Have you ever come across a website that seems a little strange? Does it contain a huge amount of anchor text and links at the bottom of each page? Are certain words or phrases repeated at a ridiculous frequency in inappropriate contexts? Is the URL itself incredibly long and formed from a series of words or phrases linked with hyphens? Does the Facebook link take you to the profile picture of a seductive female whose smile begs come-hither? If you answered yes to any of the above, it's more than likely you've come across a website that is attempting some of the more extreme seo techniques. Unless you enjoyed the experience of feeling misled, confused and overwhelmed by nonsensical content, you've probably formed the opinion that such tactics are to be avoided – but in case you're still unconvinced and willing to give them a try, its best you read on.
The simple reason for avoiding extreme seo techniques is that, at best, you'll frustrate your site visitors, and at worst earn penalties from all the major search engines which equals virtual death in the world wide web. Some of the major seo offences include keyword stuffing in web content (which lost its impact in the early 90s), keyword stuffing in domain names (linking multiple words and phrases to form an incredibly long URL), and using misleading social networking profiles to bait and spam unwitting potential customers. If you've ever been tempted to accept that incredibly attractive but random friend request on Facebook, only to find that she or he has filled your wall up with links to diet websites an hour later, you'll know how duped and angry such extreme seo tactics can make people feel.
The major rule of thumb for anyone practising seo is not to stuff any part of the website with keywords or keyword phrases. The placement of keywords is an essential seo tactic, but there's a fine balance between using them effectively and going overboard with them. Concealing keywords in the footer of your website is definitely an seo tactic to be avoided because it is sure to get you caught by the anti-spam monitors of most search engines. Similarly, don't get caught out thinking you can maximise your Google rank by creating a new page for every one of your target keywords or including all the most common misspellings of them. As well as being optimised for search engines, your website must be functional and easy for visitors to understand. You should also aim to gain and maintain your customers' respect, which frequent misspellings certainly will not achieve.
One of the best ways to avoid the need for such extreme seo techniques in the future is to choose a quality web designer who will prepare your website in a way that is stylish while naturally achieving high search rankings. If you already have a website but you're unsure of seo etiquette, it is also wise to seek the assistance of an experienced professional.
