Black-hat SEO Tricks: How to Expose Mala Fide Actions in SEO — Serpstat Blog

Why Can’t an SEO Specialist Guarantee a 100% Result?

Real SEO experts are very similar to engineers developing a new technical product. They know what result they want to get in the end and the key characteristics of the future gadget, but they don’t know yet what methods they can use to achieve their goals. SEOs have to experiment, test hypotheses, create prototypes, and optimize specific solutions.

There are many historical examples when engineers changed a device’s characteristics on the fly, adjusted their goals, and even ran into the technological limitations of a certain era. Sometimes, their mistakes led to new discoveries, and sometimes, spin-offs were more successful than the main products. The best SEO providers work in the same way. Each project for them means new goals, new developments, and new knowledge. 

There are no two similar cases in which the same set of SEO tools can be used. Moreover, even within the same project, it is impossible to use the same methods over and over again. A website develops, its audience expands, and approaches to doing business change. And even search algorithms do not stand still — developers are constantly improving them, trying to bring honest companies to the top and weed out scammers. 

How Can SEO Specialists Manipulate Data?

While the best SEO specialists are engineers with ideas and a vision of the future, a dishonest contractor is more like an illusionist. They will show you a brilliant performance, make you feel like the center of attention for a while, and do something mysterious that is inaccessible to ordinary people. But will their efforts change the world? Hardly. When the spectacular show is over, you will return to the same moment of your work routine.  

So, how can you avoid being fooled by bright tricks and empty promises? To uncover the essence of magic and expose bad SEO, you should use the same method — pay attention to details that are very important in reality. 

Unclear contracts

The first thing you’ll want to do when you encounter the dark side of internet marketing is to bring scammers to justice. And here’s the bad news — most of them insure themselves in advance by writing the most vague phrases in their contracts, such as:

• “The contractor undertakes to perform the work…”
  
• “The company is working to promote the website…”
• “The contractor provides consultations…”. 
  

On the other hand, such prudence allows you to see the problem in advance. All you need to do is read the contract carefully and compare it with the words of “SEO experts.” Do they promise to bring your site to the top of the SERPs, but this is not stated in the contract? Goodbye! You are presented with attractive traffic figures, but the contract talks about increasing the number of visitors without any specifics. It’s time to look for a new contractor. Is there a clear list of services only in the presentation? You know what to do.

Another red flag is when they try to convince you to sign the contract as soon as possible. If the contractor doesn’t want you to go into the terms of cooperation, there is definitely something wrong with them. 

Promotion by low-quality queries

Usually, website owners hire SEO experts because they cannot perform SEO on their own. They lack free time, the necessary knowledge, technical tools, and sometimes everything at once. Because of this, most customers do not get involved in the workflow, fully trusting their contractors. And in vain! 

One of the most striking illusions used in SEO cheating is huge lists of search queries used to promote a website. When you see them, you will expect a huge success because optimization is aimed at a wide audience. However, you may not see it because most of these queries have low value — some get only a few views per month.

We have already explained how businesses can control SEO contractors. And one of these ways is to use Serpstat’s keyword research tools. Simply enter the queries the specialist will provide you with, and you will see the maximum audience for your marketing campaign.  

Misleading reports

You can’t guarantee perfect results even if you work with the best SEO providers, but you can guarantee that scammers will provide a lovely and convincing report. It will contain many colorful graphs and charts confirming your progress toward success. But you won’t see the key metrics that directly affect the financial performance of your business today or soon.

An ethical SEO company highlights the following metrics:

And most importantly, these indicators are as valuable as a spherical cow in a vacuum for physicists.

Source:The Daily Omnivore 

The most productive comparison will be with competitors, which you can get with the help of the Serpstat rank tracker. The reports will show clear dynamics — if you are growing compared to other market players, your marketing team is doing everything right; if not, it’s time to change your approach to business promotion. 

Inflexible pricing policy

Sometimes, you see ads like “We will bring your website to the top 3 of Google for $1,000” or “$100 for each keyword.” Honest SEO vendors do not do this. The right approach is to pay for working hours when performing certain tasks. 

