Have you heard about the JC Penney SEO scandal? The retail giant has been flagged for violating Google’s anti-spam policies because the company (or its SEO firm) used black hat search engine optimization techniques to achieve high rankings.
If you are an e-commerce merchant employing the services of a search engine optimization expert, consider this as a warning sign. If a big and established business can fall prey to black hat SEO practices by so-called experts, then it can happen to anyone. The task of protecting yourself from receiving spam penalty is up to you as the leader of the business. Get Elastic’s Linda Bustos shares some tips so you can always stay on top of your search engine optimization campaign.
1. Know the ethical search engine optimization practices. Knowing what’s legal and illegal in the world of online advertising will help you see if there are any irregularities in your SEO campaign. Bustos recommends reading up on Google resources such as Quality Guidelines and Search Engine Optimization Starter Guide.
2. Require disclosure from your SEO firm. This includes a breakdown of what activities are involved for each invoice period. It will also be beneficial for you to find out who does the actual search engine optimization legwork. Some SEO companies outsource their services and while this is okay, your SEO firm and you should know what techniques and activities are being employed by the third party help.
3. Investigate yourself. This is a bit technical especially if you are not aware of SEO techniques. Bustos suggests to “take a look under the hood of your site and make sure no extra text that is not visible to customers is hiding in HTML.” Off site, she recommends “checking which sites link back to your own site.” A little SEO knowledge won’t hurt, so stock up on it.
4. Don’t be fooled by promises. Bustos asks “How did you find your SEO firm?” The answer to this question is relevant because if you were “spammed” with an unsolicited business offer, then consider it a red flag. Professional and genuine search engine optimization experts will not promise you guaranteed top rankings in Google because they know that it is not possible—legally.
5. Diversify. Bustos cautions e-commerce merchants to not “put all your eggs in the SEO basket.” There are many ways to strengthen your online business presence. Take advantage of other Internet marketing techniques and strive to create a “holistic online marketing strategy.”
