Orange County SEO™ Blog

What You Need to Know About Google Link Warnings

Google caused a bit of a stir recently when they sent warnings alerting that “bad links” might lead to loss in rankings and traffic.  Unfortunately, the warnings may have caused more problems than the links themselves.

In order to understand the confusion, here is an abbreviated and annotated timeline of Google’s messages and the responses they engendered among webmasters. Read More »

Your Infographics Can Still Count

Earlier this week, Matt Cutts talked about devaluing infographics. This is not surprising given Google’s stance on content and link issues.  However, the statement set the world abuzz with speculation.  We all know that spam analysis is not an exact science, so many are hoping Google will be unable to carry out its threat.

This is probably a vain hope.  If your infographics are used to link to wonky sites, be prepared for Google to devalue you.  However, this does not mean that you should toss infographics away altogether.  You can still use them if you are careful to ensure that they are being used for the right purposes. Read More »

United States Senate Asks for Help From Web Communities

The US Senate Committee on Commerce, Science & Transportation has asked major United States search engine operators to examine how moving services are using search results to try “bait-and-switch” tactics on potential victims.

The committee found that customers who use search engines to locate moving companies are often subjected to the same tactics:  they are confronted with “soundalikes” for reputable moving companies that are actually brokerage firms that charge exorbitant fees to set up the move.  Unaware and trusting the search results, many victims have been pulled in and charged hundreds or thousands of dollars more than necessary by these unscrupulous companies.

The Senate involved the search engine providers because these companies seemed to appear at the top of all search engines with alarming regularity, leading to the conclusion that the companies had found a way around the natural safeguards that existed to prevent spam and disreputable vendors from exploiting the search engines. Read More »