Who’s Looking Out for YOUR Online Reputation?

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One of my clients recently had a person come into their business and offer to get them on the first page of Google for their keywords. If this person couldn’t do it then my client wouldn’t have to pay anything.

This clients question to me, which was a good one, was “Why shouldn’t I give it a try?”

What could it hurt, right?

Unfortunately, an “I don’t get paid until this website comes up on the first page” attitude means that they will do anything, and I do mean anything, to that end.

This client already has many first page listings on Google and other search engines, based on the work we have done for him. We have just begun the real marketing of the site, and have a plan in place to continue to get, and keep, more page 1 search engine positions.

After all, the goal is not just hitting Page 1, but staying there.

Getting to the first page involves a few different methods, but that is a discussion for another time. Just know that the biggest pieces of the puzzle are keyword focused content and building high-quality (relevant) in-bound links. And these can often go hand in hand.

One strategy would be submitting articles to article directories and Web 2.0 sites. The benefit of this strategy is three-fold. One is the direct traffic from these sites as interested members read the articles. Another is, by using keyword rich content in the articles, you increase the number of listings you’ll have in the search engines where people can find you. The last, which you only start to see over time, is the quality, keyword relevant in-bound links you start to get from the 100’s of sites that syndicate these articles.

The trick, though, is not to build these links too fast. If you do, then Google and the other search engines, get suspicious because it looks unnatural. And when the search engines are suspicious, their response is to either “Sandbox” or de-index your site (i.e. remove it from their search results.)

This is a great method for achieving higher search engine rankings. Google knows it, and they’re all for it. They don’t penalize you for using article directories, or Web 2.0 sites. But they will penalize you if they don’t like your intent, the way you’re using these sites. They judge your intentions by how often you add content, and how fast you build links. If they feel your intentions are “bad”, you’re a spammer. And if you’re a spammer, well, into the Sandbox with you!

This is why, in my opinion, you have to be cautious of any guy that walks in the door and says “I can get you on the first page of Google in a month or it’s free.” Sure, he probably can, but at what cost to your online reputation, longevity and bottom line?

Of course, traffic is just one side of the coin. The other side is conversion. You can get lots of traffic, but ultimately it means nothing if you don’t generate leads, customers and die-hard fans. Will this person stick around to help you make the most of all the traffic that has been generated? Will he help you with analyzing the most visited areas of your site, and offer suggestions on improvements that will increase conversions?

Unfortunately, once he proves to you that your site landed on the first page, he wants his paycheck and is gone! And do you have lots of sales, or long-term customers to show for it? Usually not. So think long and hard before handing over your online reputation to a fly-by-night stranger. A better option? A company that really does watch out for your reputation online, and has a long-term strategy to keep you at the top.

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