Poor SEO content is found all over the Internet these days. Either because they don't have the funds for a Web copywriter, or because they figur...
Poor SEO content is found all over the Internet these days. Either because they don't have the funds for a Web copywriter,
or because they figure it can't be too difficult, many small business startups and webmasters decide to write their own website copy. Unfortunately, the result is often disastrous, as they don't know what it takes to create good content, and misunderstand the rules of search engine optimization.
The most common errors in do-it-yourself SEO content usually fall into three categories: improper usage of keywords, poor grammar and spelling, and empty content. Here are some suggestions to help you avoid these pitfalls.
1) DON'T use your chosen keywords in every single sentence.
One of the biggest pitfalls in do-it-yourself content is trying to fit the keywords into just about every single sentence. This is called keyword stuffing, and actually does not do you any good. In fact, it can hurt your search engine rankings. Search engines do look for certain keyword content when ranking websites, but they were very quick to catch on when people started keyword stuffing instead of having high quality content. As a result, an unnatural concentration of keywords can actually ding you in search engine results, putting your site farther down the list instead of moving it up.
Instead, try to use your chosen keywords as naturally as possible. In general, using it once or twice in the first few sentences, and then as it would naturally occur throughout the rest of the content, is the best approach. You should also put your primary keyword in the title and the meta tags.
2) DON'T publish your website without first checking your spelling and grammar.
Poor spelling, grammar, capitalization, and punctuation are some of the most painful things to see on the Internet. The search engines may not care about this, but if you publish a website that reads like a second grader wrote it, eventually it will come back to bite you. You see, keyword content isn't the ONLY thing that the search engines look at when determining a site's ranking -- they also analyze the popularity of a site on the Internet, judged by how often other sites link to yours. And no one important is going to link to a site that screams illiteracy.
Perhaps the most frustrating thing about poorly written sites is that there is absolutely no need for it. Microsoft Word has a perfectly good spelling and grammar checker, so you can avoid most issues by writing your content in your word processing program before copying and pasting it onto your website. It is also good to have a friend or family member look over the content before you publish it.
2) DON'T write empty content.
Another problem often found in poorly written SEO content is that it doesn't really mean anything. All too often, people repeat empty concepts in sentence after sentence, just to squeeze a couple more instances of their keyword phrase into the article. Good content, on the other hand, offers useful information, not just keyword-crazed fluff.
Maybe you don't want to give away trade secrets or information that you are selling via your website, but useful content will draw more readers than useless content. Don't forget, the search engines also use outside links to your site in their formula to determine search engine ranking, and publishing helpful articles can encourage blogs and other websites to link to you.
Despite what you might think, writing good SEO content isn't something that just anyone can do. Internet copywriters often work in the industry for years, constantly honing their skills. But by following these simple rules, you can at least ensure that your content won't be blacklisted or dinged by the search engines.
