[_] Crap SEO
Steve Johnston
steve at johnston.co.uk
Fri Jan 4 12:01:18 GMT 2008
Hi Jon, One thing your client's old SEO company do understand is that links are the arbiter of good performance in search. Focusing all their energy generating 1200 anchor-text-controlled links is likely to have been effective if the network itself has any reputation in Google. If the network has not been flagged as a bad neighbourhood or banned by Google itself, the quantity of controlled anchor text will compensate some for the lack of relevance on the network sites themselves. Sadly these tactics, albeit entirely unethical, can still be effective, particularly for smaller sites in smaller niches. With regards to your CSS-hidden H1 tags, ask yourself how Google may be automating the analysis of 'display: none' or pixel placement settings with minus numbers in its attempt to minimise the impact of those spammers less ethical than you? Sadly I can't really imagine a scenario in which Google gives your harmless logo replacement technique the benefit of the doubt. In which case, in the fullness of Google's course to attack such techniques (i.e. not necessarily now) it is likely to have no effect whatsoever, with the content of the hidden text being completely ignored. I hope that is helpful. Steve Steve Johnston Google Consultant -------------------------- m: +44 (0)7717 747657 t: +44 (0)1225 580024 e: steve at johnston.co.uk w: www.johnston.co.uk/?e -------------------------- > -----Original Message----- > From: Jon Free [mailto:jon at tangymedia.co.uk] > Sent: 02 January 2008 13:53 > To: underscore at under-score.org.uk > Subject: Re: [_] Crap SEO > > Thanks to everyone that replied to this one. I wasn't aware > that this could > be such an issue and it will really help to be able to hand > this info back > to my client. > > There was one other practice that we do here that made me > think could fall > into this negative basket. It's the use of CSS to hide text > in the page. Now > don't get me wrong we don't hide huge chunks of text full of > irrelevant > keywords. We simply hide the H1 tag, usually because there is > some image > performing the header, company name etc of the page. We then > set the H1 tag > to something short and still relevant eg Tangy Media - Web > Development. > > Any idea is this is massively detrimental or acceptable? > > > > -----Original Message----- > From: Samantha Mignano - Analyst [mailto:sam at beyondmetrix.com] > Sent: 20 December 2007 21:13 > To: underscore at under-score.org.uk > Subject: Re: [_] Crap SEO > > HI Jon, > Links from "bad neighbourhoods" and/or link buying etc can do > much damage, > in extreme circumstances could even get your client banned from some > engines. > Its not just about an unfair deal for your client - its more about the > potential damage that could have been done by this company. > There are far too many "SEO specialists" out there who are actually > clueless, and are selling something they do not understand. > (but that’s a > whole 'nother gripe of mine) > > At best, the links would have been pointless due to their > irrelevance to > your client's subject matter - but this could be the tip of > the iceberg > depending on how long this company has been pimping bad > links, and also > depending on whether they got flagged up in Google and other engines. > > Sorry to be the bearer of bad news this side of Crimbo. > If you need further help or free advice on this, give me a shout. > Sam > > Beyond Metrix Ltd ~ evolving business online ~ www.beyondmetrix.com > > Usability, Accessibility, Validation, Best Practice, SEO and online > marketing. > > Need help with your website? Call us now for a free website audit > consultation. 08456 44 88 54 > > A UK registered limited company. Company Registration Number: > 5734561. VAT > registration number 891 2460 17 > > > > -----Original Message----- > From: Jon Free [mailto:jon at tangymedia.co.uk] > Sent: 20 December 2007 20:21 > To: underscore at under-score.org.uk > Subject: [_] Crap SEO > > Hello all, > > I was hoping to pick the brains of those of you who are in to > their Search > Engine Optimisation. > > We have recently taken on a client who wanted their site > redeveloping and > updating. The client has mentioned that another company had > already done or > was doing some SEO work on the site to improve it's rankings. > I managed to > speak to the company who told me all they had done was to add > links to the > clients site from their network of over 1,200 sites. I had a > look at their > backlinks and found many of the sites he must have meant. > Almost all of them > were completely irrelevant to the clients line of work and > many of them > conveyed very little information of any use to anyone. They > were in essence > a load of little web craps. > > Anyway this to me seemed like a pretty unfair deal for the > client and I was > unsure that this actually made much difference to the > ranking. I wanted to > tell him that it was a load of rubbish and to end the > contract with them. > Would this be fair or is this kind of thing the norm and > actually a good way > of improving rankings. > > Any input appreciated. > > Jon > > ________________________ > Jon Free > Technical Developer > Direct: (+44) 07931 925257 > Email: Jon at tangymedia.co.uk > > Tangy Media Solutions > 88 Hampton Street > Tetbury > Gloucestershire > GL8 8LX > ________________________ > Visit our website at www.tangymedia.co.uk > This email is confidential and intended for the exclusive use of the > addressee(s). If you are not one of the intended recipients, > you should not > use the contents nor disclose them to any other person and you should > immediately notify the sender and delete the email. Internet > communications > are not secure and therefore Tangy Media does not accept legal > responsibility for the contents of this message. 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