Moderate Islamic groups are to be coached by Britain’s Office of Security and Counter-Terrorism. The plans afoot are for moderate Islamic groups to increase the Google rankings of their websites in order to promote a positive voice in the Muslim community, rather than one of terrorism and anti-UK behaviour.
The Register, a British online investigative paper, reports that this move aims to eliminate radicalization on the Internet. Through using SEO strategies and techniques, websites that deserve more recognition for their moderate Islamic beliefs will be optimised and bumped up the search engine rankings so that Internet users will be more likely to visit these websites first as opposed to clicking on the radical ones.
As any Internet expert will tell you, using SEO to optimise your website is crucial if you want to get to the top of the rankings and drive traffic to your site, so many believe that this online marketing method will have a positive outcome on the fight against radical and extremist websites promoting terrorism.
Jacqui Smith, Home Secretary, has already elaborated on the proposed plans and it is clear that this move is praised by those that see the Internet as a dangerous portal for vulnerable young Muslims considering a move to extremism.
However, some questions have been raised as to the feasibility of the proposed SEO strategies for combating terrorism. Diverting young Muslims to the “moderate” websites is only a hope; it is not guaranteed, and some might argue that those serious about finding extreme Islamic practices will find the information they need sooner or later anyway.
Still, something is better than nothing, and it is felt by many that this planned SEO move might just help even a little bit. The power of SEO is undeniable and it is a genuine, positive way to secure better rankings for websites. This is a strategy that will take time to implement and gaining top rankings for moderate Islamic websites will not be an overnight process, but it is clear that the Government is aware of what a powerful medium the Internet is and how they can use it in a positive way.
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