6 SEO spam methods (and what you can do about them)

What is keyword spamming?

Keyword-Spamming refers to the overloading of a page with potential search terms. Many different words are placed one after the other without any connection. They are often hidden with display: none; or similar "tricks" so that only search engines and users of browsers that do not support CSS can read the words.

Nowadays, this method is a shot in the foot and a free ticket to a Google penalty. Don't even try this method.

What is a link farm?

You create 100 domains, for example "versicherung00.de" to "versicherung99.de". (The domain names are made up and are for illustration purposes only.) The websites of these domains link to each other. In addition, each website contains a link to the "main domain(s)", for example "versicherung.de". Since the "versicherungXX.de pages" have a high traffic volume due to the mutual linking, the PageRank and left on "versicherung.de", the latter also receives a high PageRank.

Such LinkfarmThese are very easy to detect manually and even easier to detect automatically with the help of pattern recognition algorithms, as the page content of "versicherung00-99.de" was generated automatically. This is why success is usually very short-lived.

In 2019, this method is a shot in the foot and a free ticket to a Google penalty. Don't even try this method.

What are Doorway Pages?

Doorway pages are highly optimized pages whose sole purpose is to be submitted to search engines and rank well there. This is where the term doorway comes from: the pages are intended to represent an entrance to the website to be promoted, via which the user can be reached from the Search Engine comes to its own side.

In the classic version, these pages have no content, but merely repeat the term for which they were optimized several times; therefore, these "doorway pages" are basically meaningless for the user of a site. They are therefore not linked to from the actual website and are only accessible via search engines. Using simple methods of link analysis, today's search engines recognize doorway pages quite easily, so that at least the simple form can no longer be used sensibly.

Other names: Doorway pages, doorway pages, doorways, Bridge sidesgateway pages, gateway pages, gateway pages

What is IP Cloaking?

"IP Cloaking" is a technical trick to display different websites under the same web address, depending on whether the visitor's IP is that of a search engine spider or a human visitor (who has a Browser used).

If the IP is that of an Search Enginethe web server provides the search engine spider with a highly optimized page to spider and index. Otherwise, the web server delivers a normal page such as the Homepage. IP cloaking is also known as IP spoofing or IP delivery. It can be assumed that if IP cloaking is detected, the page in question will be listed in the search index of the Search Engine is locked.

What is Google Bombing?

Known became the technique of Google Bombing by using it to push websites under certain search terms into Google. For example, if you entered the search term "washcloth" in Google, one of the first results for a long time was a website by "Christoph Blocher" from the Swiss Federal Council. This website has no content whatsoever that would warrant a top ranking in the Keyword "wimp" and the placement was justified without exception via Google Bombing realized.

Behind Google Bombing are large quantities of links through text links with a Keyword. With our "washcloth" example, some people have probably Webmaster expressing your opinion about Mr. Blocher. Depending on the number of these links, it is easy to "foist" a website on Google that has nothing to do with a topic.

Note: This method may sound funny, but the links would be considered "negative SEO" and can therefore cause legal problems.

How did Fake PageRank work?

A worthless domain is forwarded to a domain with a high PR. The forwarding is done server-side via PHP or .htaccess with the status code 301.

For example, the domain "neuedomain.de" is redirected to "google.com". "neuedomain.de" thus takes the PageRank from google.com.

If the redirection is removed, neuedomain.de retains the PageRank from Google to the next PageRank-Update. Thus, you can have a maximum of 3 months a high PageRank pretend, with the next PageRank-However, the PR of neuedomain drops back to the normal value after the update. Unfortunately the PageRank from mirrored domains are also not passed on; so a link from such a domain is not worth much.

Reminder: This method is only for information, the just formulated PageRank System is now more than obsolete.

How should you deal with SEO spam?

1. Recognizing and understandingBe aware of what is considered spam to avoid it.
2. Use tools: Use tools like Google Search Consoleto ensure that your website has not been hacked or contains spam content.
3. Act quicklyIf you discover that your website contains spam (e.g. due to a hack), act quickly to fix the problem.

How do you avoid SEO spam?

1. Focus on quality: Create high quality and relevant Content for your users, not for search engines.
2. Avoid unnatural linksBuild your link profile naturally and organically. Do not buy links or exchange them on a large scale.
3. Avoid Overoptimization: Although it is important to include keywords in your Content it should be done naturally and in context.
4. Education & trainingStay up to date on SEO guidelines and practices as search engine algorithms are constantly changing.

Conclusion: SEO Spam can bring short-term success, but is risky in the long term and damaging to both the reputation of the website and the Ranking in the search results. It's always better, ethical and sustainable SEO practices to ensure long-term success and avoid potential search engine penalties. Always remember: The best way to rank in search engines is to create real value for your users!