Bad SEO tactics are like a bunch of cockroaches invading your internet house.
They. Just. Won’t. Die.
Plus, they’re hard to find and easy to miss. When you finally spot one, it can scuttle out of sight before you know it.
It’s no wonder that despite the evolution of Google and the internet, bad SEO content tactics still proliferate. They continue to haunt webpages, search rankings, traffic, and conversions.
So, what are some of the craziest and most common “do nots” of SEO?
Learn what to absolutely, always avoid doing when writing SEO content.
In this presentation, we will cover:
– The most common bad SEO content tactics that are still happening all over the web in 2019.
– Which bad SEO content tactics Google really hates.
– Smart solutions and replacements to help you avoid them for good.
Most Impressive Construction Leaders in Tech, Making Waves in the Industry, 2...
Julia McCoy Webinar 7 Terrible SEO Tactics to Abandon
1.
2. #SEJThinktank
@JuliaEMcCoy
Julia is the CEO of Express Writers, 2x
author, and content marketing educator. Her
expertise is SEO-friendly content marketing.
Since 2011, her agency of 90+ writers and
strategists have created content for a huge
variety of brands around the globe…even
Johnson&Johnson and Nordstrom.
6. #SEJThinktank
@JuliaEMcCoy
Because if we’re still practicing outdated or
worse, penalization-worthy practices, Google
AND our human audience might feel a little like
this when they see our site…
7. #SEJThinktank
@JuliaEMcCoy
“It was a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad [site]!”
Scene from the 2014 movie Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day
11. #SEJThinktank
@JuliaEMcCoy
We care about Google and avoiding bad
practices for search because… if you add together
traffic from all popular search engines (Google
primarily, along with Bing, Yahoo, and YouTube),
70.6% of all online traffic originates from a search
engine.
12. #SEJThinktank
@JuliaEMcCoy
Out of 70.6% of all online traffic originating from a
search engine, 60% of that happens in Google.
This means more than half of all traffic on the web starts
with a Google search.
15. #SEJThinktank
@JuliaEMcCoy
To forget, or even worse – ignore! – how your website
is performing in search, is… REAL TALK…
irresponsible.
The good news is that if you put the right practices in
place, you might be on the verge of a success story.
34. #SEJThinktank
@JuliaEMcCoy
BuzzSumo analyzed more than 100 million
articles. The most-shared posts were
long-form. Backlinko studied 1 million
blogs, and found 1,900-2,000-word posts at
the top of Google.
38. If you post content consistently, you’ll feed
Google, your website, and build your list.
#SEJThinktank
@JuliaEMcCoy
39. Hubspot looked at blogging frequency data
from over 13,500 marketers and agencies.
Those who blogged 16+ times per month
earned the most traffic and the most leads.
#SEJThinktank
@JuliaEMcCoy
45. #SEJThinktank
@JuliaEMcCoy
According to Google Quality Rater Guidelines, Google
says that pages with the highest quality:
• Achieve an intended purpose
• Demonstrate a high level of E-A-T (expertise,
authoritativeness, and trustworthiness)
46. #SEJThinktank
@JuliaEMcCoy
For more on Google’s Search Quality Evaluator Guidelines, see my post on SEJ:
searchenginejournal.com/google-says-need-expert-writers-content-standards-new-search-
guidelines
49. OOPS! According to a SEMrush study of over
100,000 websites, one of the most common
on-page SEO errors is duplicate content.
#SEJThinktank
@JuliaEMcCoy
53. One of the oldest and most black-hat SEO ‘techniques’
out there, buying links is expressly forbidden and
penalized by Google nowadays. Just don’t do it.
#SEJThinktank
@JuliaEMcCoy
54. Google views each link to your site essentially as a
“vote of confidence”. If you buy backlinks, Google
equates that to vote rigging.
#SEJThinktank
@JuliaEMcCoy
59. #SEJThinktank
@JuliaEMcCoy
Can you survive without “getting links”?
YES. We’ve never sought out a link in 8
years! Quality of content, originality of
thought, and relevancy for our audience has
always come first.
60. #SEJThinktank
@JuliaEMcCoy
Other leaders that have earned thousands of links without ever
seeking one…
- Unbounce: Oli Gardner wrote free ebooks and blogs to grow their
brand. He created a 13,000-word, 15 million pixel infographic, The
Newb's Guide to Online Marketing, for Moz. It was downloaded over
150,000 times and earned thousands of backlinks.
- Buffer: Kevan Lee has created ‘ultimate’-style content that’s earned
hundreds of links per post for Buffer. Their “What We Learned
Through 43 Million Facebook Posts” earned 164 organic backlinks.
62. 70% of consumers today check out company and
product reviews before making an online purchase.
#SEJThinktank
@JuliaEMcCoy
63. A study by the Washington Post found that 61% of
electronics reviews on Amazon are fake.
#SEJThinktank
@JuliaEMcCoy
64. #SEJThinktank
@JuliaEMcCoy
Solution
Ask more happy customers
on a regular basis to review
you on social media or your
most important site (BBB,
Yelp, Amazon). Listen for
customer “YAY!” moments, and
ask then.
66. #SEJThinktank
@JuliaEMcCoy
If we’re still practicing outdated or worse,
penalization-worthy practices, Google AND our
human audience might feel a little like this when
they see our site…
67. #SEJThinktank
@JuliaEMcCoy
“It was a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad [site]!”
Scene from the 2014 movie Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day
69. #SEJThinktank
@JuliaEMcCoy
1. Don’t create too much content around similar keywords.
Naturally incorporate synonymous keywords.
2. Don’t create short, thin content. Comprehensive content earns
more mentions, shares and rankings.
3. Don’t post content erratically. Stick to a content schedule.
4. Don’t put quantity before quality. Focus on creating better
content than what’s already in Google’s top 5.
70. #SEJThinktank
@JuliaEMcCoy
5. Don’t post duplicate content. Use Copyscape to check for
originality.
6. Don’t buy backlinks. Create backlink-worthy content.
7. Don’t forget customer reviews—and never have fake ones
created and posted. Ask happy customers for reviews in their “Yay!”
moments.