SEO tactics, and new policies to keep them honest

To enjoy success in search engine optimization (SEO), companies need to adapt their search engine strategies to ethically and effectively stay ahead of the changing landscape.

So says Ken Wisnefski of Ocean City, founder and CEO of WebiMax, the top-rated search engine optimization firm and an expert in the field of online marketing. Wisnefski discusses an important trend in the evolution of Google’s search engine policies, which reflect the internet giant’s concern about how some companies manipulate their way to No. 1 ranking on the site.

“Some of the practices that SEO companies were doing in the past weren’t originally frowned upon by Google, but over time, they have become a concern,” he says. “The notion of ‘buying’ or ‘renting’ links a few years ago was a common practice, and highly effective. Google realized that this process was a way to artificially inflate link value by merely paying for quality links, and they began to penalize for this practice.”

The discussion arises as news continues to break about Google and its “crackdown” on black-hat SEO tactics. Recently, Overstock.com was penalized by Google for encouraging college and university websites to post links to its pages. Sites associated with dot-edu instead of dot-com will typically show up higher in Google’s search results. Google considers this tactic a violation of its guidelines. Retailer JC Penney’s also was recently flagged when its SEO company used disreputable tactics.

“Some of the practices that have been discussed with JC Penney and Overstock.com aren’t as malicious as they may sound,” says Wisnefski. “Some of the issues with link-building really show that, as Google began to penalize for this process, companies ignored these changes and did not adapt their SEO strategy to be ‘one step ahead.”

Sporadically, Google will update its search algorithm and penalize for various factors that in the past may have been somewhat acceptable. In April 2010, Google implemented an algorithm change often referred to as its “May Day Update.” The likelihood of additional updates by Google in the near future is expected.

“I envision another large scale update via Google in the near future,” says Wisnefski. “This update will likely focus on improving the search results from a user’s perspective and eliminating a lot of what is labeled in the industry as ‘search spam,’ which is basically useless results. Staying one step ahead of the curve is the best way to make sure your strategy continues to provide results.”

WebiMax.com is an industry leader in search engine optimization and offers a full suite of online marketing services. With over 125 U.S. based employees, WebiMax helps its clients grow their businesses by working closely with them as a strategic partner to ensure they reach their organizational objectives whether it is increasing sales, boosting their lead generation efforts, or creating a unique customer experience on their website. Visit (http://www.webimax.com) for more information.