Pete Meyers defines "negative SEO," and then tells us how to identify the signs. Identifying the wrong signs can become an even bigger problem -- so he suggests several tools, such as Open Site Explorer, and Majestic SEO, that can help. He explains that Google analyzes a site's entire pattern and history of links. If the site has generally high-quality links, it's more difficult for others to damage the site's reputation with short-term attacks.