What is Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
Search engine optimization or SEO is a collection of methods used to move to improve how websites appear in search results on various search engines. Unfortunately, there is a lot of misinformation floating around about how SEO works. Here are a few of the most common SEO mistakes every website owner should avoid.
Using the Wrong Keywords.
Going after the search terms that get the most searches isn’t always the way to go. A keyword with a lot of searches will mean there is more competition for the top spot and can put new sites at a disadvantage. It’s ok to use keywords that have fewer searches once they fit within the context of your overall SEO plan. You can make use of tools such as SEOlium and Ahref to properly research your keywords
Tag Confusion
People used to stuff their metatags with the hope of moving their website up the ranks, and it previously worked. Now, many of the top search engines generally ignore metatags when determining where a website will place in search results. However, that doesn’t mean that other tags don’t matter. You can still use meta tags, but you don’t have to stuff them with keywords, instead, use them to write a good description of your site and fill in other useful meta information. Heading tags, alt tags and tags used for emphasis can give your keywords and images extra weight, so use them wisely.
Creating a Flash Only Website
You can use Flash to make beautiful websites, but unfortunately, Flash cannot be read by the spiders sent by search engines. To help, you should be sure to include an HTML version of your website. This way, search engines can read your site properly to rank it.
Java Script
Much like Flash, Java Script can’t be read by search engines. It’s ok to use Java, but never use them for your menus. This is one of the worst ways to use Java Script because you will lose all of the SEO benefits that come with internally linking your pages.
Relying on Black Hat SEO Techniques
Black hat SEO can and does work, but it will only work for a short time. Eventually, search engines will pick up on the black hat methods and alter their algorithms to make those methods ineffective. This can cause your page to drop down the results list. Black hat SEO takes more work, because you have to constantly be changing it to beat the search engines’ algorithms. If that’s the case, it would be best to just play by the rules.
Conclusion
These are just a few mistakes that you can avoid to help you place higher in the search engine results.
