by Matt McGee
One World Telecommunications
posted: May 7, 2004
We've devoted a lot of space in this section of OWTweb.com to
discussing the things you should do to increase your visibility
in search engines and web directories. But that's only part of
the overall picture. To really succeed in this area you
also need to know what not to do.
In a nutshell: Don't spam the search engines.
Search engine spam can come in many forms, and different search
engines and web directories may have different definitions of "search
engine spam." But despite the differences, it's not difficult to
get an overall idea of the types of things you should avoid when
developing or optimizing your web pages.
Web Directory Spam
Web directories are yellow page-like sites that require you to
submit your site first, and then wait for the site to be reviewed
and possibly approved for listing in the directory. Most web directories
have guidelines about the types of sites they will and won't list.
And most also have guidelines for how to submit your site.
The Yahoo Directory
doesn't clearly state a definition of "spam,"
which is probably due to the fact that -- at $299
per submission -- they don't have to deal with
as much spam as directories that don't charge.
Still, in the TOS
of their Yahoo! Express submission program, Yahoo
suggests that spam might include the submission
of a site that already exists in the directory,
a site that isn't finished, and mistakes like
that.
The Open Directory Project (ODP),
which doesn't charge to list a site in its directory, is much more
clear about what tactics
and types of sites it considers "spam":
- mirror sites -- sites that have the same content but at different
URLs
- aggressive, multiple submissions of the same site to the same
or different categories
- sites that use redirects or some other "bait and switch" practice,
such as using frames to hide the real URL of a web site
- sites whose content is based around driving traffic to affiliate
links
Doing any of these things will likely lead to your submission
being rejected.
Search Engine Spam
Most search engines would
consider as "spam" almost any extreme measure
aimed at getting a web page to rank well. As we said earlier, each
search engine may have slightly different definitions of spam,
but here are some generally accepted things to avoid that most
every
search
engine considers spam:
- hidden text and / or hidden links on a web page
- filling a web page with irrelevant words
- free-for-all (FFA) link farms, or any linking
scheme designed to make a site appear more popular than it really
is
- excessive cross-linking between sites to inflate the sites'
link popularity
- cloaking -- the practice of setting up your web site so that
the search engine sees content that differs from what a regular
user
sees
- sites whose content is based around driving traffic to affiliate
links
- pages that are created for search engine crawlers, not human
web users -- such as "doorway" or "gateway" pages
If you're considering a new tactic that you hope will help your
site rank better in search engines, a good question to ask yourself
is this: Would I do this if there were no such thing as search
engines? If the answer is "no", then you probably shouldn't do
it. All of the crawler-based search engines (and the directories,
too, for that matter) emphasize that your focus should be on things
that serve your site visitors, not search engines.
"Wait! I see sites like those at the top of the search results!"
It's true that the search results for some terms have sites that
break the rules set by the search engines. These techniques can
work in the short-term, but rarely succeed over the long haul because
search engines are constantly changing their algorithms to combat
search engine spam. And many search engines are relying on users
to help fight spam by providing a way to report spam (Google
does,
for example). Once caught, sites that have been spamming a search
engine are likely to be penalized substantially and may be removed
and banned from ever appearing in that search engine again.
Learn More
Here are links to some of the policies and FAQs available at various
search engines and web directories:
All the Web: Spam Policy
Google: Webmaster Guidelines
Yahoo: Content
Guidelines
ODP: How to Add a Site
Back to Articles index |
