Bad SEO Techniques

by warner on November 30, 2012

When it comes to running a successful SEO campaign, there are certain techniques you need to avoid as using these strategies can have negative impacts on your website’s search engine rankings. Google, the world’s largest search engine, has been making constant updates to their search engine algorithm to weed out the websites that are employing bad SEO techniques to achieve a first page ranking. Whenever Google suspects a specific website has been using bad SEO techniques, they will hit the website with a penalty, causing that site’s rankings to drop. Below is a list of bad SEO techniques you should avoid when running an SEO campaign for your website.

 Hidden Text

Placing hidden text on your website is one of the quickest ways to receive a penalty from the search engines. When you place hidden text on your site in an effort to get more SEO friendly content on your website, search engines will think you are trying to deceive your visitors and will subsequently lowering your rankings for your target keywords.

 Duplicate Content

Another SEO technique you want to avoid is having duplicate content on your website. Stealing content from another website to place on yours is a very quick way to get penalized by the search engines. Search engines want to see websites that have fresh, unique, high quality content. If you are getting your content from other parts of the web, your website will not be providing any value to your visitors.

 Keyword Stuffing

Writing content that contains a bunch of keywords and that is not written with the user in mind is another excellent way to receive a search engine penalty. In the early days of SEO, simply having your keywords on your page a number of times was enough to gain a first page ranking. However, now that Google’s search engine algorithm has evolved, this practice will now bring about a severe penalty, and your website will not be found in the search results.

 Purchasing Links

Google is trying to crack down on webmaster who buy backlinks for their website in an effort to improve its search engine rankings. When you purchase backlinks for your website, the chances are pretty good that they will not come from a high quality, relevant website, which will actually cause more harm than good when it comes to your website’s SEO. By avoiding the temptation to buy backlinks in bulk, you will be able to focus on building high quality links that point to your website from trusted, well respected websites around the Internet.

 Redirects

Placing a redirect on your website is a surefire way to get your website removed completely from the search engine results. A redirect is when you trick people into clicking your link in the search results by promising them one type of content and sending them to a website that is completely different. If the search engines find out that your website is running a redirect, they will simply remove your website fro the search results, making it impossible to gain organic search traffic.

 Building Links With the Same Anchor Text

When you are building quality backlinks for your website, it is important that you remember to diversify your anchor text. If you use the same keyword as your anchor text for every link that you build, your backlink profile will look unnatural in the eyes of the search engines, and your website will be penalized with lower rankings. Having a natural looking backlink profile is the secret to SEO success.

Running an SEO campaign is one of the best ways you can drive targeted traffic to your website. By avoiding bad SEO techniques, you can ensure your website never receives a penalty from the search engines, and will be able to achieve a first page ranking.

Richard H. is passionate at everything he do. Photography, internet marketing, writing, blogging. Currently working for Samuelson Hause & Samuelson as a content contributor. Enjoys helping others any way he can.

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Why WordPress Is So Popular

by warner on November 22, 2012

While there are several ways to create a website, using a readymade content management system (CMS) is often the fastest way to do it. There are several popular content management systems available on the web such as WordPress, Joomla, Drupal etc. that serve a variety of purposes. However, if you looking for a CMS that combines functionality with flexibility, look no further than WordPress. If you have never used WordPress before or want to know what makes it such an efficient content management system and website builder, here are top 5 reasons for its popularity.
1) Easy to install and maintain – WordPress is one of the most simple content management systems out there; you can download and install it within minutes. Even if you are technologically challenged, you can use the WordPress installer that comes with most web hosting packages and get the job done quickly. Along with the ease of installation, WordPress also offers ease of maintenance. You can also use plugins to automate routine maintenance tasks such as creating backups, updating plugins, emailing traffic statistics and so on. The ease of installing and maintenance is especially useful if you have a large portfolio of sites to maintain.
2) Multi-user functionality – If you are looking for a content management system that supports multi-user functionality then WordPress is your best bet. WordPress is a flexible system that supports multiple administrators, moderators and content creators. So you can have one or more administrators who can tweak WordPress settings and perform maintenance tasks and several authors who are only allowed to post content in a single installation.
3) Easy to customize – WordPress is an open source software which means you are free to make changes to the code and add new functionality as per your needs. There are thousands of free plugins available that allow you to add to WordPress functionality but can also create your own customized plugins. Since WordPress was created in PHP, anyone with the knowledge of PHP and HTML can quickly add to its functionality. WordPress is truly a versatile system so you are free to add and remove features as per your needs without affecting the core functionality of your website.
4) Security – WordPress is one of the most secure content management systems out there. Moreover you can also add to its security by installing plugins like Better WP Security. The security plugins allow you to restrict the number of login attempts, hide pages, ban IP addresses, secure databases and customize every single security aspect that can be exploited by hackers.
5) All-in-one system – WordPress is no longer just a website builder or a blogging system; it has evolved into much more than that. Nowadays Wordpess is considered as an end to end website creation system that includes content management system, blogging platform and website builder all rolled into one. The beauty of WordPress is that it never exposes its users to the technical details so they are free to create content and promote their sites instead of worrying about maintaining their site.

