Critical Search
Engine Mistakes

Sooner or later, anyone with a website comes to the startling realization they need that one essential thing all sites need for online success - traffic!

Website designers and owners usually relegate traffic generation, and specifically search engine traffic generation, to the last item on the to-do list as something they'll "worry about later".

If you own or advertise with a website, the following list of critical search engine mistakes will do as much to dispel any misconceptions you might have, as it will to help you generate more search engine traffic by either cleaning up your existing site or starting off fresh with your next one.

1. Targeting the wrong keywords.

Most people don't give enough thought to the keywords around which they build their site.

They do little or no research as to the relative popularity of certain terms and they frequently use industry specific terms consumers would never use in a keyword search.

2. Using "Mirror" sites.

A technique that use to work for achieving better positions in the search engines revolved around publishing your website in several places on the web and submitting them all to the search engines.

The major search engines now have duplicate content filters that defeat this technique.

3. Using the same page repeatedly.

Similar to posting mirror sites, using the same page over and over no longer rates as an effective promotion technique.

4. Endlessly repeating keywords.

Referred to as "keyword stuffing", this technique of repeating keywords in various parts of a web page only serves to annoy the search engines and rarely results in even mediocre placement.

5. Stealing other people's code.

Many so-called "experts" tell you to go to the search engines, find a page that ranks well and take their code. They don't tell you that the search engine duplicate content filters can catch you - and ban you!

6. Treating all search engines the same.

Each search engine has its own rules. What works for one won't always work for others.

7. Treating Yahoo! like a search engine.

Yahoo! is not a search engine. Yahoo! is a directory with its own extremely unique rules and live human beings making the site classifications.

8. Using most automatic submission tools.

Any program that submits fifty web pages to the same search engine in two minutes alerts the search engines to a possible "SPAM" submission.

9. Promoting most free web space.

Search engines know that very little valuable or unique content comes from virtual malls or free web space such as Tripod or Homestead.

They routinely block content from these sites.

Every page on your website can potentially draw visitors. Ensure every page contains the necessary "search engine friendly" elements including meta-tags and focused content.

This represents just a summary of the mistakes people make promoting to the search engines.

With consequences ranging from weeks of wasted effort to having your domain banned from the search engines for life, take the time to educate yourself on the proper methods of site promotion.

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