# Name of SEO method in which 100 dummy pages are written with keyword-rich text and links to main site?



## Pwear (Mar 7, 2008)

I've seen this method used alot and I'm just wondering what it's known as. 

Customink.com uses it alot on this page:
customink.com/our-services.htm

It's obviously a scheme to get more search engine results based on prime keywords, and each page contains links back to the home page or designer. 

What is this method called?

I'm using wordpress for the backend of a new site, I'm wondering if doing this with blog posts is more effective than static pages, depending on how wordpress handles SEO in each type of document. I can also do both - enter a blog post AND make a static page with the same content, but I don't know if google will penalize me for duplicate content.


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## splathead (Dec 4, 2005)

A sitemap? http://www.arnebrachhold.de/projects/wordpress-plugins/google-xml-sitemaps-generator/


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## Pwear (Mar 7, 2008)

It's a little different than that - it's not so much a list of pages that comprise the website, but a list of pages that are simply keyword-rich babble. They have no real usefulness to a user on the website, but seem to be excellent at seeking out the search engines.


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## 13Graphics (Jul 20, 2009)

Keyword spamming.


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## Rodney (Nov 3, 2004)

13Graphics said:


> Keyword spamming.


I'd have to second that  

If the pages actually have content that will help the user, that's one thing (and I'm sure companies will debate that their content is relevant)

But just creating a 100+ dummy pages to link back to your main site is not a long term SEO strategy that I would recommend.

There are ways to add relevant content to your website that help both "real people" and the search engines. 

For example, if you have a local screen printing shop in Detroit, Michigan, but your main page of your site doesn't say much about your location, then creating a page that is more focused on your local offering (free delivery, map to your location, etc) would help both regional customers and help you get find more for local based keywords in major search engines.


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## gearbranders (Oct 16, 2009)

I've seen this too on Broken-Arrow.com and Lowertown Printing. I found their websites doing research on competitors in my area. Turns out they aren't in my area at all. They had just made a page for my city and put words with area schools, colleges and local museums and entertainment destinations. I guess they're trying to attract people in my town to use them instead of a local printer. Wonder how well it's working for them.


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## EnMartian (Feb 14, 2008)

I've got to agree with those who call this sort of thing spam. It is a standard SEO technique to write text pages for a web site that contain specific keywords for which the site wants to rank. The difference, as Rodney pointed out, is that the pages are rich in keywords and also helpful to those who visit the web site. Just writing pages with a lot of keyword babble will most likely hurt a site in the long run. I wouldn't recommend it.


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## PositiveDave (Dec 1, 2008)

It's called black hat SEO & you can report it to Google :https://www.google.com/webmasters/tools/spamreport


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## splathead (Dec 4, 2005)

gearbranders said:


> Wonder how well it's working for them.


It's obviously doing the trick if you found them by searching on local printers.


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## PositiveDave (Dec 1, 2008)

Black hat methods work until Google registers it's disapproval and you can disappear from the search engine, literally overnight. Anything that is forbidden by Google can get penalised such as cloaking text and links, paid links, links from dubious neighbourhoods. If a competitor is being naughty, tell Uncle Google and they could be banished into the wilderness of page 10001.


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## gearbranders (Oct 16, 2009)

splathead said:


> It's obviously doing the trick if you found them by searching on local printers.


They were successful in getting me to their website, but I wouldn't have used their services once I found out they weren't local.  So they didn't convert me. But I wonder how many consumers out there would have used their services and don't care about using a local printer? It would be interesting to know how important doing business locally is to screen printing customers.


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## Unik Ink (Nov 21, 2006)

It can get you blackballed from Google.


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## Pwear (Mar 7, 2008)

Thanks for the info, looks like we won't be using that method for SEO!


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## shirtsthatgo (May 4, 2009)

This is a fascinating topic. I actually had an experienced and successful web marketer recommend that I do this very thing. Then I consulted with my SEO team and they said dont do it for the same reasons stated here.

I am doing a blend of do it your self and outsourced SEO. I do all the on page work and I outsource all the off page work (Well most of it anyways).

I am glad to chat more on this topic and share successes and failures. I think the hardest part (for me anyways) is decoding the keywords that convert. That golden straw is out there but you have to work for it.

Nick


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## Q. (Nov 30, 2007)

PositiveDave said:


> It's called black hat SEO & you can report it to Google :https://www.google.com/webmasters/tools/spamreport



Is it actually black hat, or just really lame site design? Just asking...


