As more and more websites and businesses try to jockey for the first page of Google, search engine optimizers continue to find new and innovative ways to increase their position. In this atmosphere of necessity some may intentionally employ high-risk methods to improve their website’s rank (Black SEO), and others may unintentionally do so, not knowing that it could result in the penalization of their site. Let’s examine a few things not to do in your SEO.
Paid linking
It seems logical enough, and it is part of our natural way of thinking: if you can’t get something then go out and get it, and if you still can’t get it, then pay some money for it. When it comes to getting links the passive approach of waiting can be very tiring indeed, therefore many individuals take the more aggressive route of purchasing links from ‘link farm’ vendors. Essentially, you pay X amount and they put X amount of links to your website.
While this seems harmless and its morality is certainly up for debate, our friend Google firmly admonishes such activity as trying to cheat the system, and states it will penalize violators if found in its webmaster SEO guidelines. Therefore the most prudent approach would be gaining links passively.
Keyword stuffing
Whether you are dumping keyword phrases into your page invisibly (by using comment tags, noscript, or CSS) or you are overtly displaying them in your content, Google’s reaction is the same. Text that seems unnatural and has a keyword density over a certain threshold (which only the folks at Google have the privilege of knowing), will be considered spammy and the site may be subsequently penalized. In order to avoid this simply read your text and decide if it sounds normal, and have others read it too. If it sounds a little weird, then you may consider cutting back on the keywords.
Triangular linking
An old Grey/Black SEO tactic, which is still very much in use, triangular linking (site A links to site B, and site C links to site A) is discouraged in Google’s webmaster guidelines. As with paid linking, it is viewed as trying to manipulate the system. It is also very easy for Google to detect this kind of linking setup, so webmasters are at great risk should they by using this technique.
Stealing Content
While some have gotten away with stealing content from websites and then claiming authorship, it is a highly unscrupulous activity and something Google is actively working on to combat (with new products like Google Authorship). Like every other technique on this page there can be short term benefits but in the long run it is very harmful to your site’s health.
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