SEO or SEoops? What Not to Do When Trying to Enhance Your Search Ranking

Written By Malik G.

There are a million and one ways to enhance your search ranking on Google. On the other hand, there are even more ways to decrease it. The sad thing is that most people do them every day and don’t even notice. Google and other search engines follow a strict set of regulations when it comes to users attempting to utilize SEO.

In order to find success in optimizing your website, it’s important to know which practices are permitted and which are a no, no. Avoid the common pitfalls associated with SEO by following this guide of things not to do when attempting to enhance your search ranking. One mistake can be the difference between being number 1 and being invisible.

Don’t Overstuff Pages with Useless Content

Now I know that you read somewhere that the more content you have on your web page, the better. While yes, this is true to some extent, it has to be relevant. Google’s ranking algorithm has smartened up in the last couple of years. It can tell when content is posted just for the sake of being there.

Creating content that is unrelated to the overall topic of your web page will not only fail to increase your search ranking but decrease it as well. It’s ok to post text, video, and photo content to your page but make sure that is it 100% relevant before doing so. 300 meaningful words will get you further than 10,000 useless ones.

What to Take Away: Keep it Simple and Focused

Don’t Use Unrelated Keywords

During your research, you may discover that some keywords are more popular than others, especially ones that do not apply to you. I know what you’re thinking and please get it out of your head right now. You cannot use popular keywords that are unrelated to the subject of your web page. Years ago, this Black Hat SEO tactic was used to fool search engines into ranking web pages with the most popular keywords in their content.

Since then, search engines have learned how to penalize websites that use unrelated keywords. Believe it or not but search engines scan your content to ensure that your keywords are relevant to your topic. That way, you’re not an IT Company using keywords tailored to “Home Cleaning” just because they generate more results. Trust us, it might appear like more work but it helps to stay in your lane.

What to Take Away: Stay Away From Keywords That Don’t Belong to You

Don’t Create Spam Comments & Content

Once users discovered what link building could do for their SEO, they began utilizing extreme methods to enhance their ranking. Unfortunately, that brought about spam content and comments. It doesn’t take a technological genius to know that spam is rarely, if ever, a good thing. Creating spam comments and content entails you using special software to automatically post dummy text in order to attract links.

In addition to being annoying to visitors, creating spam content is also borderline unethical. You’re deliberately misleading visitors in order acquire backlinks. You ever see someone post what appears to be gibberish in the comment section of a page? That’s spam and Google is going to punish them for it, probably with a decreased search ranking. Save yourself the trouble. Ensure that your content and comments are authentic and relevant. Search engines will take notice and return the favor.

What to Take Away: Don’t Make Fake Blogs, Comments, or Emails   

Don’t Plagiarize

As a writer, this one hits close to home. Plagiarism is never a plus. Under zero circumstances should you ever copy someone else’s work and pawn it off as your own. Content writers and web designers work hard in order to bring fresh ideas to the table and convey their messages. Deciding to play “Ctrl-C, Ctrl-V” with their work is the prime definition of taking the easy way out and one that gets you nowhere.

Now, rarely is an idea original, which means that it’s ok to share similar concepts but try to stay away from copying others word for word. If you come across content that is so good that you can’t help but add it to your website, be sure to cite your sources. Credit must be given where it’s due and search engines recognize this. When Google and other search engines scour through your content before ranking it, they also check to see if any of it is pre-existing.

In the event that it is, they will immediately negate your website. Just think of Plagiarism like stealing and don’t do it. Hire content writers and designers that are capable of conveying your message in their own words. I guarantee Google will thank you for it.

What to Take Away: Ctrl-C & V Are Not Your Friends. Stay Away!

Don’t Be a Spammer on Social Media     

Social media is a wonderful marketing tool when used correctly. That being said, try not to overdo it with the endless advertisements. When your social media posts become less about providing quality content and more about pushing a product or service, it’s time to take a step back and ask yourself if you’re turning into a spammer.

There’s little reason that you should be sending a non-stop onslaught of links and ads to your social media followers. Not only will this cause a lot of people to stop following or block you but it also does nothing for your SEO. Instead, work on creating social media content that is engaging and easy to consume.

This will increase the likelihood of viewers checking out what you have to offer as well as catch the attention of search engines. Make sure that all of your social media posts feel genuine and organic. Only then will you start to see a change in your engagement including your ranking on search engines.

What to Take Away: Less Selling, More Helping on Social Media

Until Next Time!