We do our best to explain methods that will improve Google rank and help our clients develop their websites. There are some marketing strategies which can actually damage and hurt their website rank with Google. Search engines today are very savvy about what is allowed and what is not. With more and more companies coming online and competing for business, search engines are continually developing new criteria to distinguish the best sites. Other things can also impede the value of a website such as black hat SEO companies using methods not allowed.
Many of our clients are solicited by these companies and soon find out they are not what they advertised themselves to be. Google is looking for clean and relevant content written in a natural way. This blog post is dedicated to those clients who have questions regarding methods which are allowed and those that are not.
Below are a few of these methods to be avoided at all costs:
The first method we will discuss today is known as “Article Spinning.” This is a technique used to add content to the website by rewriting existing articles. Those articles are then changed by replacing words and phrases to make the article appear original. This was first developed as a method to overcome the fact that Google will not accept duplicate content for the SERPs (Search Engine Results Pages). Article spinning is being sold to unaware website clients as a way to generate quick unique content. But make no mistake folks, this is a “black hat” technique which will harm your website. Article spinning is mostly considered unethical and can be looked upon as plagiarism. We feel you should all consider taking the time necessary to create your own individual content so you will know your words will be accepted as your own.
Duplicate content on the website pages:
This is a no-no for website owners. It is important to go through the entire site and make sure there is no “duplicate content” on any page. Check the bullets and all content from the home page to the privacy page and change the content if you need to. Also, it is a bad idea to copy any content which might be found on an outside source. Many of our clients come to us with content which was copied from another website offering the same goods and services. This can be the “kiss of death” when it comes to SERPs (search engine results pages). We offer a list of professional writers who will develop unique and original content for website pages. Paying a bit up front will insure that your site is unique enough to be considered a valuable site to Google.
Adding valuable links:
Adding links to your website is one of the most valuable things you can do to improve your site value. The most effective way to present a link is to put the link within the relevant content in a place that allows the reader to follow the link in a natural way. Be sure to stay clear of sites with low quality content. This will not improve your visibility. Links you choose should be a logical link providing a benefit to the reader by going further to explain the topic. Reciprocal links are the most valuable. This is when you exchange links with another vendor whom you deal with often. Make sure however, that the link you add is directly related to your expertise. Adding insignificant links will do more harm than good.
Content for sale from outside sources:
We all know that the more fresh content we add to our sites the better. But there are some methods which could hurt your site rather than help the site rank. There are websites online advertising content for sale. This is content which has already been developed. Please avoid this practice. This is not hidden from the Google Panda algorithm and their software can quickly detect this content which is not your own. It is better to write your own unique content for the best score in the search results.
Hiding text on website pages:
A favorite method in the past by some site owners was to enter keyword rich content just for search engines to see and then hide it from the site visitors by using the same color as the background as the text, or make the text very small. Make no mistake about it. Google’s search engine algorithm will find this and it will be considered as “spam.” This is no way to improve your website.
Using “Google Adsense promotions” for online sales:
A new popular Google advertisement method is called Google AdSense. Google Adsense is a cost-per-click method to sell online. This technique allows the company to target relevant visitors and to make sales. The ads are always tied to the site content. Unfortunately, there are ways you can cause your site to be banned using this Google method. Please read this information from Site Pro News to learn how to avoid this pitfall.
Conclusion:
Before you decide to buy Google advertisement or for that matter before you spend advertising dollars it is best to do a bit of research. Find out exactly what target audience you want to attract and establish a budget to spend. Determine if you want to generate website traffic or simply generate sales for individual sales campaigns? There are Google representatives to help you if you need more clarification.
We hope all of you have a great Valentines holiday ahead with your special someone.
Staff Writer for Inside Design Orlando
