Why Negative SEO Doesn't Work: Explained by Google Officials

 SEO is the most effective way to increase website traffic and online visibility. Several techniques and strategies are defined under various categories of SEO that make a big difference if they are used wisely and appropriately.

But like everything, SEO also has a dark side, which is known as negative SEO or black hat SEO.

What is Negative SEO?

Negative SEO is an aggressive strategy used by dishonest marketers to undermine a rival.

As we know, general SEO is especially used to boost the search ranking and authority of a given domain. Several tactics, like content generation, social media marketing, backlink creation, and keyword research, are included in search engine optimization. If all these tactics are applied in the correct way, it sends a positive signal to the Google algorithms, and the targeted domain gets a higher ranking on the search engine result page, traffic enhancement, an improvement in conversion rate, and strong brand recognition.

In negative SEO, a number of malicious techniques and strategies are being used to damage the online reputation of a competitor by lowering their search engine ranking, authority, and brand reputation.

Is Negative SEO Dangerous?

An interviewer asked Garry Illyes, a senior analyst on the Google search team, some questions.

The interviewer asks: “Do rivals still engage in spammy link building, or is it still hazardous for them to send hundreds of links to deter their competition? Has Google ignored this kind of activity? 

Garry Illyes acknowledged recalling the Penguin update in answer to the query.

Next, he shared his experience examining negative SEO cases that website owners and SEOs had sent him. He claimed that of the hundreds of cases he examined; just one may have genuinely involved negative SEO, though the web spam team wasn't positive.

Garry Explained: When we released Penguin,  many complaints about negative SEO were received at the time. Especially link-based bad SEO, followed by incredibly clumsy. Then I asked for examples to show me how it functions and demonstrate to me that it works.

After that, I got literally hundreds of instances of alleged negative SEO, all of which were untrue. Except for one that I forwarded to the web spam team for additional investigation and that we have not decided whether or not to pursue, it was always so far off from negative SEO that I did not even bother to explore any further.

With this, I would like to point out that we disable an absurd number of links since we are far more afraid of negative SEO than we should.

This is Garry Illyes's account of his negative SEO experience. He goes on to explain the true reason why negative SEO links are ineffective.

Gary’s explanation about irrelevant topic links:

Gary went on to state, "It is fairly clear to say that we disable that form of link from all those domains if a website receives links from completely irrelevant sites."We try to find topics that the person is linking out and the target website covers; if not, we deactivate the link.

For instance, if someone tries to link your technology website page to a Canadian casino that sells medicines without a prescription,  why should we believe that link? 

Dark Effects of Negative SEO

The reputation of the brand may be impacted by fraudulent links, fake reviews, duplicate content, or a decline in organic traffic.

When a search engine finds manipulative tactics, such as fake reviews or content defacement, they have the authority to punish the targeted website.

Negative SEO can have a lasting impact on a website's reputation and ranking.

How to Protect Your Website from Negative Search Engine Optimization

Observe your backlink profile and pay particular attention to your most significant backlinks. Protect your website from malware and hackers by using two-factor authentication, creating secure passwords, and adding security plugins. Additionally, monitor your social media mentions closely at all times. 

Google Topic Matching Across Pages 

There was a time when there was no defined algorithm on the backlinks. It was so easy to boost a website by creating links from non-matching topic websites. In the past, certain link builders used to provide universities with "free" traffic counter widgets that, when included at the bottom, included a link back to their client websites. These widgets were functional. However, Google started to crack down on those links. But now, the scenario has changed. Google made his algorithms so powerful. The link from the pages of the irrelevant website is considered spam and can be disabled by Google without much do.

Conclusion

Negative SEO is the dark side of search engine optimization. It is unethical to damage the online presence of a competitor. However, insights from Google officials, particularly Garry Illyes, reveal that the negative SEO effect is significantly overestimated. Despite numerous reports and concerns, genuine cases of negative SEO are very rare. Negative SEO has several effects that can impact the reputation of the website. Negative SEO can have a long-lasting effect on the website's reputation and ranking on the search engine results page. You may protect it in some ways by keeping a close eye on backlinks and securing your website from malware and cyberattacks.