A Search engine optimization company can opt to use ethical or unethical SEO techniques, also known as white-hat and black-hat techniques. The names white-hat and black-hat come from old cowboy movies where the decent chaps wore white hats and the bad guys wore black hats. There are also the lesser discussed grey-hat methods which, while not absolutely unethical, do cross a few boundaries.
For companies whose main intention is Search Engine Placement, and on top of that immediate positioning on Page 1 of a search, this can actually be attained by use of unethical techniques. Exagerated use of keywords and phrases (known as keyword stuffing), or use of key words consealed in the meta tags or overused in the titles, can all help to push the position of a company’s web site for a time. However, if there is a high bounce rate for a web site, it will lose credibility with the search engines very quickly and end up with the web site being banned. Also, it is highly unlikely that many of these searches will in fact create business for the web site.
Link farms can also be used to add credence to a web site, as it allows large numbers of links within your web site, but these often have no bearing at all on what your web site is about and end up frustrating the searcher. Use of mirror sites, whereby the equivalent content is used on multiple sites, the only difference being the URL are again used purely to manipulate search engines. As search engine spiders become more sophisticated, it is difficult for companies to cheat search engines over a period of time, and when they are caught, they may be black-listed and find it almost impossible to get back onto a search engine index in the future. You are then going to lose an opportunity for easy Online Marketing and could end up losing your organisation.
White-hat, ethical techniques can be used by a SEO Company to ensure of a long lasting product, useful to the search engine and the user, and which are not in place to deceive or manipulate the search engine placement for the customer. Initially, optimising the use of quality key words that are apparent, means that the web site has a good foundation. A good title on each web page, and a site map to help the user and search engine spider to steer around the site are also good ethical techniques to employ.
Once the web site has been optimised, search engine placement can be bettered by such actions as link building, producing press releases, writing articles and blog marketing. Over time search engines will understand that the web site has positive results and will improve its credence, leading to decent online marketing for the web site.
From this you can understand that it’s far better for everybody involved if you keep to the rules (written and unwritten) and treat all the stakeholders in the Internet Searching Process with respect and empathy, and ensure that nothing you do is harmful to any of the stake-holders. In short, treat them as you would want to be treated. “Do unto others” etc.