Using old SEO techniques can do more harm than good!
SEO Techniques to Avoid Using in 2015:
- Article spinning – Article spinning is a method where previously written content is rewritten or “spun” using automated methods. Spun content is like a red flag to a bull with Google and high on Google’s list of don’ts.
- Buying Links – Link building was once the most commonly used technique to get your site to the top of Google. It was so popular that webmasters developed tools to automatically manage the process. Link building software places thousands of links across the web which all point back to your website. Although Google’s terms of service explicitly prohibits buying links, back-linking is still an important part of SEO. That said, Google only wants to see natural links from websites related to your niche. Paying for one link or thousands of them, it’s still a practice that is highly frowned upon by Google and should be avoided.
- Buying social fans – The explosion of social media has had an undeniable impact on SEO; but just like other SEO automated methods, Google doesn’t take kindly to manipulation. Artificially boosting your social following may fool some, but Google is more than capable of recognizing the real from the fake.
- Writing for the purpose of search engines – In SEO it is very easy to become too ‘search engine focused’, thinking first about what could increase your search ranking rather than what’s best for your customers. Google is intent to stamp out this practice. It has plenty of means of separating quality, purposeful content from content written just to please Google.
- Keyword Stuffing – Keyword stuffing is the practice of placing multiple keywords on a website that have little or no relevance to the site’s content. When placing keywords across your site you should always try to use them in context. What is the proper keyword density? There’s no clear cut answer. It depends on the article and intent.
- Local keyword spamming – Since the launch of the Google Pigeon local ranking algorithm small businesses will no doubt be looking to invest some of their resources in boosting their local search ranking. However do not fall into the trap of over listing the number of places that your business services. Instead focus specifically on one or two areas for the highest relevancy.
Remember that Google is constantly updating the way it ranks each website in its search index. While you can’t be expected to constantly keep on top of the latest search trends, there are measures you can take to avoid damaging your website’s search ranking.
How to avoid being penalized in the search results
Google’s Panda and Penguin updates, launched in 2012 caused a lot of small business owners to get pushed down the search results after Google pulled the plug on a series of SEO techniques. The best way to ensure that you aren’t penalized in the search results is to do everything by the book. If you stay away from any SEO methods that are automated or appear “unnatural”, then you should always be on Google’s good side.
There are no quick fixes in search engine optimization. Anyone that claims you can jump up the search rankings in a matter of days will almost always be a scammer. The best SEO campaigns are conducted over weeks and even months before they see any significant results.
