As a small to medium business (SMB) building your website's online visibility, you should be careful about engaging in spammy SEO tactics—even unintentionally. Unethical SEO practices can lead to penalties that can severely harm your website's Google rankings and make your business less visible to potential customers.
Here are seven common spammy tactics that can result in search engine penalties and SEO tips for steering clear of them:
Keyword stuffing
Even though keywords are crucial in most on-page SEO strategies, overloading your content with too many is a big no-no. As far as search engine algorithms go, quality and relevance trump quantity. Keyword stuffing, or using keywords an excessive number of times, can actually harm your search ranking instead of improving it.
Imagine yourself reading this sentence: "We are the best electricians in California, offering electrician services in California to those who need cheap electricians in California for residential electrical services." It sounds bad, unnatural, and confusing, leading to poor user experience.
To avoid keyword stuffing, focus on writing for your human audience rather than for search engines. Use your targeted keywords within the context of your content and as you would in a normal conversation. Remember that Google aims to provide the most relevant and valuable results for its users, so prioritize creating high-quality, user-friendly content.
Buying links
Backlinks, which are when other websites link back to your site, are one of Google's top ranking factors. They are considered a strong signal of authority because other websites are essentially vouching for your content. This is why some businesses buy backlinks, thinking that more links can increase their authority and rankings. However, Google sees this as a shady and manipulative tactic and will penalize your website for it.
Instead of buying backlinks, earn them legitimately by creating high-quality content that will be used as a resource or reference by other sites. You can also engage in organic approaches like networking within your industry, guest blogging, and sharing your expertise on social media to build your authority and attract natural backlinks.
Duplicate content
Duplicate content is the same content on multiple web pages—whether your own or on different websites. Although unintentional duplicate content is possible, some businesses intentionally use it to manipulate search rankings. Either case can confuse search engines about which version to rank, leading to penalties.
Do your best to create original content for each page of your website. To minimize the risk of duplicate content, you should also run your copy or blog posts through plagiarism checks. If you need to repeat information—with product descriptions on e-commerce pages, for example—differentiate each piece of content by paraphrasing or adding unique value.
Cloaking
This practice means the content shown to search engines differs from what appears to users. For example, the site might present keyword-rich content to search engines but direct users to a page that doesn't match the search terms. This deceptive tactic violates search engine guidelines and can sink your Google ranking.
Instead of trying to trick users or search engines, create content that satisfies your human audience and follows SEO updates and best practices. Make sure your pages provide the value they promise based on the keywords they're optimized for.
Hidden text or links
Some websites hide text or links by making them the same color as the page background, rendering them invisible to everyone but search engines. This tactic allows the website owner to stuff their pages without disrupting user experience, thinking the extra keywords and links would benefit their search rankings. However, Google considers this practice deceptive and incapable of offering real value to site visitors.
To avoid this issue, create content that speaks directly to your audience. Ensure that all elements of your website, including text, media, and design, are visible, easy to read, and comprehensible.
Thin content
This type of content has little useful or relevant information for site visitors. It could be auto-generated content or pages stuffed with keywords but do not offer anything valuable. Thin content can frustrate users and may cause them to leave the page, increasing the website's bounce rates.
When creating content for your website, focus on providing information that will genuinely help users. Find out what questions and concerns your potential customers have, and provide answers through your content. This way, visitors will want to stay on your website and consider you as a credible source of information.
Doorway pages
A doorway page is a low-quality page created specifically to rank for specific keywords and act as a "door" that leads users to a different page on your website. These pages are often thin and offer little value. For example, a website might create a doorway page for the keyword "HVAC repair in Houston." Instead of providing high-quality content related to the keyword, the page redirects users to the main HVAC services page. This tactic is considered deceptive and can lead to Google ranking penalties.
To avoid getting penalized, do not create pages for the sole purpose of capturing traffic. Instead, make sure each page in your website delivers usable, informative, and engaging content. This not only satisfies search engine requirements, but it also keeps site visitors happy.
Navigating the world of SEO may seem overwhelming, especially when you consider search engine penalties. However, remember that good SEO is about building trust—with both your audience and search engines. Keep your content genuine, valuable, and relevant, and always follow ethical SEO tips and best practices. Chances are, you'll soon see steady growth in your Google rankings without resorting to black-hat tactics.
