SEO: What is Google Looking For? Or Not Looking For?
Posted by Christine Herrington on Wed, Jun 20, 2012 @ 03:03 PM
As Google is constantly changing algorithms and the "rules" associated with SEO it is important to understand what they are and are not looking for. Coincidentally, if you stay in line with Google's tactics you should be confident in knowing that you're also in line with Bing and Yahoo. A great resource is always Google's Webmaster Guidelines. I've recapped some of their SEO basics below:
Don't Use Irrelevant Keywords
Don't load keywords that are not included in your content. If you use a keyword in your meta data that has 50,000 hits but has nothing to do with the content on your page, you'll never rank. Focus on what you're trying to communicate to your customers, the content associated with that goal and choose your keywords appropriately.
It also important to avoid keyword stuffing. To my point above, once you've chose your keywords and included them in your content make sure they flow with your content. Using 20 keywords in your meta data would likely be an indication that you should create a new page with fewer keywords and more targeted content.
Don't Create Duplicate Content
To my point above, if you're page is as long as my arm and you're legtimately targeting 20 keywords (using this as a reference) this is an indication to break out your content into multiple pages and more targeted content. However, if you're creating pages for the sake of creating pages whether its on the same domain or on a subdomain, with a great deal of like content, you're creating an issue for yourself. According to Google "deliberately duplicated across domains in an attempt to manipulate search engine rankings or win more traffic. Deceptive practices like this can result in a poor user experience, when a visitor sees substantially the same content repeated within a set of search results."
Avoid the Scam...
Don't create pages with malicious behavior, such as installing viruses or trojans. Do we really need to go here????
Don't Use Hidden Text
Adding text or links the same color as your background is essentially considered a black hat technique. I've seen many developers do it with the best intentions, the content or link is important but seems redundant. It doesn't matter the reason, don't do it. A good way to tell if you're doing this intentionally or unintentionally is to check your color schemes, ensure your text is a different color than your background.
Affiliate Programs
If you participate in an affiliate program, ensure your site is adding value and you continue to deliver unique, quality content. According to Google, "There is no problem in being an an affiliate as long as you create some added value for your users and produce valuable content that gives a user reason to visit your site".
Contact SeoSkye today to bring your SEO efforts up to Google standards. Its time for you to start getting traffic today, 720.328.0415.
