What SEO is Not
Search Engine Optimization is a lot of things. It is a powerful marketing tool when used correctly. SEO is a great way to drive traffic and increase site visits and visibility. But it isn’t a panacea for your digital marketing problems, and it can be easily abused. If you are hiring someone to handle your SEO/SEM, you need to know what bad SEO is, in order to keep from being penalized by search engines.
SEO is not keyword stuffing/keyword saturation.
Pseudo-experts in SEO often hyper-saturate articles with keywords in the hopes of attracting the attention of search engines – namely Google. Not only is this strategy ineffective, it can actually backfire. Google’s latest algorithms actively block sites that display blatant keyword saturation, in order to ensure quality search results. If your page is cluttered with keywords, you could be in trouble. The text on your site should read naturally and include “sticky content.” Sticky content is content that actually addresses your visitor’s questions appropriately and accurately, keeping them on the page for a minimum of two minutes, and encouraging return visits.
SEO is not spinning old content from other sites.
One of the most popular techniques used by SEO hacks today is the blatant theft of quality content from sites that receive high traffic for use on another site. Spin generators are used to create synonyms for words in the text, and then the revised text is posted as original content. This is plagiarism, pure and simple. It also reads poorly in many cases, and is obvious to site visitors. Protect yourself from spun content by using copy checking services to evaluate for similar texts online before posting any outsourced content.
SEO is not free.
A good SEO specialist has training and spends time and effort crafting quality content for sites, and deserves compensation, as any professional. Beware of sites or services offering prices significantly below market norms. Although some professionals may offer discounted rates when first beginning their careers, most copywriters working at the professional level charge a minimum of $27 per hour. The professional average is $45 per hour.
SEO is not a guarantee.
Quality SEO can draw web traffic, but only if there is interest in the keywords selected. Keyword selection is often left up to the client, not the writer, although many copywriters are well aware of how to choose effective keywords. Before hiring a copywriter for SEO article generation, carefully select keywords that match your company and your site, but that are also generating significant web traffic. There are several apps and services available to help you accomplish this goal.
SEO is not a stand alone strategy.
Although it can be tempting to employ quality SEO as your only digital marketing strategy, it would be a mistake. Use SEO to help sticky content gather traction, but keep in mind that it is just one piece of a much larger puzzle. Quality digital marketing includes social media marketing, email marketing, website design, and numerous other factors. Each has to work in unison to achieve a quality result. Working with a well-rounded and highly trained team, like the experts at Xbitx, can save you the hassle of hunting for professionals and coordinating an external marketing team – Xbitx does it all.