Black Hat SEO: the new snake oil

Side thoughts in italics. Skip ‘em if you like.

It must be time for the black hat SEO marketing companies to drum up new sales. While there are many white hat SEO marketing companies out there, only the illegitimate ones are coming out of the woodworks and targeting our clients. I suppose they assume that anyone in an Agriculture-related field is going to be uneducated, and that our clients will be an easy target.

I don’t care what business or company it is- anyone abusing their insider knowledge by convincing the average joe to buy useless products and worthless services is a repugnant creature. It makes me so angry to see these snake oil salesmen sweeping in and talking over the heads of our clients, potentially damaging a perfectly good web site and costing a good client steep amounts of money, all under the guise of helping.

In the past two weeks my manager has been fielding phone call after phone call that starts with this conversation: “I got a phone call from ABC SEO Marketing Company and they’re saying you guys aren’t doing enough for our SEO.” I am grateful that our clients are such straight shooters. They tell it like it is, without accusations or assumptions. The main purpose of their phone call is to gather information, so they can make a decision. I’m happy they’re willing to give us a fair chance.

First, Rich gives them a crash course in SEO. Arming our clients with knowledge is always our first line of defense. He takes time to explain what Search Engine Optimization does, in an intelligent and understandable manner. One of the funniest statements I overheard was, “Well, I can talk over your head too, but what’s the point? I want you to understand the services you are buying, so you can make your own decision on whether you want it or not.” Sometimes they insist. He obliges them

Then he acknowledges that SEO is something important to keep in mind when working on the site, then explains that we already work to keep their site optimized for search engines. Sometimes the proactive ones will ask what they can do to help, and the conversation lengthens. “Write more about your ranch. Talk about the history behind it and what you are doing with the business today.”

He also points out the keywords suggested by the SEO company are misleading- “do you know anyone that would type that in?” he asks. They pause, and offer the keywords they have watched friends type in, realizing from their own experiences that their friends would not use that keyword. One company told a client, “You aren’t showing up for ‘Angus in Midwest’! We can fix that.” Are you kidding me?! Angus breeders don’t search like that. They aren’t idiots. Midwest is a broad and subjective term. They would pick the specific state. I would know. I’ve seen the Web Trends reports.

These same companies also attempt to use the carrot on the stick, when the scare tactics don’t work. “We can provide you with detailed reports about your site and the keywords your visitors are using. Just plug in this little piece of JavaScript!” And let the slimy companies spy on that client’s site stats? Yuck. No thank you. Rich simply offers our clients more detailed reports from Web Trends, and they’re satisfied.

Part of the trouble stems from the fact that we do not brag about our services to our clients often enough. We offer stellar services, but nobody knows it. None of them realize what we do, until a third wheel tries to push in. We:

• optimize images and code, so the sites download faster.
• use CSS layouts instead of tables, for better presentation and information hierarchy.
• provide descriptive file names and descriptive link names, so the search engines can sort it into their preferred keywords and categories.
• follow web standards to the best of our abilities, so search engines, visitors with handicaps, and visitors with outdated computers can still access the sites.
• improve every site we touch, every time we open it.

New sites automatically get new services as they become available. No one has to ask for it, we already knew they would want it. It is an automatic part of what we do, when creating a new site. Do we actively sell SEO services to existing clients? No. Most of their sites have been around long enough that they naturally show up for desired keywords. If they don’t get good results, we will make a recommendation. Most of the time there is another culprit at work: the site does not have any new content, the content has not been updated recently, it was built by a different company and needs rebuilt with clean code, etc. But again- the client decides if they wish to spend the money to have it done. For some, it is an extravagance.

The bottom line? Search Engine Optimization is not the real goal. The real goal is to offer your visitors the best value for their time and money. Every client can add value to their site by writing more about it. Content is king. Information is gold. The answer is simple, the implementation is not. Many people find it hard to write about their business’s achievements, but when they do, it pays off in the long term. Good SEO marketing companies will focus on developing the content of a site, which is not what people want to hear. Shortcuts are easier, but come at a costly price in the long run: aside from the money paid for the shortcut, black hat techniques can earn you a spot on the banned list.

Hmmm…looks like it’s time to run a public service announcement in our print ads with information on SEO and start addressing this annoyance. Perhaps if our clients have knowledgeable questions to ask these companies, it will put a stop to this trouble before it starts. Let them draw their own conclusions about our services once they understand SEO. I’m confident they will hang up on the snake oil salesmen then.