SEO MYTHS Busted by Branded Innovation (Part Two)

As a small business owner, wherever you go agencies will do everything to try make you a client.

But that is just the world of business, so while partnering with an agency is part of the expansion process, some of them might not be as transparent as you originally thought. In order to give you an advantage in the world of SEO, Branded Innovation continues to bust SEO myths for your benefit.

Myth #3: Hidden text and Links help your rank:

This is actually a very popular myth in the world of SEO. More and more companies using Black Hat tactics use these hidden links to promise higher ranking in Google. What is hidden text? It is the illegible and text which is not visible to a viewer since it is the same color as the background. Another strategy used is formatting text or images which are indistinguishable as links. I would add an example, but you would not be able to see it (laughter).

Reality – Write only what you want read:

Although my jokes might be bad, the advice I am about to give is not. Instead of trying to feel like a spy and add hidden links into your content, stay honest and save yourself from a penalty. Keep in mind that proper optimization is making your content easily found and read. Do it the right way and add only legible content and links which can be read by whomever wants to read it. Other things you can do instead of cheating the system is contrasting the text on your website with the background color. Use colors that look professional, but are still easy to see. Other than that, make your links obvious. Search engines will view these links and help determine the rank of your website.

Myth #4: Cloaking is good:

No, we are talking about magical cloaks that can grant special powers, those will always be for the good. Cloaking in SEO is having two faces to your website. One side is meant for Google alone, and the other side is meant for your clients. This type of Black Hat SEO will be found out by search engines at one time or another, so it will only make you spend money without getting results. Black Hat SEO agencies love to reassure these methods are fine because Google will not be able to view the actual website filled with unregulated content as seen by customers.

One example is if you are searching for a clothing store using “clothing stores located in Santa Barbara”, click on the first website, and end up on a bakery site.

Reality: Be honest!

In simple words, do not lie to your customers. No one wants to find a website which is completely unrelated to what they were specifically searching for. In order to gain more clients, make sure to earn their trust so they want to work with you in the future. Honest White-Hat techniques will ensure your ranking goes up and your brand becomes more credible among your particular industry. Show your customers what they expect to see, and show Google while you are about!

SEO is a complex system, but with the proper techniques, you can make sure to get the rankings you want! To learn more about White-hat techniques used by companies like Branded Innovation, be sure to contact us!

If you haven’t already check out Part One of our Mythbuster series here. Stay tuned for Part Three!