SEO a Scam? The Truth About the Industry

 I frequent many SEO and Web Marketing forums on a daily basis and every so often there is a debate about the SEO industry and ethics. After being involved in a number of these debates, it has become really obvious that the main problems are the facts that no two SEO companies are alike and there is no unified methodology. It's very hard to make statements about the industry as a whole because it's debatable what exactly 'SEO' is. Mix in the fact that most SEO companies keep their methodology and campaign strategies secret and we have a situation where every company is totally different with very different results.


Fact 1 : There is no unified SEO methodology. SEO is actually defined by wikipedia as a process of improving traffic from SERPs to a site. Of course, HOW they do that is the real question and causes the debates.


Fact 2 : The effectiveness of an SEO campaign depends on the site structure, site content, keywords, methodology used, and how popular the site is. A site cannot just rank for any random keyword. SEO is also not voodoo. It is logic, problem solving, and Web marketing mixed together. If your site provides no value to users, it probably won't rank.


Fact 3 : Some 'SEOs' do search engine optimization and some do search engine manipulation. Of course, it is all marketed as SEO. Unethical optimization provides results at any cost and is always short term (usually ends in a banned domain name). Ethical optimization opens up the site to the search engines and provides long term benefits.


Fact 4 : Most SEO companies get paid whether or not your site gets any rankings. Unfortunately, this is the case with the industry. Most SEO companies implement A, B, and C and move on to the next client. Hopefully, the site ranks. If it doesn't, they always have more clients.


Fact 5 : Most SEO companies use both ethical and unethical inbound linking strategies.To maximize profits, it is very common for SEO companies to buy bulk links from India, links on spam/scraper web sites, or sell large directory submission packages. It is also common for SEO companies to place huge amounts of the contract into inbound linking to make up for the poor quality of the site optimization.


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

SEO for 2023

 SEO (Search Engine Optimization) continues to be a crucial aspect of digital marketing in 2023. While the fundamental principles of SEO remain relatively unchanged, there are several trends and strategies that are particularly relevant for this year. Here are some key SEO practices to consider for 2023: User Experience (UX) Optimization: Search engines increasingly prioritize websites that offer a seamless user experience. Focus on fast loading times, mobile responsiveness, intuitive navigation, and engaging content to enhance user satisfaction and retention. BERT and Natural Language Processing (NLP): With the advancements in Google's BERT algorithm and the growing importance of NLP, content should focus on providing contextually relevant information that satisfies user intent. Write in a conversational tone, anticipate user questions, and offer comprehensive, valuable content. Featured Snippets and Voice Search Optimization: Optimize content to appear in featured snippets as the
Read more

will smith net worth

Willard Carroll Smith Jr. is an American actor, producer and rapper. In April 2007, Newsweek called him "the most powerful actor in Hollywood". Smith has been nominated for five Golden Globe Awards and two Academy Awards, and has won four Grammy Awards   See more...
Read more