Some rumor fodder on the Internet that is recently making the rounds is that Google is treating SEO experts in a similar way that they deal with criminals. Appalled or confused? Well-known SEO experts Michael Gray and Rae Hoffman were both profiled by Google as “high risk” and were stripped of their links. Not because they were conducting business any differently than other webmasters, but because Google felt like they were doing things just for the links. The reality is that Google makes billions of dollars on paid advertisements every year and in return yield the most relevant search results for any given phrase. SEO experts seek to make websites as relevant and algorithmically-friendly as possible, in order to gain high rankings. Google sees this as a threat and therefore labels SEO-touched sites as “high risk” and knock them back down. There are thousands of sites out there waiting to take your place, so what does Google have to lose?
SEO experts are crying “no fair”, and who can blame them? But can you blame Google for trying to level the playing field? It’s a tough situation and both perspectives have their points. Some view SEO as disruptive to Google as criminals are to society. Much like our nation’s laws, Google has filters and systems in place to profile SEO experts, neutralize their offensive tactics, and attempt to maintain some standard of quality. Others feel like all their hard, aggressive work has just been completely washed away. The truth is that Google is trying to maintain a consistent filter and profiling practice that keeps those overly-aggressive, blackhat SEO practitioners lurking in the dark where they belong.
Do you feel like you have been punished by Google unjustly? Are you apprehensive about your practices? Here is a list of signs that Google looks for that will profile you as an SEO criminal:
You Are Keyword Over-Optimized
Most SEO consultants recommend a standard 2-3 targeted keywords per page of content, with a keyword density of 2-4 percent. You can place them in the content, title tags, header tags, and URL. Be careful with keyword stuffing, because Google can determine that you are over-aggressive with your keywords and penalize you for it.
Your Link Profile Is Unnatural
Just like over-optimizing your keyword density, you can over-optimize your off-page link building as well. A red flag will alert Google of your presence if you trigger their filter in any of the following ways:
Too many links too fast
Not enough deep links
Too many reciprocal links
Too many links from irrelevant or low quality sites
link anchor texts are too similar
You Blatantly Buy or Sell Paid Links
Since 2007, Google has waged warfare on paid links. Paid links exploit a flaw in Google’s algorithm and makes it easier to manipulate the rankings. However, it is also very easy to report people who use paid links as well.
Google has begun cracking down on those they profile as overly-aggressive SEO criminals. There are several red flags that can catch Google’s attention and strip your site of its links and possibly banish you from the Internet all together. Is Google throwing its power around, or are they just trying to sheriff the cheaters out of the search and level the playing field for everyone who is wearing white hats and work hard.
Ethan Luke.
seo - At Volacci, we have top SEO consultants who know what it will take to make your SEO campaign a success.
