Unethical SEO/SEM Tactics
In the SEO world companies or brands may choose to act in an unethical manner and resort to black hat SEO tactics in an attempt to manipulate search engine rankings. This can be done by keyword stuffing, hidden text and links, doorway pages, cloaking, and link farms. Some unethical SEOs use negative SEO to harm the company’s competitors. In doing so they violate Google’s guidelines on the sites in which they publish. For example, they may point unnatural links to a competitor's domain, in an effort to get their competitors penalized (Lahey, 2020). Other companies create fake content or buy links so that they rank higher on Google. Also, companies may update images on sites such as Wikipedia to ensure the brand ranks at the top of Google’s image search results like in the case of The North Face.
North Face’s agency Leo Burnett Tailor Made updated images on Wikipedia to ensure the brand ranked at the top of Google’s image search results.
The year was 2019, and the American outdoor recreational product company “North Face was targeted after its agency Leo Burnett Tailor Made, updated images on Wikipedia pages for popular travel destinations” (Gesenhues, 2019). The images were part of a marketing campaign by the company to rocket the brand to the top of Google’s image search results when users searched for similar travel destinations. The company claimed that they had partnered with Wikimedia during the campaign. After the Wikimedia Foundation published a comment stating “The North Face had unethically manipulated Wikipedia and risked the trust in Wikipedia’s mission, for what they called a “short-lived stunt” (Gesenhues, 2019). It wasn’t until after Wikipedia commented that The North Face admitted to any wrongdoings and apologized to Wikipedia for any wrongdoings.
Unethical Piggyback Ride
Dan Shure and other marketing agency consultants were shocked that any company or brand would be involved in such an obviously risky venture. “Either the agency didn’t understand what they were doing, or were hoping to mislead people, or both”, said Dana DiTomaso (Gesenhues, 2019). It’s very obvious to anyone that they would be caught. It seems that they only apologized because they got caught and they knew the apology would generate more of a buzz around the campaign.
While I don’t recommend piggybacking off other strong authoritative sites that rank Google; there are ethical ways to do so such as “answering a question on Quora that ranks well in Google” (Gesenhues, 2019). Answering any question honestly and thoroughly and don’t spam anyone’s sites is a good way to gain an audience from another site's Google rankings.
SEO Industry Blacklisted?
It doesn’t seem that The North Face’s underhanded tactics has left a negative impact on the SEO industry. However, it doesn’t help the industry and how people on the outside view the workings of SEO. There are many internet users who believe in SEO and the power that it holds. On the flip side, there are many internet users who don’t believe that SEO can do any good for brands, companies, marketers, and web designers.
Ethical Implications of Trick SEO Campaigns
North Face’s SEO campaign gave them the results they were hoping for but at what cost? According to the Wikipedia Foundations, “The North Face’s efforts were akin to defacing public property” (Gesenhues, 2019). The fact that The North Face outright lied, they also stated that they paid nothing. While they may not have paid Wikipedia; they paid someone.
The stunt by North Face shines a spotlight on agencies and their practices begging the question “Are short-term SEO results worth risking a brand or company’s reputation?” (Gesenhues, 2019).
It really is simple, treat others as you want to be treated. You wouldn’t want someone manipulating you to get ahead so don’t do it to others.
Benefits of Acting Ethically
When it comes to SEO, acting with integrity and ethical practices plays a crucial role. Ethical SEO practices focus on following best practices that are set by search engines. When you act ethically in the world of SEO you are known to wear a white hat. By choosing to act in an ethical manner you will achieve sustainable improvements in search rankings and organic traffic overtime (Bhandari, 2024). Acting ethically when dealing with SEO will also ensure that the content your audience engages with in search results reflects what is on your landing page. This will help you and your brand to build trust and credibility with your audience, thus enhancing their experience on your site (Bhandari, 2024). Your audience will then trust you, your company, and your brand this will help to make them loyal consumers which will help to strengthen your brand’s credibility, making your brand a reliable source in the eyes of your audience and the search engines on which you rank. Lastly, following search engine policies and making your site accessible to everyone will create a positive experience for all. This will further help you to build trust and further contribute to your brand’s overall success.
References:
Bhandari, A. April 14th, 2024. Ethical SEO: What is it and How Does it Help Achieve Better Search Rankings? https://www.algosaga.com/blog/ethical-seo/
Lahey, C. November 19th, 2020. What Is Black Hat SEO? 9 Risky Techniques to Avoid. https://www.semrush.com/blog/black-hat-seo/
The North Face. Retrieved on June 12th, 2024. The North Face Logo [Digital Image]. The North Face. www.thenorthface.com
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