SEO: Search Engine Optimization Bible

(Barré) #1
 Sybil attacks:Sybil attacks are created when a spammer creates multiple web sites that
are all interlinked for the purpose of creating a false link structure.
 Wiki spam:Using the open editability of Wiki sites to add links to a spam site in the
Wiki listing. Because this practice became so frequently used, especially on Wikipedia,
the nofollow tag has been added to most Wiki additions to prevent spamming search
engines.

The list is long. And there are many other items that could be included. And as soon as the search
engine algorithms change a little, there will be even more to add to the list.

Why Is SEO Spam a Bad Idea?


Any of the SEO techniques that are considered spam can get your site penalized at the very least or
even completely banned. But there are other reasons to avoid SEO spam.

People — site visitors, your customers — don’t like spam. They don’t like spam in their e-mail boxes,
and they don’t want to be directed to web pages that are spam. So, though there is one benefit to
spam — that your site will, at least, temporarily rank high in search engine results — the pitfall to
that is that customers will click on to your site, but they’ll leave almost immediately.

Spam on the Internet just doesn’t make sense. When it’s so easy for a person to move from one web
site to another; one company to another, why would you want to run them off as fast as they land on
your site? A much more logical approach is to build your web site with the intent of drawing, and
keeping, the user on your site. That means providing useful information in a user-friendly format.

If visitors come to your site and see that you’ve tricked them to get them on your site, they’re going
to be annoyed. They’ll click right back off your page, and they’re more likely to remember your web
site negatively. If you’re trying to build a business, showing your potential customers your dark side
isn’t the way to do it.

Another reason for avoiding SEO spam is that it can give you a black eye professionally. Again, SEO
spam can temporarily get your site listed well in search results, but just as site visitors will see what
you’ve done, so will your competition. And they’ll be secure in the knowledge that your rise to the
top will be short-lived. Then your site will be delisted from the search results, and your competitors
will be back in the positions from which you bumped them. What’s the point? The only company
that suffers is your own.

So if you’ve considered SEO spam techniques, maybe you should think again. If you’ve talked to
SEO consultants who tell you SEO spam techniques are okay, or that you won’t get caught because
search engines don’t pay attention to this or that detail, ignore them. SEO spam can be costly both
in terms of the money that you lose implementing SEO only to be delisted from the search results,
and also in terms of the sales and loyalty that you’ll lose from your customers.

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