cowboys dig themselves a deeper hole.
About The Author: This post was written by Guy Farnworth, an online marketing executive for a boardroom and reception office furniture company in the UK.
Did you like this article? Please let Guy and myself know by leaving us your valued comments below.
Would you like to guest post on the blog? Please use the Contact tab above to get in touch if you write business-related articles or articles on the topics of Internet Marketing, Affiliate Marketing, Social Media Marketing/Optimisation (SMO), Blogging, Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) or Search Engine Marketing (SEM).
Other SEO articles published this week:
How To Hire A Good SEO Company
Negative SEO: What Startups Should Know About It
If you found this or any of my other posts helpful, don't forget to +1 or share the posts to your favourite networks using the toolbar below or by using the "+1" and "Share" buttons located at the bottom of each post.
As ever, if you want to stay up to date with the latest blog posts, don't forget to follow via Google Friend Connect (button on sidebar), on NetworkedBlogs, via Email (maximum of one email per day), on Facebook and Google+ or by subscribing to our blog feed at:
http://feeds.feedburner.com/DereksHomeAndBusinessBlog
You can also follow me on Twitter @djones1509, Google+ and on Facebook at:
http://www.facebook.com/djones1509
https://plus.google.com/104849975941505117776
Until my next post, have a wonderful weekend!
Amazing post on this blog. Hope more people read your blog because you are sharing good information. I noticed some useful tips from this post. Thanks for sharing this.
ReplyDeleteGreat article. The companies with true services and content need not worry about any algorithm and the fake ones, definitely it is the time to quit themselves.
ReplyDeleteGreat articel. I noticed some useful tips from this post. Thanks for sharing this.
ReplyDeleteRegards
Thank you for sharing the post Guy. Helpful
ReplyDeleteTake care
In my opinion, this levels the playing field for the people who are playing fair and bringing great content to the marketplace. Love this article!
ReplyDelete