Web Site Search Engine Optimization Keyword Overkill
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Someone asked how to improve search engine rankings for a Web site. Apparently, someone she knows started a Web site and talked about it with her.
She and Paul (SO) looked at me asking how did I get my site to rank well. Honestly, I don’t think about search engines when I work on my site or create blog entries. I told them that my site has been around since the mid-’90s and that getting decent search rankings took a long time. I started blogging in 2000, about three to four years before it went mainstream. The site stays fresh as I try to update it about three to five times a week.
That’s it. No magic formula. No studying articles, studying blog entries revealing search engine secrets or anything else. Just keep trucking and updating. Of course, if I try to start a new Web site, it’ll be difficult for it to achieve half the results of this one because it will never have what this has: Longevity.
It’s frustrating to land on many sites obviously trying hard to optimize their sites for search engines by using keywords everywhere… repeating key words… putting “navigation” at the bottom with at least four rows of links and keywords. As soon as see this, I leave the site. It isn’t illegal to do this, but I don’t want to associate with someone or a business that does such tactics.
What do you think?
4 Comments
Alex Fex
March 15th, 2008
at 1:46am
Meryl, your experience with organic growth on your website(s) has provided you with truth to what you say, and for many, this is an effective low maintenance method to gain viewership and traffic in general over time.
However, I must disagree with your view on how relevant search engine optimization is for the majority of websites.
When someone asks how they can improve search engine ranking, I would respond by asking them what their objective is. Once we know our objective, we can then answer with some simple optimization methods to convert our goals.
Whether gaining; viewers, registered members, paid subscribers, product sales, public awareness, raw traffic, etc. You will always want to use the simple techniques to improve your chance to be found.
Expanding on content that is becoming popular, Submitting links to directories, cleaning your code, rewording some of your literature to better absorb search traffic based on keyword trends, putting alt information in your images, using sitemaps, etc all help in their own ways and should not be overlooked.
Any individual building .com properties should be aware of their audience and build their site to fit their niche. Otherwise, you might as well be rolling dice.
If you don’t really have a goal in mind, just writing, blogging and generating content in whatever form is perfectly fine, and recommended. But if you want to generate an income, or reach some ultimate goal, never turn a blind eye to an opportunity to reach your goal more effectively.
Execute, educate & repeat.
Charles Benninghoff
October 17th, 2008
at 3:29pm
After reading Meryl’s above article, I must say I agree with Alex’ comments. To have good SEO Optimization for your clients that are looking for a profit it does require looking all options available. The internet is not what it was in 1990 and is much more difficult in getting proper exposure.
Thanks for the work you have done on this page as it give a different perspective re SEO optimization. Crown SEO, Ltd. specializes in SEO optimization with many Google successes for its clients through reading and understanding sites such as this.
Raul Estaka
October 23rd, 2008
at 12:20pm
“What do you think?”
lol, I think Charles used your mini SEO rant article to pump some SEO juice into his site, a professional troll….. gotta luv em.
Alex did a great job explaining his view and I do agree with his take on the subject but I also understand where you are coming from to Meryl, nothing makes me leave a site faster once I realize its just SEO bait / food. If they are truly good and knowledgeable about whatever it is they are ’selling’ then the natural content produced over time will work just fine, like it did for you, you can speed that up greatly by applying the techniques suggested by Alex, just do it with your viewers experience in mind first and foremost.
Jonathan
May 29th, 2009
at 12:43pm
 Gorilla marketing in today’s economy is everything.  If your interested in web optimization for your site there is a free site for uploading video ads for your business, they also have image uploads if you are not yet up to videos. The more sites you can link to the greater your market will be. They have a free link exchange as well.
 http://adwido.com