Negative SEO To Save One’s Reputation

Writing by Nick Stamoulis Tweet

Negative SEO is back in the news again. I found the following paragraph on the Marketing Pilgrim blog this afternoon:

This begs the moral question here too — who is right and who is wrong? What is misinformation and what is not? Is it right to force others down in search engine rankings because you do not agree with their stance or believe they are incorrect?

This time, instead of sabotaging the reputation of others, we’re talking about managing one’s own reputation online. Is it ethical to fight back? Can you use “Negative SEO” to others’ negative comments about your business lower in the search engine rankings?

I definitely think there is an ethical issue when you post comments on other businesses just to push them down in the rankings because the motivation isn’t to set something right but to engage in predatory practices and that’s both illegal and unethical in the offline world. This isn’t a freedom of speech issue. It’s a commercial issue and you can’t just say anything you want about someone else without some accountability. If what you say is true about them then you should try to resolve your issue with the company first. If unsuccessful, then maybe you should report them to their ISP, if they are engaging in unethical behavior.

But the issue addressed by the Washington Post was not about attacking others online as it was about defending oneself online when someone does attack you.

(Source) At the height of the cyber-abuse, Sue Scheff, a consultant to parents of troubled teens, would type her name in a Google search box and brace herself: Up would pop page after page of attack postings.

Sue Scheff is destroying lives. She is a con. She takes kickbacks. She is the biggest fraud there ever was.

So how do you respond when you are the subject of attacks online? Should you fight back? Should you engage in SEO to push those negative contents down in the search engine rankings?