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Spam, Scam, and Search Engines
by Karyn Zoldan, Bridge Marketing
Deni Mosser shared this information with me and I thought I would pass it along to you.
About once a week I get e-mail from Christine Hall (or some other nondescript female name) of Traffic Magnet telling me that my site is not
listed highly in the search engines. I beg to differ. My site is on the first page of Google for several search terms. For just $19.95 a month, Hall's company can list me in 300,000 search engines and
directories.
Deni Mosser did a little investigation on Traffic Magnet and their ten NetBlock servers coming out of China. Their domain
trafficmagnet.com is registered in Tortola.
Their site has NO phone number listed (only fax numbers)...
They list offices in San Jose and Singapore but again, they don't list a phone number - - therefore I'm skeptical if there are offices at
those addresses.
They're not using a secure server on their sign up page, despite the site's claim on "credit card safety".
And they charge your credit card for three months at a time...something not clearly posted on their Web site or the
spamvertisement.
If you receive any e-mail from Christine Hall (or anyone else at TrafficMagnet), do not send any money. Just delete it or better
yet, (show all headers) and forward to the spam department of the United States Federal Trade Commission at uce@ftc.gov (with the word "SPAM" on the subject line).
Valid Search Engine Optimization
Bridge
Marketing does not object to valid SEO (search engine optimization) businesses.
Frequently we receive queries from our customers wanting to know if they should sign up for Traffic Magnet. Whether or not there are even 300,000 search engines and directories is another concern. Many are FFA (free-for-all) and what that does is generate more spam than not. Entering your e-mail address or URL in a FFA is just as egregious as driving naked in a convertible during rush hour traffic. Both are bound to get you in big trouble and are lose-lose propositions. (Although with the latter you might at least get 15 minutes of fame on the nightly news before hiring a lawyer.)
If it sounds too good to be true—it probably is. Never give you credit card information to any site that does not offer a phone
number. Pick up the phone and call to verify what you hear on the other end before paying. A secure server site is usually verifiable by seeing "https" in the browser window.
Here are ways to get listed in the search engines:
Your site should be search engine optimized for content especially keywords. (Bridge Marketing can do this!)
Pay-per-click (PPC) search engines like Overture.com are a great way to get listed for pennies a day. (Bridge Marketing can do this!)
For a reputable list of experts, check SEOconsultants.com.
Click to visit these sites:
www.mosserdesign.net
www.overture.com
www.seoconsultants.com
Spam, Scam and Search Engines © BridgeMarketing.com 2002
Karyn Zoldan is owner of www.bridgemarketing.com. Does your business need effective,
search engine optimized web content or an e-syndicated columnist with attitude? That's our specialty.
Did you enjoy this article? Do you think others or your site/e-newsletter can benefit from posting it? It's available for
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