Mediarun Search Marketing News

Google warns bad SEO can result in legitimate websites being blocked

April 6th 2010

Search Engine Optimisation News

Search engine giant Google has warned companies that the incorrect use of search engine optimisation techniques could have serious negative consequences for both their Google ranking and their reputation.

According to the firm, companies that carry out SEO campaigns incorrectly, or those which optimise their websites in a non-standard manner could end up being blocked from search engine results pages.

Google claimed that badly designed websites can be mistaken for 'phishing' operations and could be wrongly identified as carrying out illegal or malicious activities by crawlers.

The warning highlights the importance of turning to a professional search engine optimisation (SEO) firm when attempting to improve search engine rankings for specific keywords and key phrases.

Secondary domain names that are improperly linked to a firm's main website are also a major source of problems for online businesses, the search giant states.

Google notes that these additional websites can often have very little to do with a firm's core content and as a result can be flagged up as unrelated or illegitimate.

The search engine firm also noted that companies should be cautious when using third-party logos on their landing pages, as branding that belongs to another company can lead to confusion, particularly if logos are placed next to login fields or on online forms.

According to Google, crawlers can mistake the combination of data gathering text boxes and unrelated company logos with phishing scams - especially since there has been a dramatic increase in the number of fake landing pages being used by cyber criminals to steal people's passwords and bank details.

With this in mind, Google urged firms to refrain from asking for passwords to other sites as this will instantly earmark a website as fake.

This common-sense approach to website design as a means of boosting a firm's search engine ranking was recently highlighted by industry expert Howard Rybko.

Mr Rybko told Media Update that fancy website design should be secondary to a clear and functional approach that leaves visitors unfazed and unconfused.

Much like a successful search engine optimisation campaign, Mr Rybko claimed that good website design involves the strategic application of resources and careful planning.

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