Almost every week I read about how a company or individual is trying to fool Google through some new and “guaranteed” SEO method. Will they ever learn that you just can’t fool Google? Why would you even try it with the risk of being banned from search results in what is clearly the biggest search engine in the world? Many people seem to try just because they wonder if it can be done. Perhaps these individuals may get away with something for a little while, but in the end it will almost always nip them in the bud and the crying begins.
There are some instances which individuals think they have tricked Google. They believe that something that they have done has rocketed their site to the top of Google’s search results listings and they truly believe that they have managed to “stick it to them.” However, 99% of the time when his happens they either performed an SEO procedure that Google allows or even endorses or they just happened to fill Google’s criteria better than other sites in their category without even realizing it. That’s the funny thing – they probably will net be able to duplicate their actions. Nevertheless, once in a while someone will actually come up with a way to fool Google or simply thread a loophole that hasn’t been plugged yet. They will enjoy a high spot on Google’s listings for what may turn out to be maybe several weeks or months. Eventually a Google moderator will make a “visual” visit to the site and they will recognize that some how the ranking has been cheated. In most cases these sites are removed from the index for no less than six months; and sometimes permanently!
The fact is that these people don’t understand the power that Google has. Anyone with a real interest in having an effective presence on the web must consider that getting banned from the search engines effectively negates any small gain you may get from duping the search engine giant. They don’t have to let you back in, and they don’t have to give you any right to respond – and unfortunately you’re entirely at their mercy.
Aside from the fact that Google will remove you from its index, there is another incentive against trying to fool Google. If you fool Google, you are fooling your clients, and yourself. There is no reason to try to lure visitors onto your page with the expectation of getting something. This is a terrible way to conduct business and more often than not it will cost you a valued customer.
If you want your website to be found in categories that don’t apply to it, try purchasing ads on pages that are listed towards the top of the Google listings in these categories. You can actually increase your sites reputation in Google’s eyes rather than hurting it by adding another link to your site. This is an excellent form of marketing because it allows you to reach out beyond your market simply by dishing out a few dollars a month.
Recently it has been discovered that Google is sending out ‘cloak bots’, disobeying robots.txt files in order to find out whether sites are ‘cloaking’ – serving a different page to search engines than what visitors see. These ‘cloak bots’ are controversial but seem to have some positive effects in Google’s eyes.
Unethical methods make it difficult for people who are trying to do SEO the proper way, which is one of the reasons why it needs to be monitored so carefully.
If people stopped trying to find ways to manipulate the system, it would be much easier to keep up with what’s going on and the web would be a place with a level playing field.