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When the big name search engines give advice about search engine optimisation, it’s usually as much about what to avoid as it is about good practise. There are some things that are simply never a good idea.

Every SEO agency may provide a slightly different service, but SEO consultants are generally agreed on what constitutes a very bad idea when it comes to optimisation.

Here then are some things not to do when optimising your site.

Don’t Copy or Steal Content
You may have listened carefully when the search engines told you to feature fresh content regularly, but did you think about what this actually means? Fresh content means original content and that means time and effort. As a publisher it might mean your own time and effort or it might mean paying for someone else’s. If you pay for material though, how are you going to know that it’s original? The search engines have ways of knowing, but you could quite easily pay for material that’s been re-hashed or directly lifted from another site. There are some tools at your disposal for taking care not to include unoriginal material, and one is Copyscape.com which will, for a fee, check material against current web content. To be absolutely sure of originality, you really need to oversee production and trust your sources.

Don’t Cloak Your Pages
Cloaking is one of the most unethical practises in SEO, and to say that it’s not tolerated is an understatement. The practise involves disguising text on pages so that users are presented with different pages than those read by search engines. Cloaking is a duplicitous and unethical technique that will bring you no friends among users. If you want to achieve good results, listen to wise SEO consultants and endeavour to maintain the integrity of results pages by keeping them relevant to users.

Don’t Visit the Wrong Side of the Tracks
Reputation’s a big thing as far as the search engines are concerned, and as in life, a lot of hard work can be undone with one thoughtless act. Be aware of who you link to if you want to stay ahead. Recklessly linking to sites that have a bad reputation will reflect badly on you. The knock-on effect could be disastrous. Check all links you feature personally, or delegate responsibility. Have a good reason for featuring each one.

Don’t Stack Titles
Using more than one title for a page in order to feature more keywords might seem harmless but it’s a black hat SEO method that will get you a bad name.

Don’t Overfill Pages with Keywords
This mistake has been mentioned so often that it’s hard to believe that anyone could fall victim. Keywords are extremely useful SEO tools but it’s very easy to overuse them, and search engines are on the alert for people who do. If you fill pages with keywords you’ll look like you’re trying to be something you’re not.

Don’t Neglect Your Reputation
In this world of social media it’s all too easy for comments to spread about your product on the Internet over which you have no control. Online reputation management is all about using platforms such as comments, blogs, forums and social media to react to changes in the marketplace and any criticism you might receive. If you fail to react to criticism from the public it sends a very negative message about your level of commitment. If they’re concerned with your product then why aren’t you?

Don’t Believe the Hype
Google and other search engines have issued publicity about what it means to have good SEO. While you should obviously take what they have to say on board, beware of such sweeping statements as ‘market your site as though search engines didn’t exist’. While this sentiment may be rooted in sound theory, you clearly need to be aware of the finer points of SEO in order to get to the top, especially when there are over 200 factors that come into play for determining rank.

In conclusion, straighten up and fly right would seem to be a good motto to adopt for good SEO. Watch for any areas in which your SEO might be slipping. Poor links and reckless keyword application can be disastrous. What might be put right in minutes could take months to rectify if you allow things to go unnoticed.

Noble efforts are rewarded when it comes to SEO, and we hope yours will be.