A stainless steel suspension component such as a mount plate is chemically activated by exposure to an activating solution. Gold is then spot plated onto the mount plate in the activated area using an elastomeric mask that is clamped over the mount plate. A component may then be bonded to the gold bond pads. The component may include a PZT microactuator bonded to the gold bond pads using a conductive adhesive such as silver epoxy. The gold acts as an interface metal that provides to a low resistance and environmentally robust ground path for the microactuator.