What is Negative SEO? How to Prevent It?
Due to the constant changes in Google algorithms, many online marketers have changed their strategies dramatically.
Getting high ranks in Google for competitive keywords is harder today than in previous years.
Black hat SEO is not worth it, and they are less likely to deliver the results you expect.
This is why you need to be careful in choosing an SEO Consultant in Ogden UT.
A new type of SEO has risen which can harm your brand online known as “negative SEO.”
Negative SEO is a practice of using black hat techniques to lower a competitor’s rankings in search engines.
These attacks can come in various forms so you need to watch out for them, look out for actions like:
- Your website being hacked
- Making thousands of spammy links to your site
- Duplicating your content and distributing it all over the net
- Using links to point to your site with keywords like poker online, viagra and many other keywords
- Removing your best backlinks
- Making fake profiles to smear your reputation online
Negative SEO can be a real issue, many sites have dealt with this problem. If you have not experienced this attack yet, prevention is better than having to fix it.
When you type a search on Fiverr for “negative SEO”, you will discover over 15,000 people willing to do the job for as low as $5.
Black hat forums are also full of testimonies from people who have done this technique and succeeded.
Google has released a Disavow Tool to help you deal with this problem. They remind users, however, to use the tool with caution and only as a last result.
It can take up to 2 to 4 weeks for the tool to work. Having your site penalized can have an impact on your business which you can’t afford to happen.
Here are tips on how to prevent these Negative SEO attacks:
Use Google Webmaster Tools Email Alerts
This tool from Google can send you email alerts when:
- your site is being attacked by malware
- there are pages on your site that are not indexed
- you have server connectivity issues
- your site gets a manual penalty from Google
Connect your website to Google Webmaster Tools.
Log in to your Google account and click on “Webmaster Tools Preferences.”
Turn on email notifications and select to receive alerts for all types of issues then Click “Save.”
Protect Your Backlinks
Spammers will try to remove your well-earned backlinks. They contact the owner of the link, use your name and request the webmaster to remove your backlink.
These are the ways you can prevent this from happening:
- Use an email address from your domain name when communicating with webmasters. This will prove that you work for the site and the email is not someone else pretending to be you.
- Keep track of your top backlinks by using a tool like Monitor Backlinks.
Place tags on the backlinks that you value the most so you can get notified if any of them gets removed.
After creating your list of best backlinks, you can filter them by tags and monitor their status.
If you discover that any of these links get removed, contact the webmaster and verify the reason for removal.
Keep Track of Backlinks Profile
Enabling Google Webmaster Tools is the first step, the most important prevention tactic is to monitor your backlink profile.
This will prevent spammers from attacking your site. Most tactics consist of building low-quality links or redirects to your site.
You need to know when someone is building links to your site who is not authorized to do so.
There are tools like Ahrefs or Open Site Explorer that you can use to check manually if someone is building links to your site.
One of the best tools that you can find is Monitor Backlinks.com. It is an easy tool to use that sends you email alerts when your site gains or loses valuable backlinks.
Monitor Backlinks sends all the information you need to your inbox without having to do things manually.
Secure your Site from Malware and Hackers
Security is vital to any website. You don’t want spam on your site without you knowing it.
To secure your website install the Google Authentication Plugin if you are using WordPress. You can create a 2 step verification password which is a code generated by Google Authenticator on your iOs or Android smartphone.
You should also use strong passwords with numbers and special characters. Make backups of your files and database regularly.
If your site allows visitors to upload files, ask your hosting company how you can install an antivirus to stop malware.
Choose the Best SEO consultant for Your Business
In choosing the best SEO consultant for your business, it is sometimes easier to know what to avoid rather than what you should look for to find the right company.
A company with effective SEO management is one factor you should look for, but we first look at some common mistakes when you choose an SEO consultant.
Don’t fall for shiny, shimmering and splendid presentations. We are all familiar with the saying, “Don’t judge a book by its cover”.
This is a trap many business owners fall for and it’s puzzling how they fail to remember the saying above.
Flashy presentations can come in beautiful, high-tech marketing sales tactics. A digital marketing agency can create these shiny presentations, but this does not mean that this will be the same level of service that they will give their customers.
Some agencies pitch some “secret strategy” that they claim to have discovered on their own. To succeed in SEO, the steps are well documented. There are no secret techniques that one SEO consultant has over the other.
What separates the SEO experts from the amateurs is the tons of experience and proven track record that they have.
Why Choose Advanced Local?
At Advanced Local, we value our relationships with our clients and we believe that growth is achieved by providing top-notch service and being transparent with clients.
No one wants to get scammed out of their hard-earned money. This is why choosing the right SEO consultant in Ogden UT is important for your peace of mind.
We only practice White Hat SEO techniques because we value our integrity and that of your company.
Give us a call at (801) 622-3690 or send a message on our website today.
Let’s start growing your business online.
