Most Common Mistakes in Web Site Optimization

[dlane1987]

Web site optimization is the practice of making your
site search-friendly both to search engines and searchers. There are
five common mistakes that people tend to make when beginning to optimize
their sites for search engines.

1: Lack of Targeted Keywords and Phrases

A lack of targeted keywords and phrases can make or break your site. When
a searcher goes to a search engine or directory and types in a keyword
or keyword phrase that you would like to be found for - but you don't
have these particular keywords and phrases on your site - then that
searcher will most likely not be able to find you.

2: Poorly Written Content

Site content is the absolute number one draw for both search engine spiders
and search engine/directory users. If your content is badly written, is
never updated, or is not relevant to what you want to be found for, than
your site is neither search engine friendly or user-friendly. In
addition, your content absolutely must have targeted keywords and
phrases (see mistake number 1). Well-written content is what search
engine spiders feed on, and content is the key to high rankings.


3: Black Hat SEO Techniques

Black Hat web site optimization includes techniques that are unethical and
frowned upon by search engine spiders. These techniques include keyword
stuffing, doorway pages, invisible text, and more. These practices
actually do raise your site ranking. However, search engine spiders have
become very aware of Black Hat seo techniques and can spot them pretty
easily (and ban your site). Don't go for the quick fix; learn how to
optimize your site for the long haul.

4: Using Meta Tags Improperly or Not At All

Meta tags include title tags, keyword tags, and description tags. While not
the absolute most important component in Web site optimization (that
spot is reserved for keywords and content), they do have an important
part to play. Make sure to include all these tags in every page of your
site, and target them for each individual page.

5: A Badly Designed Site

Ineffective site design includes lack of clear navigation, poorly designed frames,
and large,load-intensive graphics. Search engine spiders can actually be
blocked from crawling sites that are not well-designed, so it's a major
part of Web site optimization; plus, if users can't find what they want
on your site quickly, they'll find another site.