Common search engine optimization (SEO) mistakes

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is largely an inexact science. Search engines such as Google have to keep their rating and ranking formulae closely guarded secrets, otherwise they would be exploited by everyone and search results would soon cease to have any intrinsic value. This does not mean, however, that there are not quality tips which can be followed with regard to effective SEO, nor does it mean that there are not common mistakes which are made in this respect.

When many people think of effective SEO, one of the first points they will consider is key words within the text of an article or blog post. Key words - and key phrases - are those which are extremely relevant to the subject nature of the piece and are likely to be featured in the search criteria input by those seeking related information. It was once the case almost that the more key words which appeared in a piece of text, the better in terms of SEO. Unfortunately, this factor led to what essentially became key word spamming, with many Internet users simply loading text with key words and sacrificing quality in the name of higher search engine rankings. Search engine algorithms are now wise to this practise and thus a common mistake in SEO is to use an excessive number of key words. This may well now prove to have a detrimental effect. Many SEO experts recommend that key words should comprise no more than two to five percent of the textual content of an online posting.

Outbound linking to other relevant sites around the Web is an important part of SEO. A common mistake made in linking, however, is where people fail to take appropriate notice of the relevancy requirement. Linking from articles or blog posts to totally inappropriate Web locations is never a good idea in respect of SEO and is also likely to irritate and confuse readers. A very common example of mistakes of this nature is where a Web writer will disguise a hyperlink in order to drive traffic to another site where they are in some way hoping to generate revenue.

Inbound links to any website, article or blog are one of the most important factors of SEO. This is where links are obtained from elsewhere on the Web to drive traffic directly to a site or article and make it appear popular in the eyes of the search engines. There are a couple of common mistakes which are often made, however, in this aspect of SEO. In the first instance, it should be noted that one-way inbound links have far higher value than reciprocal links. This is because

reciprocal links can often be obtained simply by what is seen as a mutually beneficial arrangement between Webmasters or bloggers, rather than through an appreciation of quality content. The most effective inbound links are where other Web users find a site through organic search and want to link to it as a service for their own readers. The second mistake of this type is in attempting to build inbound links too quickly. This may be by submitting a link to every available directory or social bookmarking site on the same day, rather than over a period of days or weeks, an act which can be perceived as a form of link spamming. It must above all be noted by Web content producers that these common mistakes made in respect of SEO will not necessarily have a negative effect only in the short term. It is entirely possible that where inappropriate SEO techniques are employed in relation to any online resource, the implications can be extremely serious in the long term and even indefinitely. By focusing therefore on producing quality, valuable content, which others are likely to find of interest, and promoting it gradually over a period of time and only in wholly legitimate ways, the results which are likely to be achieved in terms of SEO and therefore in all other respects are likely to be the most favourable.