The 7 Deadly Sins of SEO

With Google’s algorithms constantly evolving and subject to regular updates throughout the year, it’s clearly impossible to drill the complex art of SEO down to bullet points.

There are, however, several cardinal sins that will almost certainly be detrimental to an SEO strategy. Even worse, they could get you blacklisted by Google. Over at searchenginewatch.com, Jennifer Horowitz of EcomBuffet condensed bad practice down to the most prevalent and fatal SEO mistakes – have you sinned?:

1. Failing to do proper keyword research

Don’t assume you know how people think and therefore how they will use search. Everybody searches differently, often based on which phase of the buying process they find themselves in. Dedicate proper resources at this stage – use keyword tools, research web stats and check out the competition to gain an edge.

2. Deciding to do SEO in-house, but never actually doing it

Do you actually have the time to handle your SEO strategy? You don’t have to outsource, but if SEO is sitting on a to-do list for months don’t expect increased web traffic from search.

3. Ignoring social media because you “don’t get it”

Whether you like it or not, social media is an integral part of SEO. At the very minimum, get yourself set up with profiles on LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook. But don’t expect sparks to fly if you don’t continue to nurture conversations and manage your accounts.

4. Lacking a strategy and plan

Handling SEO, blogging and social media requires a focused strategy with clear objectives. For instance, your Facebook posts, blog posts and Twitter marketing will prove far more fruitful if they’re coordinated to develop momentum.

5. Concentrating too much on engines and not enough on your site visitors

Never priotise web optimisation over user experience. It’s no good getting your site ranked highly if visitors won’t convert once there. Ensure your site is user-friendly, well-written and compelling and never compromise to please the engines.

6. Not growing your site content

Stale content will date your site, meaning lower rankings and unengaged site visitors (if they can even find you). Business blogs are an ideal way to keep your site fresh and supply the sort of regular, informative content that guarantees return visits.

7. Keyword stuffing and spamming

There are so many reasons not to: the engines will notice, you risk getting penalised or even banned, and your visitors will feel cheated. There’s no excuse not to be fully up to scratch on SEO best practice.