We have already mentioned above that there are no two identical cases and that search algorithms are constantly changing, making it difficult for experts to work. Therefore, even the highest-rated SEO companies cannot know how much time they will have to spend on a particular job. 

In addition, the same approach to all areas of promotion is a sign of dishonest SEO. You have to admit that promoting a website for the query “used cars in NYC” is harder than “auto parts for sale cheap in North Dakota.” If SEO consulting firms put the same price tags, at best, you are overpaying for low-volume queries, and at worst, you won’t get the desired result. 

Black-hat methods

It is the most dangerous type of SEO cheating. Search engines are far from perfect. There are always loopholes in their algorithms that allow dishonest companies to promote their business quickly. But tech giants like Google are constantly working to eliminate these problems and restore balance. 

Unethical SEO companies use the following methods:

• Spam texts with a huge number of keywords;
  
• Bulk link generation on platforms of dubious quality;
  
• Creation of PBNs for the promotion of specific websites;
  
• Filling resources with low-quality content — uninformative, unoriginal, with low credibility;
  
• Hiding texts, links, and other elements important for SEO;
  
• Forced redirection of users to other pages;
  
• Mirroring of websites;
  
• Manipulating behavioral factors, connecting bots, etc.
  

Source: Mockingbird Marketing

Turning to the dark side of web links, copywriting, or technical SEO can give you short-term benefits — a strong boost in traffic in the first few days or even weeks. But in the long run, the outlook is not encouraging at all — it can lead to a significant drop in rankings or even a search engine ban.

In another article, you will learn what promises SEO vendors can make to you. If you see the above-mentioned items in the list of works, it’s better to terminate cooperation right here and now without waiting for a negative reaction from search engines. 

Non-transparent relationships

The best SEO firms allow their clients to continuously monitor the results of their work. They provide full access to Google Analytics or distribute roles by creating separate accounts for employees and clients using the Serpstat solutions for agencies. 

If you want to know the status of a project or get a certain metric, a great SEO company will never say, “Wait until we generate a report.” They will simply provide a link to a specific page of the analytics service and explain the meaning of each metric.

If a contractor doesn’t want you to monitor their work, they are likely to do it extremely poorly. And this is at best, and at worst, they are using dark SEO. So, you need access to full analytics immediately — before it gets too bad.

Manipulating behavioral factors

One of the examples of unethical SEO is companies that hire people and use bots to perform certain actions on the website. In this way, they improve key metrics such as traffic volume, depth of website research, and bounce rate. But we have already said that these methods belong to black-hat SEO. 

Such “bad SEO” leads your website to get a large number of visitors but a minimal level of conversions. First, it does not improve the company’s financial results but increases the cost of the contractor’s services. Secondly, search engines will sooner or later recognize cheating and impose penalties against violators. 

Source: Backlinker

If you see the use of bots or fake accounts in the list of services, immediately reconsider your agreements with the SEOs. However, using black-hat techniques is not always so easy to recognize. Top SEO consultants advise contacting people who left their contact information but did not complete the conversion. Find out what exactly affected their decision. You can also use a survey form, for example, in a pop-up window that appears when you try to close a tab. 

Failure to keep promises

To begin with, highest rated SEO companies never promise their clients the moon. They create optimistic, realistic, and pessimistic scenarios and honestly warn about the risks and limitations in specific situations. You can learn more in the article on how to choose a good SEO company.

However, many top companies for SEO promise clear results in their advertising campaigns, such as “We will get 1,000 subscribers in a week,” “We will reduce the cost of a lead by 30%,” etc. Usually, these are not empty words — top SEO companies clearly understand their capabilities.

Still, this doesn’t mean you should trust your contractor without question. Monitor the work of your search engine consultants. If the results of their work are slightly behind the promises, this will be a reason for a discount, and if they do not comply with the advertisement at all, it will be a reason for urgent termination of the contract.

