Bad SEO Habits To Stay Away From

Identify Your Bad SEO Habits

Bad Techniques

The ideal SEO service provider will be able to identify your bad habits and help you put a stop to them. There are some bad techniques that many companies don’t even realize they are making. Some of these techniques might have been fine in the past, but not anymore. They could actually be killing your SEO efforts and costing you a lot of traffic. Since the internet is always changing, it’s essential to keep up with what works and what doesn’t.

Here are the worst SEO habits people make that should be avoided:

Poor Content

Don’t put up low quality content. It seems helpful to have a lot of content – especially for a blog, but the quality of the content really matters. Content should not be a bunch of fluff with keywords thrown in. it should be well thought out and informative. The search engines have developed filters that weed out sites full of low-quality, keyword-stuffed content.

Only put useful, interesting articles on your site and/or blog. Use a variation of keywords and let them appear naturally.

Duplicate content is also a bad idea. There shouldn’t be several posts on your site about the same exact topic. Don’t simply rewrite old posts and try to pass them off as new posts. Search engine filters can detect this as well, and your rankings will hurt because of it.

Working Without a Plan

When it comes to internet marketing, planning is a must. Never try any SEO tactic if you haven’t come up with a strategy. Without a plan, all of your efforts will be in vain, no matter how hard you work. Don’t just jump right into SEO without first thinking of your goals and coming up with a strategy on how to meet them.

Not Using the Right Keywords

Some internet marketers have a bad habit of either using the wrong keywords, or using too many keywords. Just as you should always plan ahead of time, you should also do keyword research before you begin optimization. There are plenty of tools that will help you find the right keywords to use. It’s okay to test them out after you create a list. If you want to reach out to local consumers, use a location keyword.

Paid Links

A decade ago, quantity mattered. The more links you had, the better. This has all changed, however. Like content, the quality of a link matters – not quantity. You have to earn your links, not pay for them. Provide users with helpful, useful content and they will be more likely to share it with others. Don’t just pay to have your link put up on other sites, your money is better spent on PPC.

Too Many Press Releases, Not Enough News

It’s surprising at how many companies submit press releases over every little thing. So you have a business. That’s nice. Is it newsworthy? Well millions of other people run a business of some sort as well. Imagine if they all started putting out press releases left and right just to get some links from news channels. This is a complete waste of time and even comes off as spammy. Only put out a press release whenever there is actual REAL news that your shareholders and customers will care about.

Last but not least, if you want to hire an SEO service provider, make sure it’s somebody who does NOT have a history of doing these mistakes. Ask for references.

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