Fooling with SEO: A Cautionary Tale
Last month I wrote about a particular web design and search engine optimization firm in Pittsburgh who were using shady techniques, not to mention copyright infringement against the NFL, to increase their position with the search engines. That post was written in hopes that anyone who decided to use their services might do a little due diligence and get a second opinion first.
Not specifically so that they’d use my own services, but because SEO is a dangerous game. If you try and trick the search engines, they will punish you by removing you from their listings altogether. The owner of the site in question emailed me asking me to remove the post, to which I responded politely that I would not. I also warned him that he will soon find all of his hard work for naught, and suggested some ways he could improve his tactics.
Over the past month, he rose up to the number one position for pittsburgh web design. Frustrating for those of us who follow the rules, indeed. But just as I foretold, as of today he is no longer even on the first page.
Before you choose an SEO company, make sure they know what they’re doing. Take a minute to read through my tips and techniques with search engine optimization. You don’t need to use my services, but you should be fully aware of what you want to ask a company before allowing them to start monkeying with your site.