Don’t fall victim: protect your site against negative SEO
What is negative SEO
Negative SEO is basically the reverse on regular search engine optimisation. It is a malicious black hat practice that uses SEO techniques to de-rank web pages from search results. These type of attacks are normally perpetrated by motivated hackers, online rivals, and business competitors.
Negative SEO attacks are commonly deployed on three fronts; hacking, backlink manipulation, and fake social profiles.
The attacker can build thousands of spammy backlinks hosted on blacklisted or questionable sites. The perpetrators can also create fake social profiles and masquerade as the victim on social forums and social media in a bid to ruin their online social presence.
Hacking is a technical approach that breaks the site from the inside. The hacker may ruin the site’s performance, and manipulate some of its functions — damaging the UX and hence lowering SERP ranking.
How to detect and prevent negative SEO attacks
The good news is, there are several measures that you can take to protect your site against negative SEO attacks.
Monitor your keyword CTR
Monitor your click-through rate using Google analytic tools. If you notice any unusual spikes in the CTR or high bounce rate, something might be wrong. Verify the source of your traffic to makes sure it’s not from bots or bad keywords.
Keep track of your backlinks
There are several tools you can use to track your site’s backlinks. These tools will notify you once a backlink is added, removed or changed. Make sure no bad links are leading to your site. If there are any, contact Google about disavowing the links immediately.
Follow your mentions on social media
It is essential to follow mentions of your company, business, website, brand or name on social media. Again, several tools can do this. Ensure that the mentions are not from fake online accounts. If they are, contact the host platform and demand that the accounts be deleted.
Keep an eye on your site’s performance
Check on the performance of your site regularly. Site performance and user experience are major SERP ranking factors. Malware and bad code could cripple functionality and loading speed. Tightening the security measures on your website will also prevent unsavoury hackers from gaining restricted access.
Recovery from negative SEO attacks is often expensive and sometimes impossible. Don’t take any chances.
If you’re struggling with your search engine marketing, Epic New Media is here to help. Get in touch with us and get expert assistance in SEO and PPC.