4 SEO Tactics that Can Wreak Havoc To Your Reputation

Back in 2014, Malaysia Airlines launched a competition in Australia and New Zealand. The purpose of the online marketing campaign was to boost the airline’s image after the tragedies of MH17 and MH370. But, the competition had an odd and inappropriate name: “My Ultimate Bucket List.” The association was grim, considering that 537 people lost their lives flying the airline that year.

Managing online reputation is tricky in the modern era, as companies like Malaysia Airlines, Volkswagen, or SeaWorld prove. That’s why you need to measure every action carefully before launching it into the digital space, including your SEO strategy.

When it’s done right, SEO can boost your brand into search rankings, but it can also destroy your small business if you are not careful. The problem with search engine optimization is that it is an ever-changing landscape, and you need to adapt your online marketing accordingly.

Here are four SEO tactics that can destroy your small business’s reputation.

1. Duplicate Content

Plagiarism isn’t a new phenomenon. Even Shakespeare was said to copy entire plot scenarios from others and use them in his plays. But, although copying content is an old practice, it doesn’t mean it’s a good one. In fact, it can damage your website reputation pretty badly.

That’s a lesson BuzzFeed learned the hard way when the publishing company found itself the subject of a plagiarism scandal, in 2014. Editor Benny Johnson took lines from sources such as Wikipedia to Yahoo! Answers to create a post. Johnson was fired for dishonesty, and BuzzFeed had to work harder to convince readers that they care about delivering quality content.

2. Fake Accounts

Almost 80% of consumers research products online before purchasing. While it may seem simple to pay someone to write a few positive reviews to improve your local business’ reputation, this tactic could backfire.

Websites can identify fake accounts and reviews. Being the subject of a scandal could affect your reputation.

3. Click-Baiting

You’ve all seen one of these headlines:

“You won’t believe what happens when a man tries to hug a lion. It will blow your mind.”

That technique is called click-baiting and refers to the practice of sharing controversial headlines in the attempt to grab attention and get people to click and drive traffic. Most of the time, the information is not relevant or in line with the brand’s key message.

Although this type of content can get traffic, in the long term, it is not a productive digital marketing strategy. Online users hate clickbait and consider brands that use them to be untrustworthy. 

4. Keyword Stuffing

In a not too distant past, ranking high for a given keyword was easy. All you had to do was pick a high traffic, low competition keyword and use it repeatedly throughout your content. But, after both Panda and Penguin algorithms updates, keyword stuffing became the worst SEO mistakes one can make.

Not only that keyword stuffing can affect your rankings, but it can also turn away readers. If your visitors can’t find relevant, useful information on your blog, they will leave. And, most probably, they will tell others about it, damaging your reputation.

If you are using any of these SEO tactics, it’s time to stop and rethink your online marketing strategy. Focus on creating value-added content that will generate positive reviews and improve your reputation.