SEO is always changing, and that means what used to work in the past may not be the best option today. In fact, there are many SEO methods used in the past that can harm your search engine rankings, and that is why hiring an SEO company is the best option. At Sage, we keep up with the most recent SEO best practices and know-how to implement them properly.
The following are 5 SEO strategies to avoid because they can harm your search engine ranking position:
Keyword Stuffing
In the past, you could stuff your article with your targeted keywords and reach the top of results several at a time. However, with today’s algorithms, this will harm your ranking as search engines no longer like content written with stuffing keywords because it often lacks organic and valuable content.
Instead, choose a single keyword to focus on per article, include it a few times, and let the search engines determine the content is valuable. Otherwise, you risk the chance of reducing your position. That is exactly what happened to those that used this method shortly after Google implemented the change; they lost their ranking. Best practices are to include no more than two keywords.
Only Publishing Short-Form Content
Many blogs are filled with short-form content because that is what people tend to prefer, short, sweet, and to the point. However, with recent changes to Google algorithms and other search engines, best SEO best practices are focused on long-form content. A long-form article is considered to be 1,500 words or longer, but that does not mean you do not use short-form content as it still has a place. For example, short-form is still ideal for mobile-friendly websites. The best approach is a combination of long and short content.
Target a Single Keyword
A single keyword appeared to be a good method in the past for achieving a high ranking until users and Google realized more low-quality content was taking the lead. After the Google Panda update was released, the ranking was given to higher quality content that provided users value based on their searches. Therefore, when you target a keyword, include a range of related keywords that people may use as well. One method is to choose a single keyword to create a topic on, then naturally include other keywords when writing the content.
Guest Blogs On Low-Quality Websites
Spam is one of those things you can’t seem to avoid when online, but search engines are working hard at limiting exposure. That means guest blogging requires more thought than ever before, avoid low-quality websites because the link back will be considered ‘spam’ and could hurt your ranking. It is worth the extra effort to research and find the high-quality websites that offer guest blogging to get the best backlinks. Once you have a list of these sites, go after them because the more high-quality backlinks you can get, the better. But remember, you want the guest blog content to be high quality too!
Ignoring Social Media’s Authority
Many people still ignore how powerful using social media can be to growing their business. Many simply think teens use social media or other reasons that it would not benefit them. However, that is far from the truth as millions of people all over the world use social media to keep up with news, current events, friends, family, and business opportunities. Avoid this costly mistake by ignoring social media, and be sure to include it within your SEO strategy.
If you have implemented these methods in the past, it can be challenging to get used to avoiding them. However, it is important that you update your existing content and begin focusing on the current SEO best practices to ensure you are not doing more harm to your search engine ranking than good. If you need help, call us today!
