Statistics show that the number one organic position in Google Search can result in a click-through rate (CTR) of 34.2%. This means that every website out there is fighting for this position. Some optimize their content to rank higher, and some bring their competitors down by deploying negative SEO tactics.
Negative SEO involves using unethical means to decrease a website’s rankings. It can pose a threat to your website’s credibility and existence. Let’s look at some of these practices and how our negative SEO protection services can help protect your business.
Some Negative SEO Practices To Watch Out For
There are several negative SEO practices you should keep an open eye for. Here are the most common ones:
Backlinks and spammy anchor texts –Many people use link farms and private blog networks to target and ruin a competitor’s website.
Hacks and malware attacks –These malpractices are the hardest to deal with. Hackers can harm your website by adding spammy links, creating duplicate content, ruining your website’s architecture, and more.
Content duplicates –Content scraping is another dangerous negative SEO strategy. It involves duplicating your content as soon as it’s published and presenting it as original so your content looks like a duplicate.
Fake reviews –Negative reviews can be detrimental to any website. A lot of negative SEO practitioners create fake negative reviews to wound the reputation of a competitor’s website.
Ways To Ensure You’re Protected Against Negative SEO
As there are negative SEO practices, there are ways to shield yourself from them. Below we give you the most used ones today:
From spams and backlinks – Track your backlink profile and look for any unusual spikes in your inbound links.
From website hacking and other attacks – Ensure you have a good security system with secure authentication and data backups. Regular website audits can help you stay on top of threats and changes on your website.
From duplicates – Use plagiarism-checking tools to look for stolen content and report it.
From fake negative reviews – Stay alert for any bad reviews across as many listing sites as possible. Report any bad reviews that seem out of place.
Recovery
Getting your website back on track would require some time and effort. Some of the things you can do include:
Create a list of bad backlinks that need to be taken out and plan a strategy
Remove any unwanted backlinks through Google’s Disavow Tool
Flag negative reviews
Report any sites that duplicate your content
Hire a professional SEO service to help you out
Tell-Tale Signs of Negative SEO
A negative SEO attack is usually easily noticeable after some time. Consider the possibility that you might be getting some negative SEO if you notice a sudden and significant ranking drop, increased website loading time, or if you’re experiencing frequent website crashes. A hack or malware attack on your website would be obvious and hard to miss.
SEO Defend Can Help You Tackle Negative SEO
Negative SEO can damage your business significantly. That is why reaching out to professionals to help deal with attacks is necessary. This is where our team at SEO Defend can help.
We protect and optimize your website through SEO penalty removal and negative SEO monitoring services. This way, you'll stay on top of the results page and gain a competitive edge. Contact us to learn how we can help your business.
