SEO is constantly evolving, and what worked a few years ago may not work today. To stay ahead of the competition, it’s important to know which SEO tactics to avoid. In this blog post, we will discuss SEO tactics that no longer work and provide tips on how to improve your SEO strategy with tactics that are working today.
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11 SEO tactics to avoid!
Stuffing keywords into your content
One of the oldest and most common SEO tactics is keyword stuffing. This involves adding keywords to your content in an attempt to rank higher in search results.
However, Google has become much smarter over the years and can now detect when a website is trying to manipulate its ranking with excessive use of keywords. As a result, websites that engage in keyword stuffing are likely to see a decrease in their rankings.
Tip: Focus on quality content instead of quantity. Write for humans, not search engines, and make sure your content is relevant and interesting to your audience.
Building links with low-quality websites
Another common SEO tactic that no longer works is building links with low-quality websites. When done correctly, link building can be an effective way to improve your website’s ranking in search results. However, spammy links from low-quality websites can have the opposite effect and hurt your ranking.
Tip: Instead of trying to build links from any site possible, focus on acquiring links from high-quality websites that are relevant to your niche. Quality trumps quantity every time.
Automated link building tools
Another link building tactic that no longer works is using automated link building tools. These tools are designed to help you build links quickly and easily, but many of them produce low-quality links that can hurt your website’s ranking.
Tip: Instead of relying on automated link building tools, focus on manual link building. This involves finding high-quality websites relevant to your niche and reaching out to them personally to ask for a link. It takes more time, but the results are worth it.
Focusing on quantity over quality
Another SEO tactic that no longer works is focusing on quantity over quality. This involves publishing as many articles as possible, regardless of the quality of the content. While it’s important to publish regularly, it’s more important to publish high-quality content that will engage your audience and help you achieve your marketing goals.
Tip: Prioritise quality over quantity, and make sure all of your content is well written, relevant, and interesting to your target audience.
Using meta keywords
Meta keywords are another SEO tactic that is no longer effective. This involves adding a list of keywords to your website’s meta data in an attempt to improve your ranking in search results. However, Google has long since stopped using meta keywords as a factor in its ranking algorithm.
Tip: Don’t waste your time with meta keywords. Instead, focus on creating high-quality content and optimising your website for search engines.
Article submission directories
Article submission directories are another SEO tactic that is no longer effective. This involves submitting your articles to online directories in an attempt to get more traffic and improve your ranking in search results. However, Google has long since stopped using article submission directories as a factor in its ranking algorithm.
Tip: Don’t bother with article submission directories. Instead, focus on promoting your content through social media and other channels.
Creating pages for all keyword variations
A common SEO tactic that is no longer effective is creating pages for all keyword variations. This involves creating a page for each unique keyword that you want to rank for. However, Google now uses artificial intelligence to determine the relevance of a website based on its overall content, rather than individual keywords.
Tip: Stop trying to game the system with multiple pages targeting different keyword variations. Instead, focus on creating high-quality content that will naturally attract traffic from people who are looking for information on your topic.
Keyword density
Another SEO tactic that is no longer effective is focusing on keyword density. This involves including a certain number of keywords in your content to improve your ranking in search results. However, Google now uses artificial intelligence to determine the relevance of a website based on its overall content, rather than individual keywords.
Tip: Stop trying to focus on keyword density and instead focus on creating high-quality content that will naturally attract traffic from people who are looking for information on your topic.
Content spinning
Content spinning is another SEO tactic that is no longer effective. This involves rewriting your content to include different keywords in an attempt to improve your ranking in search results. However, Google now uses artificial intelligence to determine the relevance of a website based on its overall content, rather than individual keywords.
Tip: Stop trying to spin your content and instead focus on creating high-quality content that will naturally attract traffic from people who are looking for information on your topic. Quality over quantity every time!
Writing for robots
A common SEO tactic that is no longer effective is writing for robots, not people. This involves cramming your content with keywords in an attempt to improve your ranking in search results. However, Google now uses artificial intelligence to determine the relevance of a website based on its overall content, rather than individual keywords.
Tip: Stop trying to write for robots and start writing for people! Quality over quantity every time!
Overusing anchor text
Anchor text is another SEO tactic that is no longer effective. This involves using the same keyword or phrase as anchor text for links to your website. However, Google now uses artificial intelligence to determine the relevance of a website based on its overall content, rather than individual keywords.
Tip: Stop trying to overuse anchor text and instead focus on creating high-quality content that will naturally attract traffic from people who are looking for information on your topic. Quality over quantity every time!
What about Exact Match Domains (EMD) being an outdated tactic?
It is considered in the industry that Exact Match Domains (EMDs) no longer work, but they can be incredibly effective if you are using them correctly with the latest algorithms. EMDs can be a quicker and easier way to the top spots. How to use them correctly is an article for another day!
SEO tactics that are working today
These tactics are taken from our SEO Best Practises guide. Start implementing these tactics on your website for increased traffic and all the benefits that can bring!
- Keyword research: Start by finding keywords that are relevant to your business and target audience.
- Onpage optimisation: Optimise your website content, titles, and meta data for each of the keywords you’ve identified.
- Search intent: Cater your content to the search intent the user
- Page speeds: Make sure your website loads quickly for the best user experience.
- High-quality link building: Build links to your website from high-quality websites.
- URL structure: Use clear and concise URLs that are relevant to your content.
- Image optimisation: Optimise your images for the best results.
- Schema markup: Use schema markup to help Google understand your website content.
- Https: Make sure your website is using SSL encryption for the best security and ranking.
- Internal linking: Link to your other relevant pages on your website to help Google crawl and index your content and pass around relevance and authority.
- Mobile-friendliness: Make sure your website is mobile-friendly for the best user experience.
- Conversion rate optimisation (CRO): Improve your website conversion rates to increase traffic and sales.
- XML Sitemaps: Submit an XML sitemap to help Google crawl and index your website content.
- Content formatting: Format your content for the best user experience.
Outdated SEO Tactics FAQ
What is the best way to improve my website’s ranking without using any outdated tactics?
The best way to improve your website’s ranking is to focus on creating high-quality content that will naturally attract traffic from people who are looking for information on your topic. Quality over quantity every time!
What if I don’t want to change my approach, what are the risks of doing nothing?
If you don’t want to change your approach, you run the risk of being left behind as Google continues to update its search algorithms. This could mean a decrease in traffic and loss of business.
Conclusion
SEO tactics that no longer work include creating pages for all keyword variations, focusing on keyword density, content spinning, writing for robots, and overusing anchor text.
Instead, focus on promoting your content through social media, outreach, and other channels. Creating high-quality content will naturally attract traffic from people who are looking for information on your topic. To say it again… quality over quantity every time!