Watermarking Keywords

[JulB]

I've been viewing an seo companies website that claims to get small business websites to Google Page 1 for free or starting at $150/mo. I'v noticed that on all the website this company has done work on they include in the footer (usually as a watermark) all the keyword phrases. There don't apprear to be any sites that have been penalized. Isn't this poor SEO practice?   I've included a screen shot of what I'm talking about. I just want to be clear. Thank you for your input.

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[SimonCullum]

Hi Julie

Your suspicions are well justified;  that content is indeed spammy and certainly cause for concern.

What's more, most companies that say they will get a website to Page 1 of Google's search results 'for your popular keyword phrases' in order to win a pitch is likely to partake in unethical practices, especially when their services are free or way too cheap as in your example of $150 per month.

I say this because there can be no guarantees and any company that gives them (plenty do) cannot be trusted.  Take a popular phrase such as 'life insurance' or 'loans', any guarantee could not be trusted.

Chances are they participate in questionable practices and/or only target very long tail keywords with little competition and low search volume.

That kind of rate of $150 per month leads me to suspect they will outsource poor quality link building to India or the Philippines for short term gains. There will be nothing sustainable or ethical in free work or work that's that cheap.

My advice is to steer well clear and invest in high quality content, seed and distribute it well, plus find an ethical trusted agency to help you out with the Search side. There are plenty of such agencies around, the one you've found there appears to be anything but.

I hope that helps,

Regards

Simon

[JulB]

Simon,

Thank you very much.  I am wondering why all of the sites that they have done work on are indeed ranking #1 on Google but not penalized?

[RobMay]

Nice answer Simon. I would have said the exact same thing! Avoid at all costs, would be my advice.

[SimonCullum]

You're welcome Julie.

Lots of those results as shown on the page ( http://www.myvipwebdesign.com/myvipwebdesign/get-found-on-google-maps.html ) are 'local results' based on local business listings and appear in what's known as a '7 Pack' which lists 7 local results for Google Maps.

Others that are ranking number 1 naturally in Google will be for long tail low competition keywords and chances are, they won't be number 1 for long where there's any degree of competitiveness.

There is some complete nonsense on their website, such as statements like "Their is a certain algorithm that Google follows" and "We also apply the formula  we have devised that is "Google Friendly" and submit it to Google on your behalf."

Google don't follow an algorithm, they have the most complex algorithms ever devised. There were over 13,000 changes to their natural search algorithm last year (mostly tests) with around 560 permanent changes. It's impossible to guarantee any top results with any degree of honesty.  Also, the second statement is complete nonsense, there is no formula that's 'Google Friendly' that can be submitted to Google, they are making up total rubbish.

So rest assured that you would be making a wise decision by avoiding any such company as this one that makes such ridiculous guarantees and claims.

For some more reassurance, have a read of a page on Google's site  "Search Engine Optimization (SEO)" which has some really useful advice and even mentions that no one can guarantee a number 1 ranking on Google.

You've probably noticed that this is something I feel rather strongly about.  SEO is an unregulated industry and as such, there are way too many 'cowboys' out there looking to make a quick buck from those that are simply looking to grow their business. It really annoys me when such people take advantage of good honest hard working people. As such, whenever I can, I like to highlight what would be wise to avoid getting into. There are plenty of good ethical agencies and freelancers that can help you in an ethical and sustainable way.

Regards

Simon

PS.  I don't work for an agency, I work in-house so do have a totally non-biased view here  

[SimonCullum]

Thanks Rob, glad you agree  

[JulB]

Simon, Thank you again. I can feel your strong views in your messages. I too am disheartened by such advertising and business ethics. It's certainly puts a damper on anyone learning SEO and striving to make a difference and an ethical business out of it.  I presume that time will tell!  I am only a novice although I have been studying SEO for many years there is so much to learn and it's always changing. Thank you for all your help and input I really appreciate it and look forward to continuing to learn from the community!

[SimonCullum]

You're most welcome Julie. This community on SEOmoz is certainly amongst the very best and is managed & moderated extremely well by the Moz community team.

There are some excellent SEO guides available here, both basic and advanced, plus there are loads of awesome blog posts and videos to help those learn more about the ever-changing world of SEO and Search.

Don't be too disheartened, there are a lot of true professionals out there who'd be happy to help with your Search and business aspirations