I only ask because I’ve stumbled across another leading Sydney web design agency using a javascript redirect full of spam. I thought that kind of thing was so 2003, in fact I thought it was so 2003 that Google was on to it and subsequent users were chucked out of any decent results.

Afraid it’s not so. Do a search on graphic design sydney, a fairly competitive term wouldn’t you say? Page 2 3 results you see a Sydney Website design firm offering graphic design. So you click on their graphicdesign.htm and you are taken to their home page, via this lovely page full of spam. You only get to see this page for a second, but it’s enough to make you reminisce…

Do you know, they also offer search engine optimisation. I bet they’re really good at it.

Shame on you.
seo search engine optimization

I was just reading over at MarketingVOX how the FTC have banned an SEO firm for life. The company, Netvertise, have been banned from promoting or selling franchises or any other business activity. Apparently they’ve been selling their services by making false claims.

So, I went to visit www.mbnetvertise.com/english.htm. Mmm…yes, I see how they were fooling their customers with stunning design, valid code, massive killer portfolio, compelling content – shall I go on? Really, people actually paid $160,000 for these people to make websites for them? You’re ‘aving a laugh…

One of the reasons for starting this blog was to highlight good and bad web design and sneaky SEO tactics. I spend maybe 12 hours a day on the internet so I visit a lot of websites. The good, the bad and the ugly.

A few months ago I did some work for Google. It opened my eyes to the stupid things agencies do to trick search engines. Since then I can’t stop checking out “what’s under the hood” so to speak. I always looked at other designers code to see how they did things, what makes their page rank highly and just because I’m nosy. But now I’m a super sleuth.

If you feel like being a sleuth make sure you use the Spam Report on Google.

I haven’t decided if I’ll out them here – I’m not sure how ethical that would be? But thought I’d show you what one large web design agency in Sydney has under their hood if you disable javascript in your browser.

If you view into this you’ll be able to read about how good they are at web design and how they are the number one professional agency in Sydney – really???

These people have used this method of “SEO” on at least one of their clients. Shame, shame, shame on you.

I am pleased to see they no longer take up valuable search engine results.

Have you seen an sneaky SEO cheaters lately?

(the Found Agency don’t count – whilst their inbound links were sneaky, they weren’t actually cheating.)