Most people know that SEO, when it is done well, can have benefits for websites. It can help them to rank higher for relevant search terms and, hopefully, increase traffic to the site. However, if SEO is done badly – or if frowned-upon tactics are used to boost a site’s rankings – it could end up doing more harm than good.
This is why it is important to use a professional London SEO agency for your search engine optimisation, so you can be certain that it is carried out properly and to the best possible effect. But how do we know the difference between ‘good’ and ‘bad’ SEO?
Good Vs Bad
Sometimes the two types are referred to as ‘white hat’ (good) and ‘black hat’ (bad) methods. White hat SEO methods include things such as undertaking keyword research to work out the best words and phrases to target in your website content. It also includes making sure your number one priority in terms of content is that it is good quality and interesting to read – even though the keywords are in there, they have been worked in naturally and the experience for the user is good.
By contrast, black hat SEO often includes methods such as keyword stuffing, which is where the keywords are packed into the content with such density that it becomes hard to read. At its most extreme, this sort of practice can lead to content that doesn’t even make any sense because the focus is on the keywords, rather than on the user experience.
Essentially, black hat SEO is all about trying to get webpages ranked higher than they should be. Keyword stuffing is just one example of how this is done, but if you want your site to do well and avoid rankings penalties, it is definitely something to avoid. However, as well as methods that could earn your site a demotion in the search rankings for employing bad practices, there are also SEO practices that it’s wise to avoid because they’re unlikely to bring you any benefits.
What happens if you’re being naughty…
For example, if you choose to focus on a single keyword for each page of your site in the hope that you’ll rank well for it, it’s unlikely you’ll achieve your goal. Most sites tend to have more luck with carefully-selected key phrases that have a greater relevance to them and less competition. Failing to stay on top of your SEO is another error: when search engines crawl sites, they look for things such as recent, relevant, original content. Not updating your website on a regular basis could turn out to be a mistake.
Overall, any good London SEO agency will tell you that the main aim of any website is to be compelling and interesting for the people who visit it. Good SEO can help you with this purpose and help to bring more people to your site, but your site should never just be about SEO. Remember your purpose, and be careful about how you choose to optimise your site, and you should have the best possible chance of achieving your SEO goals.
