Companies looking to raise their online profile and appear in more search results should ensure that they label content on their web sites correctly, according to experts.

Search engine optimization (SEO) can be a tricky task for companies unused to its demands. Many SEO professionals and firms work simultaneously on raising their page rank on Google and other search engines, frequently in the same business sector. Thus, experts say that web content should be planned from the ground up with a view to positive SEO.

However, some unethical individuals and companies practice keyword stuffing, cramming clouds of popular keywords onto unrelated websites. While this may seem like a quick and easy way to boost a web site’s search ranking, the site SEO Consult points out that the major search engines de-list pages that contain stuffed keywords, increasingly employing automated techniques and human inspectors to search out illegitimate search results.

Additionally, "black-hat" search engine optimization (SEO) techniques can hurt a company’s public persona, making it less likely that consumers will transact business on that web site.

Katherine Griwert is Brafton's Marketing Director. She's practiced content marketing, SEO and social marketing for over five years, and her enthusiasm for new media has even deeper roots. Katherine holds a degree in American Studies from Boston College, and her writing is featured in a number of web publications.