Although most website owners ensure that they adhere to the search engine optimization practices that are laid out and amended by Google from time to time, many others act surprised when they see their websites being placed at the bottom of Google’s pecking order. However, these are usually the people who are still trying to use the outdated types of SEO methods mentioned below. Don’t make these common SEO mistakes.

Keyword Stuffing

While this used to be considered as the holy grail of SEO techniques, keyword stuffing has become so outdated that it is quite surprising to see that so many website owners still try and increase their site’s search engine rankings in this manner. Instead, it is recommended that your keyword density level in any piece of content be set at anywhere between 0.5% and 2%.  What is more important than keyword density itself is using your keywords in such a way that they flow naturally within your content. An unnatural flow in your content is going to result in a poor user experience.

Purchasing Directory Submission Packages

Previously, it was highly recommended that website owners purchase the largest directory submission packages possible as part of their search engine optimization strategy. Although this used to be an effective way to gain exposure for your website and improve its search engine rankings, this is no longer the case. In fact, trying to use directory submission packages and purchased link exchange programs goes directly against Google’s Webmaster Policies and Guidelines.

Article Spinning

In short, article spinning simply means that you are rewriting a particular piece of content by changing one or two words in the title and replacing others in the body of the article with synonyms. While some site owners used to do this manually, others purchased article spinning software to help them reproduce multiple versions of a single article in very little time. This method of SEO was fairly successful until a few years ago. However, as search engines have become smarter in their quest to sniff out duplicate content, using this outdated optimization method is guaranteed to get your site sent to the bottom of the rankings.

Using Microsites with Thin Content

(older video but totally relevant)

At one stage, it was all the rage for site owners to launch as many websites as possible that contained exactly the same content as each other and interlink them with each other in order to try and manipulate search engine results. As Google’s search engine technology and web crawlers were improved over the years to detect duplicate and poor-quality content, using this technique has seen the majority of these microsites fall by the wayside or even disappear from the internet completely.

Poor Quality Content

A few years ago, it was possible to post just about any type of content online and gain a reputable spot in search engine rankings. However, thanks to Google’s recent Penguin and Panda updates, being able to rank highly on search engine rankings with poor quality content has become a thing of the past. When a website visitor lands on your site, he or she is expecting to find answers to questions or at least be able to read a good quality piece of content, which is why this SEO change has been implemented.

Instead of trying to manipulate your search engine optimization by taking shortcuts, it is best to be aware of what Google’s terms and conditions are regarding which methods are acceptable. Creating and sharing top quality and completely original content still remain some of the best ways to ensure that your website is not only viewed by thousands of visitors each month, but that it is able to reach the very top of search engine rankings.