Keyword Stuffing—Stop It Ya Turkey!
What is keyword stuffing? It’s not a Thanksgiving side-dish. But it is a great way to get penalized by Google.
Keyword Stuffing Ingredients
- Using words or phrases out of context, just to squeeze in your keywords
- Irrelevant keywords
- Using terms repetitively
- Stuffing the metatags or alt tags
- Typing keywords in text that’s the same color as the background of the page so that the bots can read them, but the user can’t
- Listing cities and states in blocks of text to get local SEO-everywhere
- Spamdexing-this is overfilling your content with links. Search engines interpret this as keyword spamming and may penalize you for it.
- Inserting keywords into the page’s HTML code
At one time, the practice of overusing key terms to boost your SEO was a successful tactic. But then Google got wise and not only improved their algorithm but began issuing penalties for websites that try to game the system.
Keyword Density
To find out what your keyword density is, you can use a basic formula. First, divide the number of words in your copy by the number of times the keyword appears in the copy. This will give you the percentage of your copy that your keywords are using. The ideal density is around 2-4%.
Another easy way to keep track of your keyword density is to use the Yoast plugin. It’s free and is a great way to learn how to put together a web page or an optimized-not overdone blog post.
What’s the Problem with Overusing Keywords?
It’s usually awful to read content that has been stuffed with keywords. You won’t keep your readers on the page very long. And because it does nothing to enhance the user experience, your site could incur a penalty from Google or be removed from the search engine results pages altogether.
A Better User Experience= Better SEO
Rather than over-optimizing your page for Google’s algorithms, the goal is to give your website visitors a better user experience. You can do this by using synonyms (different words that mean the same thing). Not only does it read more naturally, but it also helps Google to sort through potential homonyms (words that look and sound the same but mean something different).
Write More, High-Quality Content
Writing longer pieces of content, including relevant images, will give your readers the valuable information they are looking for, keeping them on your page longer. This will make Google happy. It’s a win-win without the black-hat SEO tactics of bygone days.
Use Long-Tail Keywords
Long-tail keywords are more specific because they consist of 3-5+ words. So, while the search volume is lower, they will also pull in the readers looking for that exact information, lowering your bounce rate and raising your conversion rate.
At Iceberg Web Design, we know how to improve your SEO the right way. We have SEO content writers who can ensure your content is on brand and targeted to your audience.
Do you want to raise your online visibility?
