Thread: Negative SEO

I have seen a fair bit of talk about negative SEO lately. I have even seen a case study. There is also at least one fiverr gig offering the service.

I can see that some people would do anything to knock out a competitor whilst many others see it as a sharp practice and bordering on dishonest behaviour depending on how it is carried out.

My biggest concern is that Google could fall for it.

Negative SEO basically means that someone else goes out and creates a mass of spammy links to your site with the intention of dropping your website rankings.

Don't think this works in the long run. It may work in the short term and the Google dance happens but then the links will count towards your site. Why would someone want to help you by doing links for you? Spammy or not.

If this is true - how long before hackers/competitors start using negative tactics as a seo strategy against competitors. Cannot believe that big G would change their algo to include this spammy links "factor". If you link out to spammy sites, then yes Google will penalise.

Too much speculation about this. If this is for real I'm pretty sure they are going to fix it very soon.

I have seen nearly every black hat seo tactic eventually penalized by Google. Every year, the grey hat tactics from the previous year are turned into black hat from what I've noticed. Stuff like link wheels, text link ads, and keyword stuffing are now on google's radar.

I do myself hope everything will be fixed soon cant beleive some of the results im seeing on first page of google for certain keywords!!!

I think this is going to be big issue and challenge for Google now.

If negative SEO works I'm sure some folks on fiverr will be very busy. Hopefully the big G just devalues the links and does not penalize you for having bad links.

Negative SEO means you optimize your website by breaking the rules and regulations of search engines. This type of SEO also called Black Hat SEO. The result you get using negative SEO is for very short term.

If this is true it could also be used for reputation management. Like you could blast any bad reviews or negative PR so no one will ever find it.

I have experienced with the same issue when I started SEO business and I think i have wasted my time lot. But I have learned from my experience and I believe that my bad experience is my good teacher. concerted on quality not quantity ..!!

firs time i hear of negative seo
having PR1 can't get more penalized no?

The case study mentioned on another forum about negative seo involved much more than making spammy links. There was an extended regime of bad mouthing the victim in a range of ways linking the spamming with the company.

You should be more concerned with the fact that Google is making something like this possible as a result of their constant additions to their algorithm.

SEO has long been perceived as a natural, effective way to boost your rankings in search engines. And it still is – for the most part.

Google’s algorithm is constantly changing. Some days more drastically and noticeably than others, but nevertheless, it’s ever-evolving. As a result, some business owners are finding it increasingly difficult to rank for important, relevant keywords which would drive valuable traffic to their websites.

Following a logical process of deduction, if you’re not ranking, then you’re not getting any traffic. If you’re not getting any traffic, then you’re not generating any sales. If you’re not getting any sales, then you’re up the proverbial creek without the proverbial paddle.

However, rather than actually trying to improve their own website to fix the issue, some find it easier to simply tear down those around them until they’re the last ones standing. Enter negative SEO.

Negative SEO regarding new google update "Penguin":

If the new google update means new penalty cases based on the use of an only one keyword-anchor text for our backlinks, this issue could be used to hit enemies.

The new google update seems to cause a war