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## shirtsthatgo (May 4, 2009)

It is not really black hat but it might not help you that much either. The idea behind it is that you in a way can cast a bigger net so to speak. Heck I could create 100 separate pages each targeted for their own long tail keyword. 

This is a design though that gets you out of balance between building for search engines Vs building for people. My understanding is that the engines are "smarter" than that and will penalize you for this kind of a design.

A few links for you: Spamdexing - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

SEO - Search Engine Optimization | Read SEOmoz, Rank Better

The second one is a great resource. Hope this helps.

Definitely interesting stuff.


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## PositiveDave (Dec 1, 2008)

Q. said:


> Is it actually black hat, or just really lame site design? Just asking...


You're being narrow minded - it could be both


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## spiros_saf (Aug 25, 2009)

There are so many beautifull/legal/approved ways to efficiently use SEO at your website..

I think that it would be stupid to risk being blackballed by Google..

Just think of it.. Is it worth it ruining the website you've put so many efforts on just for a little bit more traffic?...


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## Guest (Feb 16, 2010)

They are actually called keyword landing pages and many big companies use them. Users are never aware they are on a landing page because it looks like the main site. Programmers build programs to so that SEO folks can just insert keywords and the pages are randomly built on the fly.


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## Rodney (Nov 3, 2004)

Dawn123 said:


> They are actually called keyword landing pages and many big companies use them. Users are never aware they are on a landing page because it looks like the main site. Programmers build programs to so that SEO folks can just insert keywords and the pages are randomly built on the fly.


I've seen some big companies do some pretty shady looking things.

Just saying that just because big companies use them doesn't mean I'd recommend the average small business to use them.

An SEO hit to a big company with a big advertising budget and brand has much less of an impact than an SEO hit to a small business who may get a lot of traffic/business from organic search engine results.


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## Guest (Feb 16, 2010)

Rodney said:


> I've seen some big companies do some pretty shady looking things.
> 
> Just saying that just because big companies use them doesn't mean I'd recommend the average small business to use them.
> 
> An SEO hit to a big company with a big advertising budget and brand has much less of an impact than an SEO hit to a small business who may get a lot of traffic/business from organic search engine results.


I didn't say it was a good or ethical way to practice business, I was just answering the exact question of the type of practice. 

Sadly, those big companies also buy space that none of us can afford, on top of using the landing pages. So half the first page results are the same place.


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## PositiveDave (Dec 1, 2008)

The power of Google is quite frightening, they could take down the world economy by switching their servers off. They can take down a small business by putting a black mark by your name.
If anyone from Google is reading this - just kidding


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## Guest (Feb 17, 2010)

PositiveDave said:


> The power of Google is quite frightening, they could take down the world economy by switching their servers off. They can take down a small business by putting a black mark by your name.
> If anyone from Google is reading this - just kidding


They are very powerful. And, unethical as well, that is why they let the "payers' get away with full page results. 

If you don't buy a keyword/phrase, Google will gladly sell it to your competitor, which is rediculous if the keyword includes your trademarked name. But, they still do it. It's keyword ransom.


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## veedub3 (Mar 29, 2007)

I have always wondered about this.

If I type in screen printing in Atlanta I get this link from custom ink: Screen Printing In Atlanta, GA - Georgia T-Shirt Printers.

Type in screen printers in Vermont and you get this link from custom ink: Screen Printing In Burlington, VT - Vermont T-Shirt Printers

What did he do just build a bunch of pages with different cities??


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## Guest (Feb 17, 2010)

Exactly. He added some other "area" keywords in the page, but it's exactly what I mean. But, that's actually not your best example of "keyword landing pages".

That guy isn't using a program, just doing it on his own. Here is an example of a program doing it all for you.

Google: type in "Waders":

One of the top links returned is:

Fishing Waders & Fishing Chest Waders : Cabela's

Which looks all normal, but.....careful. It is actually the result of software. Likely, not something you can buy, but maybe. And, an SEO Specialist, just simply enters mens-fishing-waders into their gui-blahblah 
(developed by the same genius who wrote teh program), saves, deploys, etc., and the above .shtml page is developed only for the robots.

Now, If you go to www.cabelas.com and type "mens fishing waders" into the search box, you get the URL below. And, ahem, the real link to that page.

Cabela's -- Search Simple Product

So, you see the difference. This is how the big boys, well at least this one, get away with it. And, to be perfectly correct from a legal. All the rules of the search engines are followed, down to the common top level domain name. What you click after that is when the magic happens. You go right into the main site.

It's actually damn sweet from an engineer perspective.


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