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It’s not hard to see why more and more people are entering the world of digital marketing. With a roof of profitable careers to choose from in one of the Britain’s largest growth industriesEveryone wants to be one step ahead.

However, as a marketer and big ecommerce enthusiast, I feel it is important to address some of the misleading practices that are spread there.

The problem with digital marketing isn’t digital marketing itself. Instead, it’s about a few digital marketing strategies that are made into shortcuts – if they are anything but.

While some of these practices may have been effective in the past and have had short results, they could seriously damage a brand’s reputation in the long run. Especially now when the Google algorithm is smarter than ever.

The worst part? You may be applying some of these techniques to your business without realizing it.

So how can you avoid reproducing such tactics and compromising your company’s online presence?

In a moment, you are about to discover the most common issues that are repeated many times in the digital marketing arena, including:

• A short term mindset
• Shady exercises (which could affect your positioning)
• Lack of professionalism
• Hacks, tricks, and everything in between

Read on if you want to grow your business and maintain a squeaky clean reputation online.

A short term mindset

Everyone wants to see the fruits of their efforts as early as possible. But short-term mindsets can destroy the big picture.

Sure, there are certain instances when a short-term focus could be useful. For example, in strategies like pay-per-click (PPC) ads, marketers can see an instant increase in traffic. The mistake lies in sticking PPC forever and spending thousands of dollars on ads to no avail.

Here’s the truth: some of the most effective strategies take months to years before you can finally say, “We did it.” And that’s a reason to celebrate.

For example, it takes 4 to 6 months to show accurate SEO results because ranking on Google is not as easy today as it was two decades ago. In addition, organic traffic will of course take longer.

The same applies to the ROI. Some marketers focus so much on immediate metrics that they forget about it Measure the long-term ROI. This is inappropriate in some cases, e.g. For example, when trying to track results before a sales cycle is complete. If you do this, you won’t be collecting accurate ROI metrics.

Typically, the B2B sales cycle is around 3 to 9 months. However, the timeframe depends on the products sold, the focus of the campaign, as well as the specific business objectives. See how it’s not an all-purpose approach?

For example, if your company’s focus is on generating brand awareness and customer loyalty, an extended marketing strategy is the only way to achieve those goals. If you try to track campaign results too soon, you won’t get accurate figures and could potentially affect your conversions.

Shady SEO Practices

Also known as B.lacks SEO practicesThese quick strategies have turned marketers into dirty dollars in the past and caused a buzz in the digital world.

In a nutshell, Black Hat SEO does not help your website ranking and may prohibit it from search engines.

Trying to make a quick version on Google in 2021 is the same as trying to penalize your website. But of course, marketers who are just starting out may not realize the dangers of black hat approaches.

Be careful with “ranking” techniques such as:

• Place hidden links or text on a page to add more keywords.
• Irrelevant keyword placement for ranking purposes.
• Unrelated guest blogging to get backlinks.
• Link buying and selling as a further backlink connection.

These tactics no longer work like they used to and can take months off your SEO efforts.

Lack of professionalism

There are digital marketers and then there are dabblers.

While a digital marketer doesn’t necessarily need formal training in the field, a true marketer will immerse herself in concepts and data for months or years before calling herself a professional employee. She’s not just repeating what she’s learned from someone else.

What is sad is that a lot of people can’t tell the difference. An external expert could be someone who reveals quick tips and tricks that he has seen on the Internet and gains visibility from them.

No dabbler? Prove it! Provide your customers with case studies, testimonials, qualifications, certificates. Anything you can do to show them your work is legitimate. By addressing your expertise on a dedicated “About” page, you will increase your reputation accordingly Google’s EAT Guidelines (expertise, authority and trustworthiness).

While there is no shortage of digital marketing jobs, that doesn’t mean there is something for everyone.

Hacks, tricks, and everything in between

“Hacks” are not to be confused with growth hacking. We’re talking about hacks that may have worked in the past or may never have worked to begin with.

I also mean tricks that some professionals know that their inexperienced readers won’t notice. While Black Hat SEO tactics fit here, there’s more to where these came from.

• Misleading and clickbait headlines such as “Become a Marketer in 7 Days”. These are great for getting attention, but can result in low click-through rates (CTR). Not to mention, this is the same as fooling your readers.

• Bad, lean content, stuffed to the brim with keywords (also known as keyword stuffing). High quality content should answer readers’ doubts, preferably in depth. Search engines know better than to rate poorly written pages.

• Spam emails. Because someone read somewhere that sending multiple emails increases the likelihood that subscribers will see them. There’s a word for that: spam.

Trust me, there are all kinds of fraudulent tactics and people out there these days.

While it is 100% possible to improve any marketing strategy in the short term, people promise results they can’t deliver in order to earn clicks, views, and subscribers. And unfortunately, unsuspecting brands can fall for it and waste their hard-earned money.

Ultimately, success in digital marketing is a direct result of your help.

Author: Matt Janaway

Follow @mjanaway

Matt Janaway is a successful digital marketer and entrepreneur based in Nottingham, UK. He started his digital career during the e-commerce boom in mid-2000 with the development of more than 10 ecommerce stores that had great success with a successful and evolving SEO formula. Matt is now CEO of Marketing Labs, one … Show complete profile >