Keyword Overload: SEO Gaming Gone Awry

There is a tendency among some web content contributors to stuff their articles with key words and key word phrases in a bid to be found easier online. The thinking goes that if you write your article in such a way, you’ll find yourself on the first page of Google’s SERPs (search engine result pages), perhaps within the top three (above the fold) results.

This is what I think of keyword stuffed material!

A high placement in the SERPs can certainly offer many advantages for you including more customers who find your site as well as more click throughs for your ads. Up until a few years ago it wasn’t that difficult to achieve higher SERPs but the web has expanded greatly since then and a lot of people have decided to make a “killing” by doing the same.

But the search engines, particularly Google, have adjusted their algorithms accordingly and are much less likely to let a gamed article get through. Your work may still get indexed, but it may not appear any higher than page 19 for “get white teeth” or whatever phrase or words you are using.

There are some dangers whenever you resort to keyword stuffing including:

Your reputation becomes tarnished. Unless you’re happy with being labeled a spammer, you’ll have a hard time separating yourself from that title. In writing, you quickly become identified with the company you keep…or push!

Your audience dies of boredom. Keyword stuffing is always apparent and does little to edify the reader. You may gain the SERPs, but lose your readership.

So, how can you still attract the crowds without resorting to tried and discarded methods? By working more intelligently and deciding that your readers do not deserve to be insulted.

What you can work on are certain writing fundamentals including:

Develop magnetic headlines. I don’t mean headlines that simply exaggerate, but those written to compel people to learn more. Give people something to think about, raise their curiosity and put it in their minds to explore further. Besides, your keywords can be incorporated in your title.

Use similar words. If your content is an overt sales pitch, I can’t help you tone it down. But, if your article is instructive, consider using the words you want to include by naturally spreading them throughout your article. Importantly, use Google’s AdWords tool to help you find what you want. In the “get white teeth” phrase that tool shows several alternative phrases to consider: whiten teeth and get teeth white are important search terms.

You can take your work one step further by citing experts in your field and including their personal blurbs in your article. No, I don’t mean cutting and pasting what you find online, rather to contact these people for an interview. If time is of the essence, then just pitch one question their way and offer to include their answer in your article, citing them and linking to their site.

You’ll gain authority, visibility and a tremendous amount of respect if you build your content carefully. No, you may not get “instant results” but there is a good chance that what you write will get some legs and be cited elsewhere or become an authority piece. Yes, that means abandoning some of the old tactics you may have used but in the long run you’ll have something to be proud of.

See Also — Commenting? You Can Do Better Than That!

Guest Blogging: Following Up On My Blog Guest

At the beginning of February, I shared with you “My Blog Guest,” a blogging venture started by Ann Smarty who is well known in SEO circles. At that time I had yet to welcome my first guest blogger, but since then I’ve published four articles across three sites and am about to approve or publish two more.

I won’t go into all the details about this terrific site; please read my earlier article and visit My Blog Guest to learn more. But what I will share with you today are some observations on how to work with guest bloggers, offering tips to help make this practice work well for your blogs.

Make A Plan – If you own one or more blogs, you may benefit from having a guest writer contribute unique material. Although I don’t need outside contributors I have found that some of my guest bloggers are regular readers anyway, so why not reward their loyalty by encouraging a guest post? Still, you may need to plan what type of articles you want to appear on your site—I enjoy contributions in areas where my expertise isn’t particularly strong.

Post Your Request – Though there are other guest blogging sites out there, I only belong to Ann’s site. So, I can’t speak about how the others work. With My Blog Guest you register with that site, create a profile and then put your request on the forum. You can also answer requests for guest bloggers to contribute your work elsewhere.

Do Your Homework – Once you post your request (be as detailed as possible) expect to receive several replies, some of which will be posted right online while others will be sent to you via private message. A few people may discover your email address and send a proposal directly to you. I always ask for samples of previously published work, a topic proposal and a general outline before proceeding. I then put out the parameters for the article—typically 400 to 750 words—and then wait until I receive a draft before taking the next step.

Carefully Review Contributions – I don’t want duplicate content so I check with Copyscape to make sure what is sent to me is unique. I also ask people not to use the article elsewhere after the fact as I want to keep what is published on my blogs unique. If someone wants to do a heavy rewrite and use it elsewhere that’s fine with me. I also will edit articles if something isn’t clear, but I usually don’t uphold AP Stylebook standards because we’re talking about blogs, not newspaper sites. Still, if something needs to be clarified or made more concise, I may rework it myself slightly.

Be Link Generous – I limit links to just two per article and I usually require those links to appear in the “author’s resource box” at the end of the article. But, if links are relevant to the article, then they are included. Moreover, I utilize StumbleUpon and Twitter to make sure that the articles get noticed and I’ll push it through other SEO channels if warranted.

Ultimately, I believe that guest articles are mutually beneficial to contributor and to blog owners alike, so I do what it takes to help everyone out.

Am I sold on guest blogging? You bet! Though I haven’t contributed to other blogs since last year, I expect when things slow down for me after tax season that I’ll make my own contributions here and there.

Guest blogging rocks and Ann Smarty’s site helps bring people together; a winning combination you may want to explore further.