In almost any industry, there are those who lurk on the fringes and create more problems than they solve. They are the roofers who use substandard shingles, the lawyers who literally chase ambulances, and the accountants who get you audited.
In each case, these folks continue to get work because they know that a certain segment of the population is always looking for a deal that’s “too good to be true.” It’s no different with search engine optimization.
You have probably already gotten dozens of junk e-mails from SEO companies promising to give your business website an immediate push on Google and elsewhere. What’s more, they promise to work quickly and for an amazingly low fee.
The problem with these services is that they typically rely on two things: spun articles, and junk links. If you aren’t familiar with these terms, spun articles are those that are computer-generated – or even outright stolen – by software programs focusing on certain keywords. Junk links are simply links to your website that come from websites that don’t exist for any other purpose.
In some cases, these techniques can actually boost your search engine rankings for a short amount of time. Google and the other engines are getting better at weeding them out, however, and even if you are successful, the better search ranking won’t last.
The bottom line
Just say no to bad SEO – it’s a quick way to waste money and do irreparable harm to your business website.