First thing’s first: Keyword Stuffing
DON’T DO IT!
“Keyword stuffing” is a toxic strategy that unprofessional and untrustworthy web developers are using to build SEO websites. Falling into the keyword trap is detrimental to your business, puts you on Google’s radar but not in a positive way. It may even result in harsh penalties that will be devastating to your business.
Google describes “Keyword stuffing” as “the practice of loading a webpage with keywords or numbers in an attempt to manipulate a site’s ranking in Google search results.” Keyword stuffing can appear in a bulk list or group in an obvious display of ranking initiative. Keywords that are presented in unattractive bulk lists are nothing but a bad user experience for customers. Imagine going to a website and seeing something like this:
The odds of you returning to the website have just dropped significantly. It’s not only these large blocks of irrelevant text that Google’s searching for, keyword stuffing can be found within content as well. Overused keywords create an unnatural, unreadable text that provides no use to your customer. For example:
“We sell custom cigar humidors. Our custom cigar humidors are handmade. If you’re thinking of buying a custom cigar humidor, please contact our custom cigar humidor specialists at [email protected].“
Not only is this repetitive and annoying, but it’s also a waste of your visitor’s time. Other examples of keyword stuffing may include lists of phone numbers with no apparent value and blocks of text listing cities around the area for obvious SEO purposes. Remember the ultimate goal of your website; to provide a service to your customers. This includes relevant and engaging information. Being ranked on Google is essential, but it’s just as critical to make sure that the visitor stay’s on the page and more importantly, returns to the site.
Google is cracking down on these “black hat webspam” SEO practices (“practices” being the operative word) with algorithms like Panda and Penguin. Websites can be reported to Google and penalized and believe us when we say you do not want to be penalized. A penalty from Google can range from a drop in your rankings to disappearing altogether. Once you disappear, there’s no coming back; you will have to completely rebuild: new domain, new site, new strategy.
Trust a professional to provide responsible SEO practices and build a side that both ranks and provides a positive, informational user experience. Contact us to discuss the future of your website and your business. Your website is often a customer’s first impression of your business; what kind of impression are you giving?
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