Chances are most marketers who have worked at all in the Internet age have made some mistakes when it comes to search engine optimization. This isn’t an unforgiveable offense, as the SEO landscape is ever changing, which means there are plenty of pitfalls. The purpose of this humble document is to shed some light on the more common and sinful SEO errors out there and ensure marketers never make them again. So in the interests of promoting SEO best practices that can help websites to flourish, here is precisely what not to do.
Keyword stuffing
Google has had three (count ‘emthree) updates within the last few years geared specifically at eliminating keyword-stuffed junk content. And there are bound to be more. Those advertisers who think they can continue to game Google with this shameful behavior are akin to casino card cheats who think they can work the Vegas blackjack tables with impunity. Everyone gets caught eventually, and it’s doubly true in this instance because Google is bigger than any casino on the Strip. The focus now is on natural, free-flowing content that is, above all else, useful to the reader. That means answering organic queries instead of repeating words and phrases ad nauseam in content no one has any interest in reading.
Duplicate content on multiple pages
Many larger ecommerce sites often unwittingly commit this SEO flub. That’s because it’s very easy to overlook and it can do big damage in terms of traffic. It usually occurs when the site has the same products and info on different pages. In these instances search engines don’t know which page to include in their indexes or where the links should go. Needless to say, this can quickly lower a site’s rankings. An easy fix is to implement a 301 redirect of all lesser pages to the main page.
Lazy tagging
There’s little sense in crafting an SEO strategy if the website in question is going to use the same title tags on every page. These tags act as introductions to Google’s crawlers, so those who want their page to be indexed properly need to ensure that introduction is appropriate. That means creating unique title tags based on the content of the page. Also, it’s crucial not to underestimate the power of meta descriptions. If the tags are an introduction to crawlers, then the meta description is the door-to-door sales pitch. And marketers who don’t want that door slammed in their face should make the most out of their 160-character limit.
Mistaking “viral” for valuable
Social is one of the main pillars of online marketing, but so is search engine optimization. Having a bunch of Facebook likes, retweets, or a popular video on a clip site is certainly helpful, but without solid SEO underpinning the content it is all but useless. That means all shareable content needs to drive traffic right back to the website in question via targeted words in the page’s HTML source. Videos need to contain links so viewers not only see it but click on it as well.
Not gathering data
Tracking keyword success is one integral component of successful SEO, but just as vital is tracking the competition. That means it’s necessary to check daily rankings reports, YouTube clip performances, engagement data, content comments and compare inbound link stats to those of the competition.
These are just a few mistakes to avoid when crafting a solid SEO plan. Those who want to further increase their rankings can find some useful free tools here.
Keyword stuffing
Google has had three (count ‘emthree) updates within the last few years geared specifically at eliminating keyword-stuffed junk content. And there are bound to be more. Those advertisers who think they can continue to game Google with this shameful behavior are akin to casino card cheats who think they can work the Vegas blackjack tables with impunity. Everyone gets caught eventually, and it’s doubly true in this instance because Google is bigger than any casino on the Strip. The focus now is on natural, free-flowing content that is, above all else, useful to the reader. That means answering organic queries instead of repeating words and phrases ad nauseam in content no one has any interest in reading.
Many larger ecommerce sites often unwittingly commit this SEO flub. That’s because it’s very easy to overlook and it can do big damage in terms of traffic. It usually occurs when the site has the same products and info on different pages. In these instances search engines don’t know which page to include in their indexes or where the links should go. Needless to say, this can quickly lower a site’s rankings. An easy fix is to implement a 301 redirect of all lesser pages to the main page.
Lazy tagging
There’s little sense in crafting an SEO strategy if the website in question is going to use the same title tags on every page. These tags act as introductions to Google’s crawlers, so those who want their page to be indexed properly need to ensure that introduction is appropriate. That means creating unique title tags based on the content of the page. Also, it’s crucial not to underestimate the power of meta descriptions. If the tags are an introduction to crawlers, then the meta description is the door-to-door sales pitch. And marketers who don’t want that door slammed in their face should make the most out of their 160-character limit.
Mistaking “viral” for valuable
Social is one of the main pillars of online marketing, but so is search engine optimization. Having a bunch of Facebook likes, retweets, or a popular video on a clip site is certainly helpful, but without solid SEO underpinning the content it is all but useless. That means all shareable content needs to drive traffic right back to the website in question via targeted words in the page’s HTML source. Videos need to contain links so viewers not only see it but click on it as well.
Not gathering data
Tracking keyword success is one integral component of successful SEO, but just as vital is tracking the competition. That means it’s necessary to check daily rankings reports, YouTube clip performances, engagement data, content comments and compare inbound link stats to those of the competition.
These are just a few mistakes to avoid when crafting a solid SEO plan. Those who want to further increase their rankings can find some useful free tools here.
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