Ineffective strategies

Another feature of the highest-rated SEO companies is that they never rely on limited tools. Rather, it’s about multichannel marketing, which includes SEO, contextual advertising, affiliate programs, collaboration with influencers, and even offline business promotion methods. 

The best SEOs will not just offer to optimize texts and generate a certain number of links. They will create a comprehensive strategy that includes:

• preliminary website audit, for example, using Serpstat tools;
  
• selecting optimal SEO directions;
  
• studying the competitive environment and market features;
  
• improving the UX of the website, smoothing the customer experience;
  
• launching contextual advertising and posts on social networks;
  
• setting up analytics.  
  

Source: Business2community

Top companies for SEO always think about plans A, B, and C, and, if necessary, further in alphabetical order. If one strategy doesn’t work, another one replaces it. If a marketing campaign is successful, experienced search engine consultants know how to scale it up and take it to a whole new level of engagement. 

Promoting themselves instead of the client

It’s a mistake that even a great SEO company can sometimes make. Instead of focusing on their client’s success, they create a good case for their portfolio. This usually leads to a focus on short-term goals. SEO business representatives try to get the desired results at any cost without thinking about what will happen tomorrow.

One of the qualities of a good service provider is the ability to think ahead. Successful SEO brands build a strategy that lasts for years. They also know when to use effective methods that will give excellent results but will be completely invisible in their portfolio.

When choosing an SEO agency, pay attention to its reviews. You need a company that aims for long-term cooperation. If they make it a habit to abandon their clients halfway through, you are unlikely to succeed with them.

5 Features of a Good SEO Company

At first glance, it may seem easier to understand all the intricacies of SEO yourself than to find the top SEO company to promote your business. But in reality, it’s not that hard to recognize an honest contractor. Let’s figure out what the highest-rated SEO companies have in common.

1. Do not promise too much

It is difficult to predict the effectiveness of SEO and impossible to guarantee. Therefore, recommended SEO companies always set limited goals. Sometimes, they have to restrain the ambitions of clients who make overly large-scale plans. In addition, they develop different scenarios for business promotion and warn about possible risks. 

2. Provide honest information

By choosing the right SEO company, you can always control its work. You will be given unlimited access to analytics services. If necessary, agency specialists will generate additional reports and explain the meaning of important metrics. The best SEO specialists also use high-quality software.

3. Always keep in touch

Your contractor doesn’t have to respond 24/7. But top companies for SEO respond quickly to customer requests within their business hours. Simple questions are usually resolved within 30-60 minutes, consultations are provided throughout the day, and complex reports take up to 2-3 days to generate. When you receive information quickly, you can be sure it is fair and correct.

4. Offer transparent communication

SEO companies from the list of those recommended by experts are always ready to tell you about the intricacies of their work. They may not share exclusive knowledge with you, but they will tell you what tasks are included in the business promotion plan, how long it will take to reach the goals, how many people are currently working on the project, and how much money has been spent from the budget. 

5. Really increase rankings in search results

Although SEO is time-consuming, high-quality SEO services produce results from the first weeks. When you turn to real experts, you will see your rankings start to rise. This process is not always fast and stable, but the overall positive dynamics will be a great sign. 

FAQ

Let’s sum up

The choice of partners always starts with studying their commercial offers. The priority will be given to companies offering tangible results but not promising too much here and now. One of the key features of successful SEO brands is a realistic approach.

The second point on the list is to read reviews and testimonials. Remember that you need a reliable partner to create a long-term marketing strategy. If a company tends to refuse clients frequently, it raises certain suspicions. 

And when you get to signing a contract, first study its details carefully. It should contain accurate information about the goals, lists of tasks, and deadlines. A sign of a great SEO specialist is a maximum of specifics and a minimum of vague phrases.

Of course, your prudence shouldn’t turn into gullibility even at this stage. You should have access to an analytics service. Control the lists of planned and completed tasks, view reports, and evaluate the dynamics of key metrics. If you have any suspicions, ask the contractor for advice — they should explain the need to use certain methods and warn you of possible risks.