Search Engine Optimization: June 2007 Archives

Search engine optimization (SEO) specialist George Ajazi (not pictured above) defines Black Hat SEO as--

"The use of unaccepted or frowned upon SEO practices in order to get higher rankings and more traffic. Use at the risk of being dropped from the engines or at least being removed from high rankings."

Black Hat SEO, prepared by George Ajazi, nicely runs down several Black Hat techniques that are widely used today. Because Google and other search engines continually change their site ranking formulas, Black Hat techniques come and go.

Marketers beware. Some Black Hat techniques, such as keyword stuffing, may seem quite innocent to those unfamiliar with the inner workings of search engine ranking algorithms. This fine article from Smashing Magazine, which explores the finer points of Google PageRank, indicates just how complex and mysterious SEO can be, even to the experts.

This is why marketers should select their SEO partners carefully. Google doesn't much care whether Black Hat tactics are employed intentionally or accidentally. Either way, the penalties can be stiff.

Further reading--

Esoteric Labs describes the dire consequences of Black Hat.

From The SEO Blogger, views on the Black Hat tactic we all love to hate--spamming.

New technology equals new Black Hat invasions. Techwag explains how spammers are trying to use Twitter to manipulate page ranking.

It’s a classic marketer’s dilemma. You need to drive business to your Web site but need to justify your SEM cost by “proving” results before they happen.

Whether you are rushing to enter the Internet world, just plodding along, or building an Internet-based businesses from scratch, no one is really safe from the need to create some ROI scenario, nor should they shy away from it. Being able to estimate where you’ll be when you implement an SEO strategy only makes sense before you start investing precious time and money.

Unfortunately, there is not going to be a black and white calculation for your SEO return, as seen in this lengthy forum hosted by cre8asite. The sheer number of replies to someone wondering how to measure ROI will give you an idea of just how many ways there are to get to your rough estimate of where you think you’ll be.

Chris Boggs writes a more detailed ROI article for searchenginewatch.com . He calculates ROI by simply subtracting “conversion realized from organic listings” from Cost of SEO. But again, the generally iffy nature of how a company would get the “conversion” amount leads to more of an estimate, rather than a definite amount.

If you are interested in learning more about measuring your SEO ROI, Google offers helpful articles on their Conversion University website.