Google Announces Disavow Link Tool: Black Hat SEO’s Rejoice

Posted on October 17, 2012October 1, 2025 by infogenix

Google Announces Disavow Link Tool: Black Hat SEO’s Rejoice

Get Out of Jail Free | Infogenix If I was better at photo shop I would have given this guy a little black hat.

Happiness

Yesterday parties were thrown in SEO agencies across the world. Local stores probably ran out of chips, salsa, and alcoholic beverages as a result of Matt Cutts’ little announcement. A link disavow tool! Finally! No more writing emails to webmasters that don’t speak English. No more DMCA take down requests. Indeed it seemed like the life of the average SEO got a lot easier.

Hold Up, Wait a Minute

But not so fast. Every coin has two sides just like… every Harvey Dent has two faces – or something. I hate to rain on this fun drunken parade but there is an obvious downside to all of this link disavowing.

Oh Black Hattery!

The people partying the hardest last night have to be the black hat SEO’s. I am not talking about the people who are simply doing poor SEO. All those directory submissions don’t need to be disavowed. They aren’t hurting you, they just aren’t helping you like they used to. Besides everyone did that stuff back in the day because it worked and why not? No, I’m not talking about these people.

I am talking about the people that are still trying to game the system. No matter what the context, manipulation is always a dirty word. We have all done bad SEO. But there is a big difference between doing it out of ignorance and intentionally and maliciously doing it. These people are the true black hats.

So why are the black hats celebrating? Because Google has essentially given them a get out of jail free card.

Truth

Disavow Link | Rob Skidmore Click to Tweet – Got caught doing naughty SEO. Don’t worry. Disavow. – Click to Tweet

Seriously guys, you know that there are people out there who were immediately thinking this as soon as they heard the announcement. Now they can try what every spammy tactic their twisted brains can concoct and as soon as Google finds out – Whoops! Disavow! When the consequences are gone there is no incentive to be good.

The sad thing is that this new black hat freedom will probably hurt some legitimate businesses. New tricks will push spam sites to the top of SERP’s. At least for a while. Black hats can only stay one swing ahead of the sword for so long. Good SEO and quality business will win in the long run. But only if they can survive long enough.

More Truth

I am not saying that releasing the tool was not the right thing to do. I already mentioned how there was a lot of spam going on in the early days before it was spam. A lot of sites are so bogged down with this junk that some webmasters have just given up and started over. Laws cannot be retroactive. If my six-month-old son decides to drool on the remote control it would not be ethical for me to punish him for it when he turns 16. Unfortunately the nature of the web means that some websites are getting punished for things that were done before they were bad.

Google is absolutely right and justified in releasing this tool. And all SEO’s have reason to rejoice. But as we party lets us remember that the war isn’t over. This tool will go a long way toward making the web a healthier place to do business but there are still people out there who will clog it up with disease.

Reality

The web is a vast land of spam. General Matt Cutts and his legion of spam slammers have a daunting task that will likely never end. It’s probably like trying to put out the fires of hell with nothing but your own bodily fluids. Yes, I meant urine.

But hey, with enough people and enough fluids you can put out any fire. The only way that we are going to eliminate black hat spam is if we as an SEO community exercise some positive peer pressure. Come on guys let’s help Matt. Google is not an enemy. It is our biggest ally against malicious SERP invaders.

Take the Pledge

Will you join in our crusade? Who will be strong and stand with me? Somewhere beyond the glut of spam is there a world you long to see?

Take the pledge. Click to tweet and spread the message.

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Here I do swear to fight SEO spam in all its forms until it is eradicated from the Interwebz.

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Pubcon Las Vegas 2012 – Great News for Small Businesses

Posted on October 17, 2012October 1, 2025 by infogenix

Pubcon Las Vegas 2012 – Great News for Small Businesses

So far Pubcon has been a great experience. Like most cases of information overload the real test is implementation of the things that are most important to your organization or to that of your clients. With topics covering Facebook Marketing, Content Strategy, Conversion, and Local Ranking Factors its no wonder why it is become harder and harder for businesses to stay on top of all the changes as well as fulfilling on those same changes. More and more I realize that an full service marketing agency that is at the forefront of the changes that are happening on a world level is crucial to your success as a business.

Some of the highlights so far have been the announcement of the Disavow Links Tool. This tool allows site owners to block websites that may be pointing potentially harmful links to your site. I have included the shot of Matt Cutts presenting this announcement. This announcement is just one of the many new features available to webmasters worldwide. We hope that as businesses continue to evolve that they will seek to build their web presence the right way using best practices that will help their business be around for the long haul.

Why Your Content Is Not King

Posted on October 12, 2012October 1, 2025 by infogenix

Why Your Content Is Not King

You’ve probably heard that content is king, but that statement needs some qualification: good content that actually gets read is king. It’s not enough just to assemble a bunch of words and throw it on your business blog. The Internet is beyond vast, and your content is just a drop in the ocean unless you make it readerworthy. If you’re writing but nobody seems to be reading, here are some possible reasons why your content isn’t king.

Your Content Has No Presence outside Your Blog

If you really want people to lend an ear to what you’re trying to say, it’s not enough to just make a new post. You need to announce that post on your company’s Facebook and Twitter and really reach out for readers. Send out an e-mail to your mailing list, and include a bit of your post there—just enough to whet their appetite and get them to read the full post on your company blog.

Your Content Is Just a Sales Pitch

It may be tempting to use your blog to describe your products constantly, but people don’t want to read a sales pitch. Instead, focus your content on educating your potential customers and helping them solve their problems. By creating content that will be a real resource for your readers, you’ll encourage them to come back, and more people will naturally find your site.

Your Content Is for Search Engines, Not People

If you’re just producing piles of keywords that don’t really say anything or that seem very unnatural to readers, people aren’t going to care much for your posts, and search engines may even penalize you for spammy content. Instead, focus on writing something a person would actually like to read. If you focus on user experience, the search engine optimization aspect of your content will largely take care of itself. It’s great to target specific keyword phrases, but don’t forget who your audience is.

Your Content Is Just Bad

Just because you can speak English doesn’t mean you can write a compelling article or clearly articulate your ideas in writing. Get some honest evaluations of your writing from others. If it’s just not good, find an experienced writer to create content for you. If people struggle to understand what you’re trying to say, no amount of promotion will get people to frequent your blog.

You Don’t Really Have Any Content

Regular tweets and Facebook posts are no substitute for real, primary content. Your social media efforts should be a support and supplement for your primary content, not a replacement for hearty writing that goes beyond the surface level of the subject.

If you do things right, content really can be king. Interesting and helpful writing can catch and maintain the interest of readers (i.e., potential customers) and become a driving force for the success of your business.