5 Outdated SEO Strategies That Have Got to Go

It’s no secret that a successful search engine optimization (SEO) strategy is the key to increasing organic web traffic and improving your search rankings. However, it’s a field that’s constantly changing, meaning strategies and tactics that used to work 10-15 years ago are no longer effective today. In fact, search engines are updated more than 500 times a year. With that being said, it’s time to say your goodbyes to these five outdated SEO strategies that your company should have stopped using long ago.

1. Ignoring Mobile Optimization

With 80% of internet users owning a smartphone, it’s no longer an option to ignore mobile.  That’s almost 1.2 billion people! Statistically, if someone is accessing the web, they’re most likely doing it on their smartphone. Even with such a large percentage of web traffic coming from mobile devices, 91% of small business’ websites are still designed for desktop and then slightly altered for mobile. However, what works on desktop isn’t necessarily as accessible on any device, no matter the screen size. Some sites are built too cumbersome  for mobile platforms and are inconvenient for your two thumbs.

Even if your primary consumer is likely accessing your site through a desktop, ignoring mobile optimization means you’re missing out on a large amount of web traffic. By hiring a qualified team to design a website with mobile users in mind, you will be able to create a positive user experience that will boost your search engine rankings and organic traffic. Appleton Creative’s SEO team are experts in identifying and applying the best practices that will fit your SEO strategy.

Tip: Use testing tools, such as Google’s or Bing’s mobile-friendly tests, to see just how mobile-friendly your site is and what you need to improve on.

2. Not Embracing the Power of Social Media

Although links posted on social media platforms, such as Facebook and Twitter, aren’t currently part of Google’s algorithm, social links are still impactful when it comes to search rankings. Some social accounts (for example, a company’s Facebook page) can sometimes rank higher than their website. Links that go viral on social media tend to accumulate more direct traffic to your site, resulting in higher search rankings for the pages that were shared. However, that’s not the only way social media can be beneficial to your SEO strategy. Linking your content to your social accounts also helps search engines identify your credibility and content quality.

Failing to incorporate social media in your tactics is more of a missed opportunity than an outdated SEO strategy. However, social media channels also double as search engines themselves and are one of the most efficient ways to drive traffic to your website. Social media and SEO go hand-in-hand, and experienced advertising agencies are guaranteed to effectively use the two to benefit your SEO strategies.

Tip: Use your social media presence to share relevant content with consumers. Engaging your audience leads to more web traffic, which will positively impact your SEO strategy.

3. Only Producing Thin or Short-Form Content

With mobile users dominating web searches, short-form content is currently one of the best and most effective ways to provide information. However, although short-form content is perfect when delivering information quickly and concisely, without taking up a lot of people’s time, long-form content should also be taken into consideration when it comes to search rankings. A study by serpIQ found that long-form content that has an average of 2,000 words is among the top-rated posts.

A balance of both short- and long-form content should be included in your posts, depending on your topic and purpose. Long-form content tends to add more value and be more informative than short-form content. It provides an extensive amount of information in just one page and allows your reader to get everything they need to know about a certain topic. Short-form content, on the other hand, gives your reader what they’re looking for quickly and concisely. They only provide the information that is necessary for readers that aren’t asking for a lot of additional information.

Tip: Great content doesn’t necessarily mean long-form content (or short-form content). Always keep your reader in mind when creating posts to keep your audience interested.

4. Link Quantity Over Quality

A common mistake when optimizing a website is focusing on quantity of links rather than their quality. Although links generate web traffic, search engines analyze link quality and relevancy when it comes to search rankings. Acquiring links from trusted sources with high credibility is now much more important than having hundreds of links from random sites and directories.

Tip: Make sure your links are coming from relevant sites. For example, if you are an insurance company, your links shouldn’t be coming from a website selling furniture.

5. Keyword Stuffing

Keyword stuffing is exactly what it sounds like: stuffing keywords all over your webpage in hopes of ranking higher in search engine results. This SEO strategy might have been common back in the 90s, but the time has come to let it go. Search engine algorithms are now designed to outsmart this outdated SEO strategy by identifying unnatural language patterns in text. Search engines will penalize your site, and even remove it, if  you’re caught sneaking in keywords where they don’t belong.

Tip:  The placement of your keyword should not sound forced. Make sure your desired keyword reads naturally and flows with the rest of your text.

Refreshing your outdated SEO strategies can be difficult and time-consuming, but with us, it’s a piece of cake. Appleton Creative is an award-winning, Orlando-based digital marketing agency that specializes in search engine optimization. Appleton works with local, national and international clients to deliver inbound marketing strategies that put your website ahead of the competition. At Appleton, we want to learn about your business, empower your marketing team and be your creative resource. Your SEO goals are worth a conversation: contact us at 407-246-0092 or info@appletoncreative.com.

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