SEO Overkill Can Destroy Your Site

[thejenn]

Authored by: Bill Hartzer

Full Text: http://www.searchengineguide.com/hartzer/006417.html

A Snippet:

Are you using search engine optimization tactics that lead to SEO overkill? You may not think so, but according to several SEO experts at the Search Engine Strategies conference held recently in Chicago, Illinois, you might be using what is called "SEO Overkill".

[SReed]

Hi Jenn - The is the first time I've posted a reply, so everyone ple-e-e-ase bear with me as I get this figured out.

I couldn't resist replying to this article. I absolutely agree with everything Bill Hartzer wrote. However, the last statement from Matt Bailey: "You need to write for conversions, not the search engines" in my opinion is bad advice. You need to do both. If your website isn't positioning well in the search engines, you won't get conversions because you won't be found. The bottom line is you have to do both.

[David Wallace]

I think you are misunderstanding the context of what Matt said. One should write for conversions first. The search engines do not pay your bills - your customers do. So your copy better be written in a way that converts visitors to paying customers. One can have all the great search listings in the world but if their copy sucks, then they will not be in business for long.

I myself write for conversions and really don't regard the search engines as I write. That may not make much sense being a search engine marketer but I find that as I write great copy, search engines like it as well and as such position my site in the top results. It is a win - win situation.

[MattB]

David did an excellent job at answering your concern, but I'll chime in anyway.

When you write copy on your site that connects with visitors and offers persuasive content that explains benefits to using your services or products, you will naturally use the primary and secondary keywords that are necessary for optimization. By writing to persuade visitors to take action, you also include related terms that also help with relevance, which will become more inportant as time goes on and semantic matching increases.

Simply repeating the same keyword phrase throughout the content does not and will not persuade anyone to purchase when compared to a site that actually "sells" the product. Including buyer benefits and persuasive sales copy creates many layers of semantically related keyword relevance.

The bottom line that I have found after almost 10 years of doing this stuff - when you write for the user, you will naturally do well in the search engines. It takes care of itself.

I hope that explains my statement a little better, thanks for asking!

[Robert]

Welcome to the forum, SReed!

[mouse_man]

SEO overkill can, in my opinion, hurt a site. I should qualify that statement to say “bad SEO” overkill can hurt a site.

I own a small search engine, and we populate 5 featured sites, and then the balance of the results are backfilled with mostly paid for inclusion, “OR” ranted highly relevant for the search word or phrase by other search engines.

This morning I took a quick look at the submissions to our database and we have a little over 2300 sites waiting in que to be reviewed. Very few of these sites, if any, will make the cut.

Really it is a very simple process.

1. High relevance to the phrase or keyword
2. Not a lot of redirect links, badge ads, banners..
3. The content must be highly relevant to the search
4. Good HMTL
5. no pop-ups or pop-unders
6. Location, local or global

Mostly all common sense.

One of the most amusing is sites that submit to be added to a search engine and have another search engine located in a prominent location on the site being submitted, and often “ad words” redirecting traffic. That immediately alerts us that the site is not highly relevant, and looking to earn income by redirecting traffic rather than offering a service or product.

Often when we see a site with high relevance it is sometimes comes complete with SEO overkill. We quickly make changes on our end before adding the site to our database. I am sure most all search engines do the same. We look at the keywords, phrases, description and title as “suggestions”, and we may end up using one or two only.

I think one of the most common mistakes we see is the “title”. Most sites send us a site with a title that reads like a description. If the site is accepted we change the title to the name of the Company or the name of the site. Again this only impacts how the site is seen on our site. Another common mistake is making offers in the description. The description should only explain the products or services… not statements of we are the best, ect.

Sites that are looking for top listings are in great number so it is best to design them and optimize them to sell the search engine on the relevance of your site. If your site does make it to the top it will likely be measured by number of clicks to see if users agree on relevance. If it does not fair well it will not be dropped just moved down the listings.

I like this topic on “overkill” and I hope my comments contribute. I do not presume to be the biggest, smartest, or have all the experience, but what I have I am willing to share.

Best Regards

[copywriter]

Well said, Mr. Bailey! And welcome to the forum.

[jamestcs]

Mouse_man,

i agree with your said. you seems experienced in SEO... are you one of the editor in DMOZ ?

[mouse_man]

jamestcs,

No I am not an SEO or an editor for DMOZ.

I am a Web Publisher that owns and operates a small network of sites. Mostly for Yellow Page and White Page information. Also a small search engine.

I am not the largest or the smallest, but in position to capture a small piece of the overflow from the larger ones.

I have been developing since 1994' while the larger ones watched the development before jumping in, which is the best way to do it. The big ones do not waste a lot of development time and money, and the little one has an opportunity to crave out a small share before the big one-steps in with a huge appetite.

One of my Alliance Partners is Verizon (as example) the head of the team I deal with dubbed me "LittleFish" for the obvious reason... I am the little fish swimming in a small pond with the "BigFish".

Because of our search engine and other factors I see a lot of sites that are submitted for inclusion. It is very easy to see those that have had the experience, and knowledge to properly optimize a website, and those that saved money by using a friend or relative that knows the "secretes to success".

There are many on this forum that have much deeper experience than mine. I come to these type forums to learn.. in turn I do not mind sharing my limited experience if it helps. Always to point out there are better sources.

Best of Luck