You will get busted.
Your reputation will be called into question.
Those associated with you will be called into question.
We saw this happen with Reverb Communications in Silicon Valley, but you can be a small shop and the consequences can be just as large.
Case in point.
My blog was comment-spammed (that is, comments that had NOTHING to do with the post and whose sole purpose was to create a link back to a company to increase SEO rankings).
The spammer was: s.moggy55.157@googlemail.com (I’m sure a fictitious email) from IP address: 117.199.85.40
A quick check shows that his is a computer registered in India (home of a lot of comment spammers).
The four sites which they were promoting (and I’m giving them the link so that it shows up in Google)
- http://www.epicengraving.com/
- http://www.colonytire.com/Services/brakes.asp
- http://www.furnitureoutletworld.com/
- http://www.greenbriardesignsnc . com (UPDATED for them, so URL removed…see below)
A quick search of these sites reveals that
- all four of them are in North Carolina and
- 3 of the 4 are represented by a website “marketing” company called http://www.atlanticbt.com/
Sure enough, they offer “SEO services” http://www.atlanticbt.com/services/internet-marketing/seo
I wonder, however, if their clients know about the way they do it?
What happens now?
Well, first off, I add that IP address to my blacklist via Disqus.
Next, I’ve told all of you that Epic Engraving, Colony Tire, Greenbriar Designs, and the Furniture Outlet World hire people who employ comment spam tactics.
Was it super easy for me to do that? No. Will it get easier for all of us to do this? You bet!
Lastly, by linking them here, they run the risk that when someone searches for them in Google, instead of seeing their site, they see this blog entry.
Lesson: If you want to earn legitimate Google link juice, you are better off participating in conversations in a relevant way. Otherwise, you will be blocked AND, even worse, those people who block you will tell their networks that you are spammers.
You work too hard to earn attention and permission, don’t blow it by taking the easy way out.
Update: I received a call from the folks at Greenbriar Designs and was EXTREMELY impressed with the way they took control of the situation. They did ALL the right things. They contacted the company and had a stern discussion with them. They contacted me to explain their situation. They recognized that the best way to handle it was own up to it and attempt to fix it.
Which they did.
In fact, I have an entire post dedicated to them and how they responded.
Post was written while listening to: Toby Keith - Shock 'N Y'all - American Soldier