The internet constantly evolves. As search
engines become increasingly skilled at delivering targeted content to their
customers, SEO best practices quickly become outdated and threaten to drop your
site low in the rankings.
Fortunately, these outdated SEO practices are
easy to avoid once you know them. Take a look at the SEO practices that once
reigned supreme but now put your site at risk, and find out what you should do
instead for long-lasting success.
Focusing Only on Keywords
Keywords aren’t the be-all-end-all of modern SEO
as they once were. Sites used to be designed entirely around target keywords,
but adapting to the new SEO tactics requires a different strategy.
Keywords listed in title tags, headers and meta
descriptions aren’t readable, and worse, are now punished by Google algorithms.
Instead, write enticing, interesting title tags, compelling copy for meta
descriptions and intriguing headings that draw the reader further into the
article. Not only is this content more readable, but it also ranks higher in
Google, which searched for content quality and relevance more than anything
else.
Prioritizing Rankings over Traffic
Many businesses put the number one organic
ranking above all else, which doesn’t help ROI and does little for the
increasingly popular voice search.
Instead, featured snippets, long-tail targeting
and other SERP tactics should be the focus. These not only have a higher ROI
per hour spent, but they also aren’t as competitive and often bring you around
to the primary keyword anyway.
Creating Multiple Pages for Keyword Variants
In the past, it made sense for a site to create
and optimize pages for each keyword variant to cast the widest possible net.
This was mostly due to Google’s inability to differentiate between similar
keywords and organize the search results accordingly.
Now, Google’s algorithms are capable of finding
multiple pages that use similar content and keywords, and they penalize you for
it. This doesn’t mean you need to simplify everything, but it does mean that you
should eliminate multiple pages for every variant with the intent of keyword
optimization. Instead, focus on the user experience with your site and the
optimal funnel, which will get you high marks in search engine algorithms.
Link Building to Improve Rankings
Many businesses attempt to move up the search
engine rankings with link building, but this outdated practice no longer works
with modern SEO. Now, searcher task accomplishment, user experience and
valuable content get the ranking.
As Neil Patel states
,
the golden rule of SEO, regardless of algorithm changes, is searcher task
accomplishment. Google’s first and foremost concern is giving searchers exactly
what they’re looking for, which can’t be accomplished with SEO shortcuts.
Google wants to reward sites that help the searcher with what they searched for
initially, uncover other possible needs and address them. Ultimately, the goal
through this is to find the sites that lead to more action and engagement.
All of this can be accomplished through
high-quality, relevant content and an optimized user experience. If Google’s
main goal is to go above and beyond to serve the needs of searchers, your site
experience should focus on that as well.
Obsessing on Keyword Placement
Spending a lot of time and energy putting
keywords in the H1 and H2, the headline tags, as well as the URL or repeated
multiple times throughout the content, works, but only to an extent. For
example, you want to have your keyword in the title or headline, but that
doesn’t mean it needs to be stuffed into every area.
Instead, focus on getting value out of the
keywords and their related topics. Make sure that the content explains the
subject, topics, words or phrases that Google is likely to associate with the
keyword. You can scatter your keyword all over your site and links, but if you
don’t have related content that Google may recognize, you won’t rank as well.
Ignoring Mobile Site Optimization
Designing for mobile sites isn’t new, but many
businesses are still behind the times with sites that are far from
mobile-friendly. Even if most of your audience uses a desktop to view your
content, you could be missing out on loads of mobile traffic.
Fortunately, this is an easy fix. Software that
isn’t supported or common on mobile devices, links that are too close together
and cause accidental clicks and text that doesn’t have a readable zoom are
enough to move a user away from your content, so that’s a great place to start.
Google also offers a guide to mobile-friendly sites
to
ensure you’re on the right track.
Churning Out Low-Quality Copy
The old rule for SEO used to be quantity over
quality, but now, Google will penalize you for it. Low-grade blog fillers,
stuffed keywords and other tactics are a flag to Google that your writing has
no relevance, so it will direct users elsewhere.
On top of the effects on SEO, low-quality copy
just isn’t good for business or marketing. It’s less likely to draw visitors
in, less likely to convert visitors and less likely to bring them back, actions
which are much more valuable to a business than a ranking on a search engine.
Offering Non-Strategic, Shallow Content
Content strategy and content marketing have
become a considerable investment for businesses in recent years, sometimes with
the idea of drawing links to a site that aren’t relevant or helpful. We’ve all
seen this with “clickbait” articles that include information that has nothing
at all to do with the original site.
On the other hand, link bait that offers
high-quality content that draws others to link to it and draws attention, as
well as creates a positive brand association, is far more valuable for your
site. This requires information that’s interesting and makes others naturally
want to link to it, which is best accomplished through content that solves a problem
effectively and enhances the value of another’s site.
Ignoring Other Search Engines
We’ve discussed these tactics at length in
regard to Google, but that doesn’t mean other search engines should be left by
the wayside. True, Google has the most comprehensive set of resources for SEO
and is undoubtedly the most popular search engine, but if you’re forgetting
about the likes of Bing, Yahoo and other search engines, you’re missing out.
These search engines are a major source of
organic traffic, so don’t neglect their tools in your planning process. They
can easily supplement your SEO efforts and often provide even more data to work
with, giving you a thorough understanding of your total SEO picture.
The Best Way to Update Your Outdated SEO Practices
As discussed, Google is only concerned with
solving the searcher’s problem. Whether that’s through related keywords,
related topics or other tactics, all Google cares about is directing users to
sites that are useful, valuable and relevant.
Because of this, the key to modern SEO is
creating a website that people want to use by offering value and solving
problems. This isn’t about shortcuts or cheating the system, which will only
change tomorrow. It’s about caring for your customers and focusing on helping them,
rather than artificially inflating rankings. Put a little effort into that, and
you’ll start to see long-lasting results.