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What is bait and switch SEO? How does it work? And why should you care? If you’re not sure what those terms mean, don’t worry – you’re about to find out. In this post, we’ll break down everything you need to know about bait and switch SEO so that you can protect your website from being penalized by Google. We’ll also show you some examples of how this shady technique can hurt your business. So let’s get started!
What is bait and switch SEO?
Bait and switch SEO is a black hat technique that tricks search engines into thinking that a website is more relevant than it actually is. This is done by creating fake pages or content, known as “bait,” that is designed to rank well in search results. When people click on the bait, they are “switched” to a different page that has little or no relevancy to what they were looking for.
How does bait and switch SEO work?
The goal of bait and switch SEO is to get users to click on a result in the search engine results pages (SERPs), even though the destination page isn’t really relevant to their query. To do this, webmasters will create fake pages, or “bait,” that is designed to rank well for a particular keyword. When people click on the bait, they are redirected to a different page, known as the “switch.” This switch page is usually either irrelevant to the user’s query or is a low-quality page that is full of advertising.
Examples of bait and switch SEO
One common example of bait and switch SEO is when a webmaster creates a fake page with content that is relevant to a popular search query. For instance, let’s say someone searches for “how to change a tire.” The webmaster creates a page with the title “How to Change a Tire in 5 Easy Steps” and includes a few tips on how to do it. However, when the user clicks on the result, they are redirected to a page that is full of ads for tire-changing services.
Another example of bait and switch SEO is when a webmaster creates a page with content that is not relevant to the user’s query, but is designed to rank well for a particular keyword. For instance, let’s say someone searches for “hotels in New York City.” The webmaster creates a page with the title “10 Best Hotels in New York City” and includes a list of hotels. However, when the user clicks on the result, they are redirected to a page that is full of ads for hotels in other cities.
Conclusion
Bait and switch SEO is a black hat technique that can hurt your business by tricking search engines into thinking that your website is more relevant than it actually is. This is done by creating fake pages or content, known as “bait,” that is designed to rank well in search results. When people click on the bait, they are “switched” to a different page that has little or no relevancy to what they were looking for. If you think your website might be a victim of bait and switch SEO, contact a professional SEO company for help.
Jamie Fallon is an SEO expert who lives life to the maximum, redlining every day on a rollercoaster straight to the grave.
In an SEO career of almost ten years, he’s seen it all, he’s done it all, and he’s not impressed: from white text on a white background to today, when you can have robots paint or write for you like some kind of sick science fiction come true.
No matter what life throws at him, Jamie always manages to come out on top. He’s an expert at seeing the silver lining in every cloud and making the best of every situation. His positive attitude and unshakable faith in himself have seen him through tough times. For some people, success goes to their heads; but Jamie never forgets what got him to wherever he thinks he is.
When he’s not busy gaming the system, you can find him writing angry thinkpieces on how Google is ruining everything good about the internet, or hanging out with his wife (pictured).
