The New Politics of SEO

trust servicii seo I am sure you are aware of the notifications that began showing up in Google Webmaster Tools (Google Sending Notifications) and how they appear to be penalties but, after clarification from Google via Matt Cutts (Google Updates Link Warnings). Now, one of the most recent conversations that have been happening in the industry is how to proactively identify and address removal of these links.

There are two things I have a concern with:

First, you don’t have control of the links pointed to your site, so how could Google or any other engine penalize your site because of shady links pointed to your site? They shouldn’t and not likely to penalize your site either. However, that doesn’t mean you should be trying to get as many links as possible, if you have too many links from junk websites you are likely going to be considered as junk (the old birds of a feather flock together bit).

If this was the case, your competitors could target your site with negative links to bring down your reputation.

Second, if you are spending time trying to figure out what bad links are pointed to your site and trying to get them removed, are you spending your time on what matters most? Namely, are you focused on improving your site for your visitors, because that is where your time is best served.

This doesn’t mean that you might not need to do some damage control if you have trusted your site to someone or an organization that has a short-sighted vision for your website or if you are working to improve your online reputation. One more reason that who you entrust to help you improve your website’s performance should have the same passion and desire for your website, like you. You get what you pay for…

What are your thoughts?

Have you experienced or know someone that has seen a negative impact to your rankings from the recent notices from Google?

What are you doing to address these concerns?

Don’t forget to check out Eric Ward’s post on the topic

The New Politics of SEO

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