Never Trust An SEO Expert That Hasn’t Had A Site Banned
August 31st, 2007 by CourtAn extremely interesting fact about SEO (search engine optimization) is that there is no clear blueprint. There is no guide that is 100% accurate. The whole industry is made of propaganda and bickering. SEO strategy is aggressively debated and that makes it hard for the little guys. It makes SEO hard to learn. There’s simply way to much garbage out there.
When I worked full time for an internet marketing company, I learned about how to make money online. The truth is that I didn’t learn enough. They didn’t know enough. I know what I know now because I took what I learned there and experimented for a few years. Let me be the first to tell you that I was excessively aggressive, but I learned what limits not to push.
The Mistake That Got One Of My Sites Banned
The first site I ever made was completely banned by Google. It was funny because the same methods that made the site dominate in Yahoo also made the site get booted from Google. The site was banned because I loaded a script onto it that generated automatic links. It basically created a link directory on the site of everyone that used it. You gave a link to all the users and got links back.
The problem with using that kind of script is that everyone that uses it has almost the exact same link directory. Everyone that uses it links to the same sites and has the same ending URLs for the directory pages. I could identify a site that used it in two seconds. The problem is that so could the big ‘G’. Google identified it as a link farm and bam… they booted everyone that used it.
It’s Not Freaking Worth It
I know of questionable methods I could use to generate a lot more links to my site. There’s no doubt that I could be ranked a lot higher for my keywords if I used some of the ‘black hat’ techniques I know about. Do you know what would happen? One morning I would wake up to find out that I don’t have any Google traffic anymore. You guys, I’m saying this with the most sincere voice I can – it’s not freaking worth it.
I read a review of my site recently that speculated that I must be a black hatter to make the progress I’ve made in six months. I want to make this 100% clear:
I’ve been there, done that, and it wasn’t worth it. I will never go back, I’m over it.
If you’re here to find ‘black hat’ techniques to get ranked, you’ve come to the wrong place. You’re not going to find that kind of stuff here. This site is about making money online now, while protecting your site’s future.
Why I’m Glad That It Happened
My internet marketing life is that of a roudy teenager that finds his way in adulthood. I don’t know at what point it happened, but I figured out that tricks and gimmicks can only take you so far. I am honestly 1,000 times better at what I do for having gone through that.
If you dig very deep you’ll find that the premiere SEOs have almost all had sites get booted from Google at some point. I personally wouldn’t trust anyone that hasn’t.
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August 31st, 2007 at 5:34 pm
Another great post Court. I sometimes struggle when trying to discover ways to improve my SEO for my website. I’m going to start checking out the google blog/webmaster tools just so I can read it how it’s meant to be done, with no fear of getting banned etc.
August 31st, 2007 at 6:15 pm
How many race car drivers who won the Indy 500 have never crashed a car? I’ve never looked it up but I’m willing to bet it’s Zero.
When selecting a driver for your race car, are you looking for someone who knows how to win the race or someone who won’t scratch the paint? I guess it all depends on your goal.
August 31st, 2007 at 7:40 pm
I am completely on the same page as you Court! I believe in working hard for what you get using white-hat techniques. It may be more difficult to get where you want to be, but think about the rewards of looking back at what you accomplised the right way.
September 8th, 2007 at 4:17 pm
Another great tip Court, your expertise never ceases to amaze me. You’ve helped me so many times I can’t even count it on all of my fingers and toes! I would like to write a review about you on my site, and I think I shall! Congratulations on becoming an internet Guru (and not one of those self-proclaimed d-bags!) I officially declare you a PRO!
September 8th, 2007 at 7:49 pm
I have a problem on my site where new pages will get indexed right away on Google, but then after a week or two, they are no longer listed at all on Google. Do you know if this is some sort of penalty or ban? It’s mostly my more popular pages that get dropped, so I don’t know if the pages are being scraped and then dropped because of that?
January 16th, 2008 at 4:32 am
You’re right, i have learnt by making similar mistakes. I think you have to learn the hard way sometimes. I am now making much more progress though hard work and putting the hours in, rather than looking for a quick and easy method. Which may initially give you short term results but will not work in the long term.
Like it or not you have to play the game the way big ‘G’ dictates, but you will see results if you work hard enough.
March 10th, 2008 at 4:17 pm
Whatever one’s field is in life–whether internet marketing or anything else– there are general rules that apply:
1. Taking short cuts will only take you so far. Sooner or later, you will be caught and bang! you’re dead.
2. Getting to be an expert is like learning how to ride a bicycle–you don’t get to be good without falling many times.
“Experience is what you get every time you fail.” What you do with that experience determines your future success or failure.
March 4th, 2010 at 11:25 am
I agree 100%. I had a site once,Tried some fast back linking and then bam”no more site.Thanks for reopening my eyes, because it is very tempting to try to easily get ahead…
March 4th, 2010 at 11:27 am
It is very easy to pay your way to the top,but like you said, if you get caught then bye bye.