Below is the email newsletter sent to all of our clients on 18 October, 2013.

Hello Recipient,

It's been a month already and we're excited to be releasing our second newsletter!

In this Issue

• Dodgy SEO Providers
• Managing Website Content from an SEO Perspective
• 10% Discount on ICE Implementation

Dodgy SEO Providers

Yes, they are out there! A number of our clients have been approached in recent months by companies offering SEO services and promising amazing results.

Often the benefits these guys guarantee seem almost too good to be true. Usually, it's because they are.

Bad SEO Can Hurt Your Google Rankings

There are a wide range of SEO "tricks" available to those wanting to attempt to thwart Google's algorithms that control SERP (Search Engine Results Page) ranking.

Bad SEO practices can seriously hurt your Google rankings

While some of these practices can and do achieve significant results in the short term, Google specifically forbids their use and is dedicated to identifying and penalising sites that employ them.

A Real Life SEO Horror Story

Thankfully, most of our clients contacted us with regard to the SEO services they had been offered and we were able to provide advice and guidance and ultimately prevent some disastrous SEO work.

"Disastrous?" you ask. "Isn't that a little over the top?"

Well, that depends. How much do you value your Google rankings?

Unfortunately, one client who didn't consult us before taking action has found out the hard way that bad SEO can have serious long term consequences.

Their website, which ironically was already ranking on page 1 of Google for relevant search terms, plummeted in SERP rankings after the rogue SEO-er was granted admin access and implemented a number of "dodgy" SEO tactics, disappearing entirely off the first 20 pages of Google Search Results.

Let indie.web Handle Your SEO

We have been offering SEO Services to our clients since our inception and have an excellent success rate.

We are committed to doing SEO the right way and adhere to Google's Quality Guidelines at all times.

Please contact us if you are approached by another outfit offering SEO services, especially if they claim or offer any of the following:

• Guaranteed page rank of X
• Top Ranking in X time
• 100’s or 1000’s of links to your site
• Duplicate sites (more visibility on Google)
• Free trial services

Any of the above are almost definitely indicators of dodgy SEO practice.

Obviously we prefer to keep SEO in-house, but if you are looking to weigh up several SEO alternatives, we have a number of trusted SEO partners to whom we are happy to refer you.

Website Tips

Written Content and SEO

Do you make regular additions and changes to your website content? Google loves fresh content, but it’s important to bear in mind that the nature of website content is one of the primary factors affecting SERP (Search Engine Results Page) rankings.

Learn more...

Business Catalyst Update

10% Discount on ICE Implementation

Some of our clients responded to our previous newsletter and have implemented Business Catalyst’s ICE (InContext Editing) platform.

We offered those clients a low fixed price for implementation in return for their support.

The feedback to date has been very positive so we’re extending the invitation again and offering a 10% discount on our usual hourly rate for the first 5 clients who request ICE implementation.

Want to know more about InContext Editing? Check out our article on InContext Editing.

Next Month

• Reducing Web Form Spam
• BC's Media Download Module
• Google Apps Integration