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Google Information for WebMasters
SEO is an abbreviation for "search engine
optimizer." Many SEOs provide useful services
for website owners, from writing copy to giving
advice on site architecture and helping to find
relevant directories to which a site can be submitted.
However, there are a few unethical SEOs who have
given the industry a black eye through their overly
aggressive marketing efforts and their attempts
to unfairly manipulate search engine results.
While Google does not have relationships with
any SEOs and does not offer recommendations, we
do have a few tips that may help you distinguish
between an SEO that will improve your site and
one that will only improve your chances of being
dropped from search engine results altogether.
Be wary of SEO firms that
send you email out of the blue.
Amazingly, we get these spam emails too:
"Dear google.com,
I visited your website and noticed that you are
not listed in most of the major search engines
and directories..."
Reserve the same skepticism for unsolicited
email about search engines as you do for "burn
fat at night" diet pills or requests to help
transfer funds from deposed dictators.
No one can guarantee a #1
ranking on Google.
Beware of SEO's that claim to guarantee rankings,
or that claim a "special relationship"
with Google, or that claim to have a "priority
submit" to Google. There is no priority submit
for Google. In fact, the only way to submit a
site to Google directly is by using the page at
http://www.google.com/addurl.html. You can do
this yourself at no cost whatsoever.
Be careful if a company is
secretive or won't clearly explain what they intend
to do.
Ask for explanations if something is unclear.
If an SEO creates deceptive or misleading content
on your behalf, such as doorway pages or "throwaway"
domains, your site could be removed entirely from
Google's index. Ultimately, you are responsible
for the actions of any companies you hire, so
it's best to be sure you know exactly how they
intend to "help" you.
You should never have to
link to an SEO.
Avoid SEOs that talk about the power of "free-for-all"
links, link popularity schemes, or submitting
your site to thousands of search engines. These
are typically useless exercises that do not affect
your ranking in the results of the major search
engines. At least, not in a way you would likely
consider to be positive.
Some SEOs may try to sell
you the ability to type keywords directly into
the browser address bar.
Most such proposals require users to install
extra software, and very few users do so. Evaluate
such proposals with extreme care and be skeptical
about the self-reported number of users who have
downloaded the required applications.
Choose wisely.
While you consider whether to go with an SEO,
you may want to do some research on the industry.
Google is one way to do that of course. You might
also seek out a few of the cautionary tales that
have appeared in the press, including this article
on one particularly aggressive SEO: http://www.salon.com/tech/feature/2002/07/01/spyware_inc/index.html
While Google does not comment on specific companies,
we have encountered firms calling themselves SEOs
who follow practices that are clearly beyond the
pale of accepted business behavior. Be careful.
Be sure to understand where
the money goes.
While Google never sells better ranking in our
search results themselves, several other search
engines combine pay-per-click or pay-for-inclusion
results with their regular web search results.
Some SEO's will promise to rank you highly in
search engines, but place you in the advertising
section of the engine rather than in search results.
A few SEO's will even change their bid prices
in real time to create the illusion that they
"control" other search engines and can
place themselves in the slot of their choice.
This scam does not work with Google because our
advertising is clearly labeled and separated from
our search results, but be sure to ask any SEO
you're considering which fees go toward permanent
inclusion and which apply toward temporary advertising.
Talk to many SEOs, and ask
other SEOs if they would recommend the firm you're
considering.
References are a good start, but they don't
tell the whole story. You should ask how long
a company has been in business and how many full
time staffers it employs. If you feel pressured
or uneasy, go with your gut feeling and play it
safe: hold off until you find a firm that you
can trust. Ask your SEO firm if it reports every
spam abuse that it finds to Google using our spam
complaint form at http://www.google.com/contact/spamreport.html.
Ethical SEO firms report deceptive sites that
violate Google's spam guidelines.
Make sure you're protected
legally.
For your own safety, you should insist on a
full and unconditional money-back guarantee. Don't
be afraid to request a refund if you are unsatisfied
for any reason, or if your SEO's actions causes
your domain to be removed from a search engine's
index. Make sure you have a contract in writing
that includes pricing. The contract should also
require the SEO to stay within the guidelines
recommended by each search engine for site inclusion.
What are the most common abuses
a website owner is likely to encounter?
One common scam is the creation of "shadow"
domains that funnel users to a site by using deceptive
redirects. These shadow domains often will be
owned by the SEO who claims to be working on a
client's behalf. However, if the relationship
sours, the SEO may point the domain to a different
site, or even to a competitor's domain. If that
happens, the client has paid to develop a competing
site owned entirely by the SEO.
Another illicit practice is to place "doorway"
pages loaded with keywords on the client's site
somewhere. The SEO promises this will make the
page more relevant for more queries. This is inherently
false since individual pages are rarely relevant
for a wide range of keywords. More insidious however,
is that these doorway pages often contain hidden
links to the SEO's other clients as well. Such
doorway pages drain away the link popularity of
a site and route it to the SEO and its other clients,
which may include sites with unsavory or illegal
content.
What are some other things
to look out for?
There are a few warning signs you may be dealing
with a rogue SEO. It's far from a comprehensive
list, so if you have any doubts, you should trust
your instincts. By all means, feel free to walk
away if the SEO:
- owns shadow domains
- puts links to their other clients on doorway
pages
- offers to sell keywords in the address bar
- doesn't distinguish between actual search
results and ads that appear in search results
- guarantees ranking, but only on obscure,
long keyword phrases you would get anyway
- operates with multiple aliases or falsified
WHOIS info
- gets traffic from "fake" search
engines, spyware, or scumware
- has had domains removed from Google's index
or is not itself listed in Google
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