SEO: Ways to Avoid Negative Attention On Your Website
There are reasons outside of your control that could be affecting your website’s search engine rank negatively. Net Works Inc. would like to shed some light on this subject to help protect your website and its rankings on search engines like Google, Yahoo, and Bing.
Injection of Malicious Code
This is a common practice of hackers and spammers across the world. Hackers will discover a vulnerability on your site and use it to their advantage. Out dated sites and old code are usually the top reasons why someone has gained access to your files. We’ve seen many hackers redirect sites to their own, post links in obscure places, and attach malicious code for your visitors to download. All of this equals bad news for your brand and website.
Reporting Spam
Anyone can report spam. It’s useful when you are legitimately reporting spam, but can be detrimental when you’re a legit company not practicing anything wrong in the way of marketing. With enough reports, your site will indeed suffer and could potentially face a serious ranking reduction. Websites like Google Maps utilize a review section that lets the public rate your business from 1-5 stars. Personal attacks from other local businesses may have an effect; however, we’ve seen sites receive lower rank due to “5 star ratings” as well. You must be careful not to attract the “Spam” label to your website. Other aspects including your IP block and domain name are taken into consideration.
The Look and Feel
If Google came to your site, what would they think? Would they consider it “spammy?” If your answer is no, then you’re fine (maybe). Otherwise, you might want to think about what you can do to make it seem less like a sales pitch, and more like a quality informational site. If Google thinks your site is quality, chances are you are not on their radar to be reduced in rank. This also works in your favor against hackers.
The fix
You probably have an idea of what to do now that you’re aware of the potential negatives on your website. First, create a secure environment for your site. Lock it down, keep it up to date, and change your passwords. Don’t post spam and don’t let others talk about you publicly. Be in control of your web presence by claiming your maps page and places page. Reviews and other negative information can be moderated by you. Make your content unique and useful. If Google looked at your website would they be happy to have you on their index, or ashamed?