WHAT IS HACKING?
Hacking is when someone or something gets unauthorized access into a system. Hacking is very common and happens all over the world to websites and computer systems. Hackers do this to cause damage or to attempt to get valuable information.
WHAT IS SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION?
Search engine optimization is the website’s position in the search engines based on keywords and quality relevance of the website to the searcher’s query. The higher the website is in rankings, the more traffic it receives.
HOW CAN HACKING HARM SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION?
Hacking can significantly harm search engine optimization in a variety of ways. When websites are hacked, they often inject code into plugins and on the website that cause it to show the wording “This website may have been hacked” in search engines like Google. If a website has had this happen before, it is possible the hackers tried to steal the personal information of their customers. If this wording shows up in Google, it deters a visitor from going to the site.
A second way hacking can harm the SEO of a website is by spamming your blog with posts that are off topic and have links that lead back to their site. Companies that may have local clients and handle food wouldn’t normally write about essay papers.
There is a group of hackers who have built bots that crack the code to passwords where the user name is “admin.” They are able to login and post blog posts about essay papers to point back to one of their sites. They also change the image names and can even wipe out the already placed SEO on each page.
This affects the ranking of the keywords for the site and, ultimately, brings the site’s traffic down. It’s best to keep your website secure.
EXAMPLES OF HACKING:
Redirecting
The most common form of hacking is when hackers inject a malicious code to your website that redirects visitors to malicious websites. These malicious websites could try to gain access to your computer or inject a virus into your computer system.
Hidden Content
Hidden content is produced by hackers that add hidden content to your website. The hidden content may be difficult for you to notice. The hidden content will show up on search engine results but you may not notice the hidden content results.
Added Webpages
Added webpages can be relatively easy for a hacker to produce. All it takes is a security flaw for these hackers to be successful. Hackers will add webpages to your website which may consist of harmful content.
Injected Content
Injected content is when a hacker will attempt to place malicious content on your existing webpages using JavaScript.
WHAT DO I DO IF MY WEBSITE HAS BEEN HACKED?
First, you need to contact your web hosting company and let them know about what is going on.
After you contact the web hosting company, you will need to secure your website. After you secure your website, you can now begin to investigate how the hackers gained access and remove the malicious content.
After you have completed these steps, you need to keep your website secure and contact search engines to reconsider your website.
If you would like to receive a free website audit to see how we can improve your ranking and search engine optimization, please contact us for your proposal.
