Search engine algorithms change frequently. The effective SEO tactics today will no longer be effective tomorrow. And that’s the truth. Sad but true.
SEO Tactics That Are No Longer Effective Today
Here are some SEO strategies that were effective yesterday but will get your site penalized today.
1. Creating Keyword-Focused Pages
SEO is all about optimizing content to rank higher for the keywords you’re using. Some SEOs have told you about using one keyword per page to keep it more focused.
But this tactic may no longer be effective today. Thanks to the Hummingbird update.
Google has rethought how it analyzes pages. Instead of looking into the keywords, it analyzes the ideas that the keywords represent.
In short, it’s the topic that counts now and not the number of keywords. Thus, repeating the keyword over and over again won’t help your content rank higher.
But it doesn’t mean that you don’t need to optimize your page for certain keywords. Instead, focus on the topic and what it can help to your visitors.
2. Buying Links
Before, search engines ranked websites based on on-page optimization. When Google came in the picture, it changed everything and added links as part of the algorithm.
When SEO experts learned about that, they link to every page in their websites. The more links a page has, the better ranking it’d receive.
Because of that, a lot of SEOs started purchasing links to dramatically increase their websites’ rankings.
If you’re purchasing links today, your site will be heavily penalized. The Penguin algorithm looked for links that your sites truly earned. That said, buying links is no longer effective.
You can still buy links today but make sure that it’s a no-follow tag. It sees your traffic without being viewed by Google as manipulating its algorithm.
Social media has taken the place of links in terms of building natural links. By engaging with your audience and providing your fans with interesting content, your site will receive incoming links without even asking.
3. Creating Thin Content
It’s true that content is king. Search engines like ranking sites with content.
Unfortunately, if you’re only pushing out content without providing value to your audience, your site will still get penalized through the Penguin update that targets sites with no valuable content.
This seo consultant suggests to not focus on the number of contents you have in your site, rather, concentrate on the quality of each piece of content you’re providing your audience.
It’s better to have one article that’s more valuable and authoritative than having 10 articles with little to no value.
Today, the goal of every content producer is to produce article that will improve his/her reputation online. With better content, you’re more likely to get noticed and receive links.
Final Thoughts
Chasing algorithms can be difficult. The most effective tactics today will be gone tomorrow. For that reason, it’s more useful to simply build long-term value to your audience.
It’s also essential that you stop looking for SEO strategies that may result in your site being penalized tomorrow.
Instead, focus on building relevance and value with your visitors.
What SEO tactics you’ve been using before that are no longer effective today? Please share your thoughts.
