Semalt About Old SEO Strategies You'd Better Avoid 


Table of Contents

  1. Introduction
  2. Content Overload and Low-quality Content
  3. Writing for Ranks and SERPs
  4. Meta Keyword Tags
  5. Link farming
  6. Overusing Anchor texts
  7. Relying on third-party domain authority scores
  8. Keywords: Stuffing, cannibalization, irrelevant targeting, and density
  9. Conclusion

Introduction 

If you are familiar with SEO, then you probably already know that SEO requirements and strategies are changing consistently. It's why this is a concept like SEO trends. Why? It is simply because search engines are constantly looking for the best way to give online users and searchers exactly what they want. 

 
When a query comes in from a user, search engines measure the behavior of the searcher in form of what sites they usually visit, how long they stay on those sites, what kind of answers they are looking for, and how they put together their queries. These data then form the SEO strategies we know today like keywords, links, and so on. The more human behavior changes, the more advanced and developed SEO tools also become. 

However, some things have never changed like the need for content or a call-to-action tab/button. But at the same time, some things have become outdated. So outdated that if they are still in use, they'll do more harm than good. It is always best to know which SEO tool you shouldn't use so that you won't hurt your site's ranking and metrics. So if you are ready, let's dive right into the old SEO strategies you should run away from. 

1. Content Overload and Low-quality Content 

There was a time when people wanted to create long, descriptive, content so that they could rank higher. Now, this is not only exhausting but also overloading and cumbersome. If the content is too long, you can end up making some mistakes like keyword stuffing without even knowing (more on this later). Also, it is simply not needed because people now have a low attention span and don't like to waste time reading through long articles. 

Most online searchers want the answers and solutions readily available on the first or second paragraph with a descriptive but easy-to-grasp list. Not that you cannot create long content, but instead of focusing on the length of the article, give more thought to the search intent and if your content is providing the value it ought to. Before writing on any topic, think about what the user is thinking about before making the search, what he / she wants to know, and any additional information he'd like to know. That is what makes great, high-quality content.

2. Writing for Ranks and SERPs 


This is another old strategy that is not only outdated but also destructive. Though the ranks say you need keywords, key phrases, and so many more things. But you shouldn't focus on those. The new rule is to write for humans and not for bots. The best sites are ranked high because their content helped users accomplish the task they were looking to perform and that's what makes a great website. 

If the value behind the content is missing, you are wasting time whether or not you pump your content with all the rules or not. So if you are still doing this, it's best to stop right now else, you'll be doing more harm than good. 

3. Meta Keyword Tags 

Meta keyword is a type of meta tag in the HTML source code. Its job is to tell a user what a certain article is about - the topic of the page. To do this, you'd have to add different keywords that are relevant to your topic just so that people would know what you are writing about. 

This became outdated because many websites began abusing it by spamming it with keywords that weren't relevant to their content. After all, the keywords were ranked high. Now, meta descriptions are better used. It is a 155 character long summary of what the content is about. You can add one or two keywords also as this will improve the quality of your content. 

4. Link farming 

This is also called buying links or paying for links. This is when a business pays another brand to add their domain to their content so it would serve as a backlink and increase rankings. Link farming has always been wrong. It is against Webmaster guidelines and search engines can sniff it out. You can be penalized for buying links so it's better to avoid it altogether. 

 

A better alternative is to work on providing value to your readers so that they organically link back to you. When your website link profile is natural, you will rank better whether or not you have tons of backlinks or just a few. 

5. Overusing Anchor texts 

In the past, people were fond of using the exact match of the link as anchor words. Didn't get that? Let's use this illustration to explain. 

The URL address you want to hyperlink is leading to content on SEO strategies so you use 'SEO strategies' as the anchor text. Though this is not entirely destructive, Google considers practices like this as over-optimization and they don't do well in the ranking podium. Instead, focus on creating content that's more user-search intent and natural. That way, the anchor words can blend with the entire text as a whole. 

6. Relying on third-party domain authority scores 

Back to the story about links, there was a common practice to add authority links to content for better ranking. As effective as this might sound for your campaign, it can be hurtful if the link does not correlate with your content. Yes, domain authority scores are beneficial in filtering out some quality sites from those that aren't quality. But using this as a major metric or ranking factor will be a major mistake. There are four things you need to put into consideration:
If the answer to these questions is No, then you might have to rethink using this outdated SEO strategy. The key is not necessarily the ranks anymore - it's the users. Are they satisfied? Are you providing value? If you are, almost all the other things will fall in line. 

7. Keywords: Stuffing, cannibalization, irrelevant targeting, and density

Keywords are an important part of SEO and content. They are like hashtags for social media and they help search engines know what your site / content is about. It also helps search engines find your website quickly when a relevant query is asked. However, in the past, some strategies were used with keywords that if they were used now, you can be penalized. 

The first is keyword stuffing. It is simply when you pack too many of a particular keyword within a single article so that your content will rank high for that keyword. Although that worked then, it is not only going to destroy your ranking, but it is also irritating for your readers. Imagine this:

"People who love cats always relate with other people who love cats because the people who love cats remain social. The people who love cats can also remain healthy because the cats with people who love cats keep people who love cats company and make them feel loved."

How annoying is that to read? Instead of stuffing keywords, use variations of long-tail keywords ad focus on the quality of the content. Remember what was said about writing for ranks. The illustration can also be linked to irrelevant targeting and cluster / keyword density. When the targeting is off, the text becomes almost meaningless, and not properly aligned. Readers will lose interest because the text will look congested and spammed. 

Cannibalization on the other hand is when you simply hurt yourself by having multiple pages ranking for the same keywords. Instead of doing this, you should consolidate your duplicate content into one pillage page so that it won't be spilled. 
 

Conclusion

As someone interested in website rankings and SEO, you need to stay in touch with the trends to avoid violating any rule and keep your rank organic growth. Also, you don't have to stick to the alternatives mentioned forever. Follow the news and switch when it is needed to newer and more effective strategies. If you need help with fixing SEO-related problems, website restructuring, or simply handling your website and managing the SEO, Semalt can help. They are a reputable SEO company with able and well-skilled team members vast in knowledge of the changing SEO trends. With them, you can create and maintain a Google-friendly website while following the growing changes in SEO knowledge. 

Do you want to know more about SEO? See Semalt Blog.