If there's one thing you should know about search engine optimisation, it's that nothing stays the same for long. In fact, it doesn't take much to realise the flip side of the coin: all it takes is a little too long to stay on top of the latest trends and changes. To make sure this doesn't happen to you, we're going to take a look at some SEO tactics that used to be very popular, but are no longer of much value and are therefore outdated!
1. extremely short content
Optimising content for a text length of less than 300 words used to be at the top of the list of tricks. While these extremely short texts used to be very successful in SEO campaigns, content marketers and brand managers now have an easier time with Google and other search engines if they write longer, informative passages.
2. forcing a keyword-based title
By now, forcing keywords in the page title has changed its status from "necessary" to "unnecessary". Instead, focus on finding a title that is meaningful, strongly related to the content of your page and also relies on humorous techniques such as alliteration.
3. using too many meta keywords
Apart from the fact that using too many different keywords per page makes a rather unfocussed impression, listing terms in the meta tag "keywords" also tells competitors which keywords you would like to rank for. As the keywords specified here no longer have any effect on the ranking anyway, it is better to leave this meta element blank. Instead, concentrate on including the most important keywords and common synonyms naturally in your web texts.
4. quantity instead of quality when linking
When it comes to inbound links, you might think: "The more the merrier." However, this truism has long since ceased to apply to search engine optimisation. The truth is that buying bulk links and forgoing quality links to other relevant opinion leaders will not help your website rank better. On the contrary: If Google notices unnatural link building, you will even be penalised and can quickly lose any rankings you have already achieved.
5. take every opportunity for guest posts
Not so long ago, it was irrelevant whether you provided good or bad content, as long as you took every opportunity to post guest posts. Similar to link building, this practice has shifted significantly towards quality. It doesn't matter whether you present yourself as a guest author on external websites or whether other companies write articles on your blog: Make sure that the brands in question are a good fit for you and that it is high-quality content that will bring you a good reputation.
6. neglecting good image labelling
Including images on websites is another popular way to advertise your products and services in an appealing way. However, one thing is often forgotten: Writing alternative text for these images. If you don't label your images correctly, you give away the opportunity for search engines to display this content for suitable search queries. Neglecting images and image texts is therefore also a major disadvantage from an SEO perspective.
7. use exact keywords
There was once a time when using exact - and sometimes nonsensical - keyword phrases in website copy was the most effective way to improve SEO results. Today, you not only convince potential customers, but also search engines more with high-quality, linguistically sophisticated content. Google & Co. now also understand plural forms, synonyms, etc. So don't cling to a stiff phrase, but build content sensibly around a keyword area.
One thing is clear: Nothing is set in stone. If you want your website to rank well in the long term, it is best to ensure that you are always up to date. Because Google and its algorithm optimisations never sleep!
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