Search Engine Optimization: Best Practices
I recently conversed with a person who asked the following about their website:
“Is it legal if say I had a website to do with Cars for sale, and I used keywords like cars, cheap cars, transport etc. I also want to use keywords with nothing to do with cars for sale like these keywords: “YouTube” and ”Pamela Anderson” Is it legal to do? Will I get banned from Google?
The answer to the above, generally speaking is “No.” YouTube may have some trademark issues with you, but generally there is nothing illegal about optimizing your website for the terms above. Google will not ban a website for the above. Google has been known to take over websites that infringe on their trademarks (e.g., www.gooogle.com).
This question reveals a misconception: Is Search Engine Optimization more important for traffic or for sales?
We believe that Search Engine Optimization’s goal is a Return on Investment and strong profits. It is all about sales. In marketing, the above scenario is called “bait and switch.” If you could rank high for the above terms, you will receive alot of traffic, but it is doubtful any of it would convert into car sales (unless you have a car Pamela Anderson previously owned which has a dash mounted device to view YouTubes:-)
