Beware the Google Death Penalty - Google’s Advice for Choosing an SEO
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Google provides a variety of information for web masters. It has an entire section devoted to SEO, which you can peruse here. It notes that many SEOs provide useful services, but “a few unethical SEOs have given the industry a black eye through their overly aggressive marketing efforts and their attempts to unfairly manipulate search engine results.” So what do you need to watch out for?
First of all, be wary of any SEO that sends you email out of the blue. That hardly needs to be said to anyone familiar with spam, but it’s just as true of SEO as other promotions. It’s worth noting that even Google itself gets these emails that claim “I visited your website and noticed that you are not listed in most of the major search engines and directories…”
If a company won’t explain clearly what they intend to do to your website, that’s another warning flag. While it’s true that some aspects of search engine optimization are very technical, it is the SEO’s job to explain it so that you understand. Your website is your business – and since you are responsible in Google’s eyes for the actions of any SEO you hire, you’d better know what he or she is doing. This is especially important when those actions could get you delisted.
Research the industry, just as you would with any contractor or supplier. If the SEO doesn’t show up in Google, this is a very bad sign; they might have been banned. Talk to other SEOS, and find out whether they’d recommend the firm you’re considering. Get references. If you feel pressured, hold off until you find a firm you feel you can trust.
No one can guarantee a number one placement in the SERPs, and you should rightly be suspicious of any SEO who does. But you should ask for a different guarantee: a full and unconditional money-back one. Make sure it’s in writing, and that your contract includes pricing information. Google also recommends that the contract include a stipulation that the SEO will stay within the guidelines recommended by each search engine for site inclusion.
This list is by no means exhaustive, and I suggest you check out the link I included above. In any case, it’s very clear that Google is cracking down. It behooves us all to know what is on our site – and whether we could face a Google Death Penalty for any of it.
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