A Search engine optimization company can select to use ethical or unethical SEO processes, also known as white-hat and black-hat techniques. The phrases white-hat and black-hat come from old cowboy shows where the decent chaps wore white hats and the bad guys wore black hats. There are also the less well know grey-hat ways of operating which, while not wholly unethical, do cross a few boundaries.
For companies whose main goal is Search Engine Placement, and on top of that instant listing on Page 1 of a search, this can actually be attained by use of unethical processes. Excessive use of keywords and phrases (known as keyword stuffing), or use of key words unseen in the meta tags or overused in the titles, can all help to boost the position of a company’s web site for a time. However, if there is a high bounce rate for a web site, it will lose standing with the search engines very quickly and end up with the web site being banned. Also, it is highly unlikely that many of these searches will actually create business for the web site.
Link farms can also be used to improve credence to a web site, as it allows large numbers of links within your web site, but these often have no relation at all on what your web site is about and end up frustrating the searcher. Use of mirror sites, whereby the equivalent content is used on duplicate sites, the only difference being the URL are again used simply to manipulate search engines. As search engine spiders become more highly developed, it is difficult for companies to cheat search engines for long, and when they are found out, they may be black-listed and find it virtually impossible to get back onto a search engine index in the future. You are then going to lose an opportunity for easy Online Marketing and could end up losing your business.
White-hat, ethical processes can be used by a SEO Company to make sure of a long lasting product, useful to the search engine and the user, and which are not in place to hoodwink or manipulate the search engine placement for the customer. Initially, optimising the use of quality key words that are apparent, means that the web site has a stable foundation. A good title on each web page, and a site map to assist the user and search engine spider to navigate around the site are also good ethical processes to employ.
Once the web site has been optimised, search engine placement can be improved by such actions as link building, producing press releases, writing articles and blog marketing. Over time search engines will understand that the web site has positive results and will improve its credence, leading to excellent online marketing for the web site.
From this you can agree that it’s much better for everybody involved if you keep to the rules (written and unwritten) and treat all the stakeholders in the Internet Searching Process with respect and empathy, and make sure that nothing you do is detrimental to any of the stake-holders. In short, treat them as you would want to be treated. “Do unto others” etc.