When learning the basics of SEO, there are many tried and true techniques that you can follow to improve your site’s search ranking. With the new developments in search algorithms, however, some of these tactics have become obsolete. Continuing to practice these outdated methods can not only be a waste of time, but they can actually harm your SEO campaign (and even cost you money). Eliminate these five outdated techniques to improve your SEO strategy.
Keyword Stuffing
By this point, we’ve all internalized the wisdom that keywords are king. But sites may actually be penalized for crossing over from an appropriate keyword density to spammy copy. Finding that Goldilocks zone can be tricky, but as a general rule, try to write your articles and web copy in a way that reads naturally. Google’s algorithms are getting more intuitive, so it’s important to use your keywords wisely in order to avoid setting off alarms.
Indiscriminate Guest Blogging
Guest blogging is a traditional tactic designed to spread your site links far and wide. You can continue to contribute to highly relevant, well-received blogs, but posting indiscriminately can actually hurt you in the long run. Make sure the blog relates directly to your brand, and when writing your post, make a point to link to several credible sources.
Press Releases
There are many benefits to writing news-worthy press releases, but SEO isn’t one of them. Google directly acknowledged that press releases have no effect on your site’s ranking, so they can be a lost effort if you’re writing them for the sole purpose of optimization. Focus on other meaningful ways to get positive PR for your company, whether that’s through guest contributing or hosting or sponsoring conferences or events.
SEO-Targeted Writing
Google is making a concentrated effort to eliminate SEO-targeted writing, so it’s time to start writing for content rather than rankings. If you can create engaging, relevant content, this will actually improve your standing with Google more than a keyword-heavy article can. This goes hand-in-hand with keyword density; write in a way that seems natural, and the keyword will often fall in place.
Submitting Your Site for Indexing
By this point, Googlebot is so powerful that you don’t actually have to submit your site for indexing any longer. It can search out and find new content on its own, so your central goal should be making your site as easy to crawl as possible. Organize your pages and posts in a meaningful way, and then create an XML sitemap to help Google’s crawlers navigate your site. This will allow these bots to scan and index your site, improving your rankings as a result.
Getting rid of these five obsolete SEO tactics can keep you focused on more effective means of improving your ranking. Be sure to keep up with Google’s algorithm changes to ensure that your site is always on its best foot with search engine optimization.
Which of these habits is the hardest to break? Let us know what you think in the comments.
We are still using the guest blogging approach and press release submissions. it really helps me to boost up the rankings and to increase keyword performance. I guess if we are doing these things in a natural and genuine way it si not going to bring any harm to our website. Guest blogs under same niche is best for posting, and also consider the domain authority of website, quality of content, long tail keywords before posting. Genuine updates(news, awards, events) for press release is also effective.