This video discusses basic SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) and how to define your online audience using keywords.
Most first-time webmasters either pay no attention whatsoever to their keywords or go overboard. “Keyword stuffing” is a common practise with devastating consequences for the guilty website. Over optimising keywords is easily noticed by Google’s search engine algorithm which promptly categorises such websites as being manipulative, deceitful and self serving.
A site receiving penalties because of foul play is usually referred to as “spam”.
Stop thinking about trying to cheat
Spam, as you know, is a low grade meat product attempting to imitate something more desirable. It is a fitting metaphor for bad websites. Many deceptive website owners instruct an SEO specialist or webmaster to “get them to the top of Google”, and what usually follows is a period of intense website keyword optimisation in an attempt to rank the website higher in the search engine results pages (SERPs). Ten to fifteen years ago, this practice was the norm and indeed many websites succeeded with these tactics. Unfortunately, out of date SEO information is still hanging around and leading inexperienced website owners up the garden path.
Stuffing a website with hundreds of keywords damages your site. Google is not stupid. It is a multi billion dollar corporation.
Stop buying into the SEO hype
The number ONE issue we hear about at Ilkeston Web Design is how someone got ripped off because they bought into some hype surrounding the idea of easy web rankings with quick fix SEO techniques. Usually it is some kind of SEO keyword package that somebody has paid for off the back of an online, low priced drag and drop instant template creator. Basically, the easy road becomes the hard road, while the hard road gets easier.
Start providing value… not just “keywords”
The bigger issue is that those running a website do not want to put in the time or effort into creating a truly great website that appeals to customers and shows the business in a positive light. The keywords you use are one small component. Google has hundreds of undisclosed ranking factors and guessing what they all are is like trying to guess what McDonalds put in their secret sauce.
Instead, write valuable content and produce information primarily for visitors. Then promote your website using well produced newspaper adverts. Make the focus of your promo material a particular piece of problem solving content.
Give teaser tips. Help people. Be useful.
Bring traffic to your site and eventually search engines will pick up on the activity on your site and start ranking your pages for the keywords you are focusing on. It is a chicken and egg situation. You must take the initiative to get the ball rolling and at some point get certain web pages ranking.
Consider the following bullets:
- It is easier to please people than it is to please Google.
- Use natural sounding language. Provide information on your site that is helpful or problem solving in some way. Be useful and compelling. Be creative.
- Happy customers are going to want to link to your pages and share your content, which will in time help your search engine position.
- Keywords, meta descriptions, headings, alt tags, title tags and the other SEO attributes alone are not enough.
- Give value in the form of good content and you’ll have a better chance reaching interested readers or ready to buy customers.
Most first time website owners go overboard with keywords which raises a red flag to the Google search engine. Finesse is everything with website optimisation and the more aggressive you are the harder you will make it for yourself. Think about what people want to see online, and try and see your site from the perspective of a search engine algorithm.
