GoMo has been hit with a bizarre SEO request

Rating: Does iProspect’s client, CSL Sofas, know about this?

GoMobile News has been hit with a bizarre SEO request from a London based ‘digital performance marketing specialist’ – iPospect. One of their specialists, Sam Barker, has emailed us to request the removal of eleven URLs. What is worrying is that iProspect claims to be a specialist in the mobile marketing sector, too. The reason for the request is that the software which GoMobile News utilises to publish our site – WordPress, generates additional URLs autotmatically. It’s not like were deliberately creating multiple URls. The story which iProspect is complaining about here is one concerning the use of AR within an iPhone app by a company called CSL Sofas. Oh dear, we’ve probably done it again and created multiple links to iProspects’ client. One thing is certain. We’re never, ever going to buy a sofa from CSL Sofas.This is what Sam Barker said initially. “I am writing to request removal of a number of links from your site which point back to the http://www.csl-sofas.co.uk domain.”

Barker continues, “Currently, your site links to CSL eleven times*. It has come to our attention that linking to the CSL site multiple times is damaging to the site’s profile, and could be harming the site’s ability to rank and be indexed by Google.”

There specialist also suggested that, “linking only one time does not contravene Google’s Webmaster guidelines.”

Now, initially we though that iProspect was confused and was counting links this site has made to CSL, the Hong Kong based mobile network operator.

We also suggested that if linking multiple times to a particular site could damage a site’s ranking with Google, then Facebook is going to be in deep, deep trouble.

But , No. Barker replied to us pointing out that we did indeed use CSL Sofa’s URL http://www.csl-sofas.co.uk on 13 occasions.

This situation is very strange indeed because WordPress is probably one of the most popular web site publishing systems there is.

We generated the extra URLs by placing the story in various categories and by using multiple tags.

Surely that is common practice? So iProspect is effectively demanding that we change our site publishing software to avoid creating multiple links.

This is what iProspect says about itself. It, “creates customised and integrated digital marketing programs that drive dramatic and measurable business results.

We understand the customer and their mindset, and we work to engage them.

Ultimately, we create experiences that transform intent into action and drive conversions. And we’ve been doing exactly that since 1996.”

Funnily enough we’ve been using WordPress since January 2008 and this is the first time we’ve encountered such a request.

iProspect claims to have mobile experts can help clients identify how their content should be prioritised for a mobile site; consult on content and site layout; and implement mobile-specific SEO strategies to elevate their sites in organic rankings.

Additionally it says iProspect’s dedicated team of mobile marketing experts are knowledgeable about the various strategies and optimisations necessary to reap all the benefits mobile PPC has to offer.

All we can say is that last time we looked, good marketing wasn’t just about ensuring a web site had tidy code.

*It was actually 13 times before we published this story.