Avoid Vimo

[motoxxx]

Positioning websites can be really tough and time consuming. Especially in the insurance fields. If you can dig into a very narrow niche, they can be really profitable.

I had pretty good luck with the Vimo leads and the Prospect Zone was decent but some of the others were really bad.

 

[moonlightandmargaritas]

And you're right Bob, why people turn down business is beyond me.

There are certain prospects who are "problem children".

Through experience, you get pretty good at predicting who they are gonna be. They end up costing you money.

Since I'm a "for profit" business, I avoid them.

If your pipeline is so thin that you can't afford to do this, your pipeline is way too thin.

 

[TXINSURANCE]

Every night before I go to bed I say a little prayer that Google goes bankrupt.

Worst customer service on earth. Once they shut your business down for weeks, you realize the kool aid drinkers you are dealing with.

 

[CHUMPS FROM OXFORD]

Did they do that to your website?

 

[dmiller90]

Every night before I go to bed I say a little prayer that Google goes bankrupt.

Worst customer service on earth. Once they shut your business down for weeks, you realize the kool aid drinkers you are dealing with.

Google is no longer playing games, "Black Hat Seo" or linking schemes or other stuff. "Quick Clue" They dont have to answer to TXinsurance. You may push your name around in the Insurance world and get answers, but Google could care less about you, they dont have time to speak to TX about his website. If your violating the terms of service then thats exactly what happens.

Quality guidelines - basic principles

• Make pages primarily for users, not for search engines. Don't deceive your users or present different content to search engines than you display to users, which is commonly referred to as "cloaking."
• Avoid tricks intended to improve search engine rankings. A good rule of thumb is whether you'd feel comfortable explaining what you've done to a website that competes with you. Another useful test is to ask, "Does this help my users? Would I do this if search engines didn't exist?"
• Don't participate in link schemes designed to increase your site's ranking or PageRank. In particular, avoid links to web spammers or "bad neighborhoods" on the web, as your own ranking may be affected adversely by those links.
• Don't use unauthorized computer programs to submit pages, check rankings, etc. Such programs consume computing resources and violate our Terms of Service. Google does not recommend the use of products such as WebPosition Gold™ that send automatic or programmatic queries to Google.

 

[CHUMPS FROM OXFORD]

What is the most common "black hat SEO" thing that seems above board but really isn't?

As an example...I assume commenting on "Do-Follow" forums, adding your name to directories and commenting on blogs is OK. But I'm always worried about doing something you think is OK, but really isn't.

 

[dmiller90]

I thought TX was talking about ppc, not organic listings.

Does not matter what he was talking about, the bottom line, he thinks everyone owes him an answer, maybe he gets that in the insurance world, but it dont work that way with Google, was my point.
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What is the most common "black hat SEO" thing that seems above board but really isn't?

As an example...I assume commenting on "Do-Follow" forums, adding your name to directories and commenting on blogs is OK. But I'm always worried about doing something you think is OK, but really isn't.

Linking Schemes, and buying links, or creating doorway pages with no useful content. Right now what is going on, Google is cleaning up the Linking going on, Look at MostChoice, same thing happened, its happening all over google in all markets. Do things right, and read Googles Guidelines, and your business will be sustainable and your ranking positions will stay.

 

[moonlightandmargaritas]

Every night before I go to bed I say a little prayer that Google goes bankrupt.

Not sure I'd bet the farm on this happening any time soon...

 

[TXINSURANCE]

I did not violate TOS, my account is repeatedly hacked and Googles process for hacked account is to shut down for 10 to 14 days each time without exception.

Does not matter what he was talking about, the bottom line, he thinks everyone owes him an answer, maybe he gets that in the insurance world, but it dont work that way with Google, was my point.

Completely out of line.

 

[Aaron_4SIGHT]

What is the most common "black hat SEO" thing that seems above board but really isn't?

Good question. I'm a purist and avoid following 'tricks' to get rankings, because they're easy come, easy go. I generally think any time you do something solely for a machine, as opposed to a human, you're pushing the grounds of black hat.

Put a link somewhere that you don't think someone in their right mind will ever click on? That's probably black hat.

Stick some content at the bottom of a page packed full of keywords to the point it doesn't make sense in normal english? Black hat.

Going around making content-less comments on blogs and forums just for the link back to your site? Black hat.

I think that if the link doesn't have value to you if it has a ref=nofollow, you probably shouldn't be going for that link.