Ben Austin and SEO Positive – What are you doing????
OK I am fed up with other agencies using bad practice and shortcuts, time and again we are targeted by other so called leading UK agencies but this time I am going to highlight just one of many issues.
Now this is late on a Friday so I may tidy this up more on Monday morning but I need to get it off my chest now!!!!!!!!!!
SEO Positive
This is their strapline taken from their Google listing -
Ethical SEO therefore includes scraping complete pages of content from websites that are completely unaware that their copyright has been infringed and that this practice could dump them out of Google for tripping duplication filters or even mirror site rules as laid out by Google themselves.
So what am I talking about?
Here is a client of ours who has sat at the top of search for 3 years, the website is for wedding car hire and the company is AA Executive a bonafide and very hard working business with a great reputation.
This is a snapshot of the AA Executive
homepage that uses a design and copy that has been in place for a long time-
Here is a clone of that site which not only has direct links to SEO Positive using the anchor text SEO in the footer but also has links to really spammy directories -
Ok so here we have the domain name www.easyweddingcarhire.co.uk that has completely copied the content from AA Executive used a crappy image to create some branding, they even forgot to remove all the text links to AA Executive from the page copy LOL.
Here we have the Whois info for the domain name easyweddingcarhire.co.uk and the registrant Ben Austin the founder of SEO Positive -
This is the DNS record for SEO Positive – Note also the same resolution.
Here is also a snapshot of Ben Austin the founder of SEO Positive with his blurb about the company on Top SEO’s, further down in that blurb he says that SEO Positive are updated with up to the minute essential information, it also says that their extensive knowledge of the search industry is gained from continuous research…… I think he forgot to talk about the scraping of copyright material being posted to domain names and then used for link popularity to artificially boost rankings for clients.
This amazing knowledge means that they can position websites in search by using a linking process that is completely contrary to Googles guidelines and I am sure if their clients knew they were at risk they may be a little unhappy.
Here is the final part, the google listing showing both websites side by side….
As I said I am completely sick to death of these agencies bringing our industry into disrepute and from now on I am going to out every one I find, SEO Positive claim to be one of the best in the country, lets see how good they are once their dodgy link network is taken apart and all these websites that have stolen content that are used in the web link ring are removed!!!!!
This is just one of many we have found and a complete dossier will be off to the Matt Cutts hotline Monday morning.
———————————————- UPDATE ——————————————————–
Ben Posted here this morning blaming a trainee!! and a rogue design!!!
Here is a shot of the footer embedded in another domain that is used in this link ring and this shows the link to the weddingcarhire.co.uk domain, looks like the designer was responsible for creating and implementing this dodgy link practice as well as the scraping of content.
Amazing how much power a trainee has!!
This is Advanced-finance.co.uk where these links live, there are many other domains used like this too.
I have to say this is typical of the industry, my site suffered after it was copied lots of times and all my content was robbed, now I struggle in search, if SEO Positive are doing this they should be ashamed!!
In my view, whatever we can all do to ‘out’ bad practice is good news for the industry – way to go Shaun!
B
They look quite active ‘advising’ over at UK Business Forums with over 200 posts
I wasn’t going to comment on here, and have stopped myself a few times, however I would like to have a little say.
Here goes.
With regards to the scraping of sites.
I took on a local designer (Essex) Yes, I am just down the road from High Position, so I would like there to be healthy competition, than a sour taste in anyone’s mouth. Anyway the designer was a trainee, and being a young company ourselves, our inexperience allowed out new (at the time) designer to show us what he cn do on a few sites.
Unfortunately, none of them were very appealing, and I could have done a better job myself (he only lasted about 2 weeks at SEO Positive Ltd).
With regards to the scraping being there still. I can only apologies, and put my hands up that I have in neglect not noticed that this site had been scraped, or was still up, as it was just a test domain, no needed for anything else, or currently being used. So – Sorry for my neglect, and lack of control of the site content, however I was not looking for any tricks in it, only looking at the design (which was poor). Don’t suppose you guys want to employ him, he he.
If the site in question has been harmed in any way, I am willing to speak to High Position to see if there is any way in which I can make up for this.
With regards to our company. I believe that we are a reputable and ethical SEO company with plenty of happy customers, with Lots of positions for our clients, and many testimonials.
I am more than happy to speak to Shaun Parker if you would like to talk about this matter, and moving forward.
Ben.
Hi Ben,
Thank you for your post.
I am afraid that I do not accept your reasoning, there is no way that site was a design example put together by your guy because it was completely ripped from our site using an industry specific name targeting the content and keywords of my client.
There is no design to it other than a badly formatted picture, if this was just a design example then there would be no need to buy a keyword rich styled domain and post wedding car hire content to it – Where is the design example??
You would of been better off putting your hands up and accepting it was a dodgy practice that you don’t agree with as that is more believable.
In addition all the inbound links to the easyweddingcarhire.co.uk domain are from like minded websites such as – advanced-finance.co.uk/debt-management.html and if you visit that page and others and then use the expand function at the foot of the page you will see the links to easyweddingcarhire.co.uk so this is a choreographed exercise and part of a wider strategy deployed by you.
Even the show hide function is very familiar
so sorry I don’t accept one bit that this was just a rogue design otherwise you would not be using it so much in your link popularity campaign both on that domain and others.
Perhaps you can come back here and post something sensible and honest about this.
That is such a lame excuse SEO Positive lol
Blame a ficticious ex employee, that sucks.
GP – from a leading competitor.
This sounds remarkably like the recent debarcle that Just Search served up last week.
What is going on with UK seo companies at the moment. Where are the decent ones?
With two recent examples of very bad practice getting wide publicity (Just Search & SEO Positive), the debate can only serve to enhance the reputation of our industry. For too long, some rogue agencies have been able to charge the earth and deliver very little for their clients and get away with it. The faster we name and shame those culpible and rid the industry of these ‘rogue traders’, the better. Our industry has little regulation at the moment and those who choose to capitalise on this for their own (or their agencies) gain have no place in it.
Interesting Discussion.
seo company
Well I tried debt consolidation loans but only ever got me into worse debt. I opted for a debt management plan, 1 payment 1 worry. I think someone on here advised me to do so, anyway never looked back. I’ll be debt free in 4 years, my life back in my control.
SomeThat’s quality info thx. Any one heard anything about a reliable SEO company that won’t rip you off?? I have got so much SEO to be done and no where near enough time… Time to outsource!
Yes you could try these new guys – heard they are very good!! http://www.seo-essex.net
Have you ever considered adding more videos to your blog posts to keep the readers more entertained? I mean I just read through the entire article of yours and it was quite good but since I’m more of a visual learner,I found that to be more helpful. glad you outed Ben Austin too, that is a very dodgy technique he was using, has he stopped??
Just my my idea, Good luck