Be Aware of These 3 Black Hat Digital Marketing Strategies

Staying on top of your business’s digital presence is an essential habit to build for any business owner.  As you learn more about various digital marketing practices that may seem like they will help you get to the top of the crowd, there are a few important things to be aware of.  Google is very particular about the types of marketing practices they allow, which is why it is important to be aware of these black hat marketing practices. Based on our team’s experience over the years, we have compiled a list of practices that would be wise to steer clear of in order to maintain an ethical and successful online presence for your business.

Purchasing Rankings

Most Google users typically do not search beyond the first results page, which is why it is ideal for businesses to rank on the first page. Even though rankings may shift here and there, it is a long-term game that requires a long-term organic strategy. Paid rankings may help in the short-term but are not built to last due to an ever-changing algorithm. Keeping your website content up to date, using relevant meta titles, and having targeted keywords are a few of the best practices to help your business improve its ranking on Google.

Keyword Stuffing

Keyword stuffing is when your website content is loaded with keywords or numbers in an attempt to manipulate the Google Search results ranking. Many times, these keywords appear out of context, in a list, or in a group of sentences because the keywords are repeated over and over in an unnatural manner. This creates a frustrating experience for users who are looking to gain useful information from your site. The best way to use keywords is to use them intentionally in the appropriate context throughout your useful and information-rich content.

Buying Reviews

Because Google values honest and unbiased content, spam detection filters are in place to flag fake reviews. Buying reviews isn’t just unethical, it is in fact extremely illegal. Instead of buying reviews, following the four steps outlined below are key to getting authentic, high-quality reviews from your clients: 1: Send a Google review link to your clients. 2: Use templates to ask for customer reviews. 3: Respond appropriately to all Google reviews, both good and bad. 4: Use your positive reviews in your marketing campaigns. Focusing on creating marketing online presence that organically shows off your business and its offerings is the best method for success. WSI Smart Marketing is a renowned SEO company in Sonoma County consisting of SEO professionals, website designers, and social media experts. Our experience creating powerful digital marketing strategies that tick all the right boxes for our clients sets us apart. To talk with a member of our team, call (707)843-3714.