The author is a WordPress expert who writes for http://make-a-web-site.com.com Visit the site to discover more WordPress tips and tricks and to learn how to create a successful WordPress site.

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5 Critical SEO Tips for Ecommerce Sites

by warner on November 22, 2012

Ecommerce has grown leaps and bounds in the past decade. With that much competition, it pays to stand out as much as possible. One tactic you can use is to increase your website’s search engine optimization, otherwise known as SEO. When you improve your website’s SEO, you help ensure that your website comes up on the first page of internet searches. The following are five critical SEO tips for ecommerce sites.

Choose Relevant Keywords

Keywords are what people search for to find something on the internet. For example, if your ecommerce site was devoted to ereader covers, your keywords would be ereader covers. These terms would be used throughout your website and in other areas to draw customers to your website. When choosing keywords, use a website like Google Adwords to find relevant keywords that have numerous searches, but low competition.

Add Keywords to Site Description

A site’s description is what shows up under your website’s name on search engines. This means you definitely want to include your keywords. For example, your description might read, “Fashionable E-Reading features a number of designer ereader covers that fit the Kindle, Nook, iPad, and many more ebook reading devices.”

Create Content

Websites need content. If you’re not comfortable with writing content, hire a freelance writer. Content not only increases your ranking on search engines, but gives customers a reason to come to your website. For example, you might write an article about how it’s necessary for ereaders to have a cover to protect it from scratches and drops.

Use Backlinks

A backlink is when you create a hyperlink between words on the page (preferably your keywords) to another page of your website. You can also create backlinks by writing guest posts for other websites and linking back to your website. If someone finds your website interesting, they too may link to your website. Quality backlinks can increase your page’s ranking and drive traffic to your store.

Build Great Pages

Last, but not least, search engines want websites to have content on each page. In other words, your contact page should include more than just a phone number and email address. Instead, explain why the customer should contact you and that you’re happy to help with any questions they may have. Remember to also include your keywords.

Ecommerce can be a fierce business to get into. However, with the use of SEO, your website can stand out from those that don’t use these tips. When your page ranks higher in search engines, you’re more apt to increase sales and backlinks to your website. Take the time to do these simple tasks and watch the sales rise.

About the Author: Moises Weis loves building ecommerce sites. He loves incorporating WordPress, a great Prestashop theme, and fabulous content to create an unforgettable store.

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Athletes Behaving Badly on Social Media

November 22, 2012

Whether they want to be or not, professional athletes are role models to a multitude of people, and many of their fans follow them on social media sites like Twitter or join their fan pages on Facebook.
But professional athletes are humans, and humans make mistakes. And when you give a human the ability to reach [...]

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Social Media Mistakes to Avoid

November 22, 2012

Most businesses are using social media to connect to their target markets and customers. But as with many things in advertising and marketing, social media is not immune to embarrassing mistakes. Social media is very powerful. It can make or break your brand. You have to be careful when posting status updates, shoutouts, etc. Here [...]

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Do’s and Don’ts for Pets on Twitter: A Furry Guide to Social Media

November 22, 2012

Image by andrewr
Everyone loves their pets very much and most of us are irrevocably convinced that they communicate with us in their own special way. While the animal kingdom certainly has some wisdom the human race could learn from, maybe you should think twice before signing your pet up to Twitter. If you, however, do [...]

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Why are So Many Businesses Unhappy with Their Blogs?

November 22, 2012

Internet marketing blogs are filled with posts telling businesses that they need to start their own blog. Because blogging has become such a mainstream practice, many businesses follow this advice. However, the problem is even though a large percentage of businesses with an online presence do have a blog, a lot of them aren’t happy [...]

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5 Tips For Your Social Media Engagement

November 22, 2012

Social Media is not an option anymore, it is a need. In order to reach out to your customers or audiences you have to be where they are, and in today’s time and age, they’re easily reachable through social networking sites. Networking via the social media requires the same rule as networking at a social [...]

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F.T.C. Staff Prepares Antitrust Case Against Google Over Search – NYTimes.com

November 17, 2012

Anybody who has been watching Google must have thought an antitrust suit was only a matter of time. Well it looks like that time has come. – Warner
The Federal Trade Commission is raising the ante in its antitrust confrontation with Google with the commission staff preparing a recommendation that the government sue the search giant.
Jon [...]

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Top 3 marketing strategies for online businesses

November 11, 2012

Operating an online business is both easy and difficult. Easy in the sense that you can start it at home with little budget and difficult in a way that a lot of expertise and knowledge is required to sustain the pressure of winning the top rank. Nonetheless, if you run a small online business setup, [...]

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