Whenever I speak with potential or current clients, they always seem to over-analyze things from a Web perspective. The search engines have requirements, and if we were to all follow the simple rules they have in place, the Web would be a much better place. Unfortunately, some try to manipulate the search engines to get a leg up on the competition.
Image designed by Kathryn Wheeler
Some of the issues I notice day-to-day are:
- Multiple websites (mirrors) with hopes of having one of them crack the first page of Google’s search results.
- Unnatural content. By this, I mean content filled with locations, keywords, zip codes, etc. that reads awful and is clearly written for the search engines. People do this in hopes of ranking under specific phrases being used multiple times. This may have been OK at one point in time, but Google has done an OK job with combating these web pages by issuing the “Panda” update.
- Bad backlinking practices. Website owners have become obsessed with Page Rank over the years. “You link to me, I link to you” has become an email tag line that everyone uses or used in the past. Google has since cracked down on passing link juice or Page Rank value to websites that are linking strictly for this purpose.
When speaking with a prospective client who might have spammy content, I always ask this question: Would you talk to one of your potential clients in the same manner your website content is written? Nine times out of ten the answer is no. That answer is why the website results we see on a daily basis are not always accurate.
Write your website content the way you would speak to someone. Don’t overanalyze it. Keep it clear, concise and to the point. We get it… you live in Buffalo, N.Y. and you cater to all the suburbs around you. You don’t have to list all of them in your content. Google understands! If you’re going to do it, keep it natural.
When developing a website, don’t create a website for the search engines. Create a website for your users and consider catering certain elements of your design to catch their attention. They are the ones who will hopefully find your site and contact you based on their experience. If Google doesn’t like your website, why would your users like it? Does your website depict your business properly? Do you have the right amount of text, images, videos, etc. without it coming off as too busy or spammy? If you answer “YES” to all of these questions, then you’re doing something right.
You don’t need a million pages, spammy content, multiple websites or unnatural backlinks in order to be the best answer in the search results. Quite frankly, Google is going to one day penalize you for this, if they haven’t already done so. Build a website that you are proud of and allows your users to navigate easily. An easy-to-navigate website that allows users to contact you via phone, email or contact form opens you up for more business.
Lastly, if you created a great experience for your user, not only are you hopefully going to gain a new client, but you’re creating a better brand for yourself. We all know what happens when you make a better brand for yourself. Next time they need that service you specialize in, odds are you’re going to be their go-to.
Keep It Simple Stupid!