Past SEO Trends & Tactics That Will Get You Flagged Today

In the digital marketing industry, the rules of SEO (search engine optimization) are constantly changing. It may seem like Google is playing games with you or preventing you from ever achieving search engine rank. But the reality is these changes serve a good purpose – providing a better search experience for users. And you’ll want to be sure you evolve your SEO strategy to ensure your website stays optimized for search engine performance. When is the last time you researched the latest SEO tactics to see if your website is compliant with today’s best practices?
It’s important to keep up with which SEO trends are no longer acceptable. If you’re not aware of what’s required for your website to perform effectively, you could be at risk of being flagged by Google.
Is your website buried deep within Google’s search results? It might be time to check to see if you’re up to date on today’s SEO best practices. Click To Tweet

Keyword Stuffing

Keyword stuffing on websites and web pages has been used in the past with the goal of increasing the page’s visibility by using the same keyword or keyphrase multiple times, regardless of how the content reads to the visitor. Google looks for quality content that not only includes high ranking keywords, but content that is presented in a way that makes sense to the reader. These days, keyword stuffing is a big no-no and Google will actually mark your page as spam if detected.
What to Do Instead: Use synonyms and semantically related words to add more SEO value to your content and help it rank for your keyphrase.

Duplicate Content

Duplicate content means the same content is repeated on two or more pages (URLs). In most circumstances, this isn’t done on purpose. However, sometimes duplicate content is used to trick search engines in order to get higher rankings. Google will crawl and determine if the duplicate content was done intentionally, and if so, they will flag you for being deceptive to search engine results.
What to Do Instead: Write content unique to each service or product page from the introduction to the call to action paragraph. This is also better for conversions because the content is more specific and relevant to the user’s search.

ProTip: If you’re not sure if your website contains duplicate content, which Google keeps a close eye on, do a DIY Duplicate Content Check to see if you’re being flagged.

Invisible Text

Another SEO tactic that is frowned upon is invisible text: inserting hidden keywords on a page and making that text the same color as the page background. The intention is that the reader won’t see the hidden text but search engines can, increasing the search rank of the page. This tactic is similar to keyword stuffing, just less obvious. However, it’s still considered spamming and is not tolerated by Google.
What to Do Instead: Take the time to include valuable content on your site related to the keyphrases you want to rank for. These keywords should be tied closely to your products or services. If they aren’t relevant to your services, there won’t be any point in ranking for them because they won’t drive sales.

Appreciate the Value of a Blog

Use your blog to provide useful information for users that will not only help you rank for certain keywords but also build trust with the audience so they will want to do business with you.

Stick to SEO Best Practices

Google’s algorithm is constantly updating to achieve more user-friendly results, and the best way to avoid being flagged by Google is to keep up with SEO best practices often. As a content marketer, focus on creating unique, relevant content for long-term growth.
Learn more about SEO best practices and how you can stay up to date on the latest SEO techniques!