The Dangers of Unethical Online Advertising

In a medium as fast as Online Advertising, getting results in a short time always seems to be a good idea. But the question, which is often forgotten in the rush, is “What techniques am I using to power my race to the successful results?” The crazy competition in the online markets and higher managements, that very often do not understand the natty-gritty of Online Advertising, turn a blind eye to the pitfalls that wait in the path of Unethical Online Advertising. The results are performance graphs of fast rises followed by faster falls.

In order to avoid a decay that is faster than the blooming, let us start with the first fact of modern Online Advertising: “It is a conversation between the brand and the consumer and not a one way announcement”. The platform of Online Advertising has snatched away the trumpet from the advertisers and replaced it with a communication device. The priorities have changed and it no longer works just to shout, “I am the best” with the highest volume (well, everybody says that, so what’s new about it?). The focus is to make the consumers and users say, “You are the best”. Creating a strong brand value has become a top agenda for Online Advertising Agencies. The way to do it is Online Reputation Management. Unethical Online Advertising techniques, when discovered, not only lead to penalties by the search engines but also lead to the Online Reputation of the brand taking a hit. Google had made its intentions amply clear when it introduced search results based on preferences. There was a distinct leaning towards intention based search results rather than simple keyword based results. Brands which carried on with unethical practices were soon penalized. A recent case, where a top brand was penalized with lowering of ranks for Unnatural Link Building showed that, no matter how big your brand is, following unnatural means to attain quick success will land you in an uncomfortable spot. The discomfort of the spot can be measured with the percentage by which the shares of the brand drop once the unethical means are discovered.

The undesirable effects of Unethical Online Advertising prove that the saying, “Slow and steady wins the race” holds true even for a medium characterized by the speed at which it functions. The Top Online Advertising Agencies unanimously agree that it is better to wait for some time before the results start showing than taking the quick path littered with the risks of unethical means. The question is, “Are the brands ready to show that patience?”