7 Dont’s of Search Engine Optimization

[custom_frame_left shadow=”on”][/custom_frame_left]Search Engine Optimization is a massive area for Internet marketing, usually if your website can not be found on the search engines your website is likely to receive little or no visitors at all. Search engine optimization is an extremely competitive market, where nearly any webmaster will do anything to try and get that top ranking. This article discusses the big donts of search engine optimization practices:

1. Don’t submit to Free for All (FFA) websites
2. Keep the keyword density low
3. Don’t optimize pages for a wide number of keywords
4. Duplicate website content
5. Hidden text
6. Infamous “click here” links
7. Automated link exchange networks

Don’t Submit To Free For All (FFA) Websites

Dont submit your website to free for all networks and pages (FFA). Many websites promise to provide a top 10 ranking for your website, in which this will actually have a negative effective to your position on the search engine ranking pages (SERPs) on the big three – Google, Yahoo and MSN. These are websites which promise you thousands of links to your website, and may get you to install some code on your website to display links. This method of search engine Optimization is inadvisable and is strongly suggested that you stay away from these websites, it may also ban your website from the search engines if you signup.

Keep The Keyword Density Low

Most webmasters are aware that keyword density plays a big part in search engine optimization and usually over optimize their website. Search engines like websites which contain natural flowing text and the correct keyword density, rather than indexing a web page that consists of keywords concatenated together with commas. Google prefers a lower keyword density than its competitors, usually between 3% and 5%, where as Yahoo prefers approximately a 7% keyword density on a web page. Use the tools at Ranks.nl to help calculate the density of keywords on your website.

Don’t Optimize Pages For A Wide Number of Keywords

Dont optimize pages on your website with a wide number of keywords which are not related. Keep the pages on your website concise with a particular keyword or key phrase. If your website is concise with a particular keyword then this will help increase your search engine ranking position within the big three. This should also be the same for outgoing links on your website, try and categories links on your website into specific categories. If your website contains varied keywords throughout, then the search engines will be confused on what to optimize your website for.

Duplicate Website Content

This is a big no no! You should not use duplicate content on your website, these pages will most likely not get indexed, or they will have no value within the search engines. Your website may also be flagged up as SPAM, and in some extremely cases could even be banned from the big three. A website which is banned from the search engines is worth nothing.

Hidden Text

This will most certainly get your website banned from the search engines. Hidden text is an unethical method of search engine optimization and is strongly frowned-upon by the big three. Just take your time and write good quality text for your website – you will be rewarded in the long run!

Infamous “Click Here” Links

The internal linking structure of a website plays a big part in search engine optimization. Keywords which are used within internal links also increase your position within the search engine ranking pages. Many webmasters use the infamous “click here” links when usually referring to something within their text, this is a poor way of optimizing a website for the search engines. Instead, you should rephrase your sentence to include a link which contains keywords related to the web page you are linking to; this is an easy and effective way for increasing search engine ranking positions.

Automated Link Exchange Networks

Many automated link exchange networks exist on the Internet today. Many of these websites promise that they will provide thousands on incoming reciprocal links to your website through simply signing up to their service. This method of search engine optimisation is usually frowned-upon, as the links you will be receiving may have no quality value and will usually flag up your website within the search engines. I have seen many websites which signup and have got their website banned. Link exchange networks which provide natural link exchange methods, such as Swift Media UK, are an advantage to your website, as you will receive one way text links to your website over a period of time through no effort at all.

As you can see it is very easy to use inappropriate practices in search engine optimization, it is highly recommended you follow this article when optimizing your website. Good luck with optimizing your website for the search engines, especially the big three – Google, Yahoo and MSN. Hopefully, I have shown a few common SEO don’ts, Feel free to contact me with questions you may have regarding these or other SEO tactics you want more information on.