Many affiliates fall into the trap of SEO outsourcing. One iGaming affiliate recently declared he decided to try and rank up quickly by outsourcing all of his work to an SEO company and left them to continue where he left off. In just under a month, his site was blacklisted by Google and he was left dumbfounded as to how it happened.
I’m sure that many affiliates, certainly in this industry, are under a constant pressure to adapt to Google’s latest algorithm changes and updates, but please don’t fall prey to outsourcing unless you follow these very basic rules of thumb.
1. If you are going to outsource your work, make sure it is to a reputable company and preferably someone who you trust and can meet up with = not a random company who happened to spam your email one day and ‘wow your world’ (not my quote).
Recommended Reading: Google Panda- The 2011 Timeline
2. Always – Always make sure you know what’s happening. When you outsource your SEO or Social Media operations to someone, ensure that you know what is going on every step of the way. This way you can see what they are doing, where they are building links and how they are earning their money. It also gives you the chance to stop potentially fatal mass-linking from unscrupulous sites which will get you in trouble with Google.
So for those of you who are struggling with your SEO strategies and need to outsource to survive – just how do you do it?
- Anyone who is at the top of Google for their main keywords, probably knows what they are doing.
- Don’t be afraid to ask – if you have friends who can help you in the industry, remember that many of the ‘bigger boys’ are more than happy to offer a few tips (although don’t expect to find gold here … if you knew everything they did … you’d be in competition with them)
- Test! When you start out with a company, ask to see their other clients and get referrals – but better than this, give them a small site of yours to test on. That way you can see what they are doing and your main site isn’t in jeopardy.
Remember: Just as you wouldn’t let a random stranger into your house – don’t let a random stranger into your site backend.
About the Author:
Daniel Laming spent over two years working as an affiliate manager for GTech and Red Interactive, but recently decided to pursue a role as a full-time affiliate working on website BigGainsNoPains with a team of five, focusing on Online Casino and Online Bingo offers.