Want to know the things to avoid when it comes to Search Engine Optimisation?
Having worked in the web design and online marketing industry for over 10 years, we have seen seo trends come and go. Some have stuck around and work wonders for many people, however, we find that most "tips and tricks" become outdated very quickly. Search engines as a service are constantly being updated with new algorithms to ensure that the user experience is the best that it can possibly be. Google does not want to rank a page that isn't going to be helpful for the searchee as it's then Google's fault if the customer is left feeling confused.
Key Word Bloat
One of the biggest mistakes that people make is to bloat their content with key words. Key word bloat used to work for a little while and it goes without saying that your content should include at least some key words, but Google now values how well the content reads to both the user and to its own search algorithms. If your sentences are being broken up by using the same key word over and over, it is going to create an unpleasant reading experience for the user, therefore Google will penalise your website for this practice.
When we build websites for customers, we teach the customer how to write effective content that will always be valued by Google without resorting to key word bloat. That way, you can be sure that your page is ranking based on its quality and will have a consistent place.
Irrelevant and Untrusted Back Links
Having links from other websites to your own website shows Google that your website is being referenced and is therefore a source of 
information that could be useful to a searcher. Back links do still work for seo purposes, but the links have to be from relevant external pages with relevant link text that links to a page on your website that relates to the link. Simply posting links to your website on forums and blogs without any context or direction will not have any positive effect on your rankings. The source of the link is also vital. Sites that are more trusted by Google will create more valuable links, thereby increasing your value in Google's eyes.
Copied / Duplicate Content
Nothing will cause you to be penalised more than duplicate content. All of the information on your website must be informative and duplicate content is seen as a massive waste of time and an underhanded seo trick that is stamped out immediately by Google. One of the biggest examples of how duplicate content works is in landing pages. Landing pages are pages that target specific search terms so that users are more likely to find that exact page and then follow-through to the main website. In theory, landing pages are an excellent idea. However, many people will just create one page, write some information and then copy that page but change the title slightly. These people then get a big shock a week or two later when their website vanishes from the top ten pages of Google for having so much duplicate content.
The Little Things
There are many SEO mistakes to make. It's a field that is constantly changing and even keeping up with it as an SEO adviser is a full time job in itself. There are a lot of companies out there that learned everything about SEO in 2010 and still think it is relevant to today, and refuse to believe that they are mistaken. Being so arrogant about a dynamic industry causes their clients to lose business and not realise their potential.
As a business that places our customer success as the highest priority, Designtec are constantly keeping up to date with all the latest search engine optimisation techniques and will never teach anyone a "tip" or "trick" that seems like bad practice. Making quality websites with great content is always going to be the best thing for SEO. We focus on teaching the good, universal practices rather than the hot exploit of the month. This way, we know that our customers' websites will stay ranked and will never lose their credibility.
Call us today on 01508 471 882 if you would like SEO consultancy from a company that cares.
