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Similar to many industries, the search marketing field is always evolving. SEM tactics that worked wonders years ago may not work today or can get you in ‘online trouble’. If you’re looking to improve your small company’s online presence through search engine marketing, be sure to avoid these black hat strategies.

Keyword Stuffing

Keyword stuffing is the act of repeating a keyword or variation on a keyword multiple times. An example of keyword stuffing could be:

“Do you want an awesome website? We have awesome websites for people who are looking for a website that is awesome. Come check out the awesome quality of our websites.”

It’s an extreme example, but you get the point.

In general, try to vary the use of your specific keyword throughout your content, meta fields, title, and essentially anything related to your website. In the stone age of search marketing, this tactic was used to eventually improve the ranking for a website when a specific keyword was searched. Long story short, this tactic eventually died out, as people were trying to rank for keywords unrelated to their website, product or service. Not only is it annoying to the search engine user, but it can harm the online image of your business in the long run.

Poor Link Building Strategy

If you’ve done your research about search engine marketing and optimization, you’ll know that the greater ‘link juice’ you have leading back to your website, the higher your search ranking will be over time. Well, in the ‘olden days’, link building used to be one of the primary ways to increase and maintain your search ranking. This led to individuals and companies going out and getting a whole lot of links from shady places. Links were being exchanged, bought or just given out in order to assist in raising search engine rankings.

Link building is an important part of your search strategy, however, it must be completed and executed properly. A good rule of thumb is that if the link doesn’t provide any value to you, your audience, the website, or their website, it may not be worth it.

Unoriginal or Duplicate Content

Although duplicate content technically is not an SEO tactic, per say, you should avoid it in order to enhance your ultimate ranking. Whether you use identical content on your website or you copy another website’s content with the intent to claim it as your own, you’re only hurting your overall rank and reputation. Your best bet is always to create your own original material and content. Should you need to use duplicate content on your website for legitimate reasons, be sure to follow these tips from Moz.

Thinking the Internet Revolves Around Google

Contrary to popular belief, ‘the Google’ does not run the Internet and therefore is not the only search engine or website where people search for information. Yahoo and Bing are two large contenders in the search industry, amongst several others including the popular social media channels. When implementing your search engine marketing plan, don’t focus solely on your Google rank. There is more to the Internet (and life) than Google!

Optimizing Your Website and Content for Search Engines

Wait. What? Isn’t that the point of this whole strategy? Well, yes and no. You want to increase your ranking on search engines in order to increase exposure for your company and ultimately drive sales, correct? Consider who is actually using the search engine. Your customer is a human (hopefully), which means that your content and website must be optimized for humans. Think about what your audience is actively searching for. For instance, let’s say that you operate a computer repair business. Your audience won’t be searching for specific computer parts. Instead, they will most likely search for ‘computer repair in Nashville’, as an example. Ultimately, your goal is to optimize your website for the user and what they will be searching for online.

If you choose to use any of these techniques, beware the repercussions. From being listed as spam to losing your search index on search engines, implementing these tactics can be detrimental to your online reputation. Whether you or your trusted SEO company are implementing the techniques, keep in mind that every tactic should add value to your website, business and the user’s experience.

Remember, search engine marketing does not result in overnight success. It is a long process that requires patience. However, if you play your cards right, your hard work and patience will pay off in the end.

If you know your business is in need of a search marketing strategy, but don’t have the time to take care of it in-house, the SEO team at Titan Web Marketing Solutions can take the weight off your shoulders and provide solid results. Give our office a call today at 877-935-3796 or fill out our contact form to learn more about our SEO services.