As a home business owner you know that a website is a must if you have any hope whatsoever of competing in today's global marketplace. Add to this the knowledge that no website is effective unless it consistently and continuously like cream rises to the top in the search engine ranking, and it is not at all surprising to learn that some entrepreneurs are engaging in practices that are borderline illegal.



Destroying your home business' reputation by spamdexing is one very real way of skirting the rules of search engine optimization and having it blow up in your face. Any webmaster – and many a home business owner also doubles as the business' webmaster – knows that the magic world of search engine ranking is search engine optimization and the articles written on this subject are legion. The truth of the matter dictates that unless your website makes it to the top10 or 20 of MSN, Google and also Yahoo, you might as well not exist.

It is interesting to note that spamdexing most commonly is not intentionally done by the home business owner but instead happens when she or he outsourcers website development and maintenance, and perhaps even hires another entrepreneur to deal with the issue of search engine optimization. A lucrative business for many a search engine insider and Internet junkie, those who make a living off website rankings know that payment is commensurate with results, and some have found that streamlining a process of less than ethical methods translates into more business – faster.

In simplest terms, spamdexing refers to the method of increasing search engine rankings by manipulating the site relevancy and META tags with keywords which do not necessarily pertain to your home business, but instead may be some of the most sought after words on a given search engine that week. Usually this is seen in the less than reputable affiliate marketing sites that peddle diet pills, but legitimate home businesses are now also falling victim to this form of advertising in that it guarantees a short-lived presence at the top of the search engines.

Before long, search engine will receive a deluge of complaints about your website and your business. At issue will be the notion that even though you are selling widgets, your site keeps popping up when a user searches for the latest celebrity video (which has nothing to do with your business) and eventually your site will be banned from the search engine. In addition to this damage, you will also contend with the fact that your home business' name is now associated with shady Internet dealings and the next time a consumer is in search for widgets and your site pops up, she or he might remember you and move on to the competition.

Avoid destroying your home business' reputation by spamdexing! Carefully screen the companies who offer to elevate your website's rankings, insist on contractual language that specifically excludes spamdexing, and if you do your own website design, stay away from such questionable practices – even if they are suggested in one of the many online tutorials on how to maximize your search engine rankings.