seo-searchSEO is one arena where constant changes and new updates are more of a norm than exception. That’s why, digital marketers have to be aware and familiar with any and every latest trends and developments of the industry to take the benefits to brands. Adopting the latest guidelines becomes the only option when search engine optimization is part of your digital marketing strategy.

As search engines use a largely inscrutable algorithm for ranking purposes, marketers have no choice but to being on the right side of the SEO rules and regulations brought on from time to time. Some tactics and methods that may have paid rich dividends once won’t work now, and you got to know that.

Similarly, your approach to optimization activities has to change so that you can adopt rules and tactics that are relevant to the industry. Even at present, there are many irrelevant SEO practices that are part of marketing strategy of businesses and brands alike, which should not be the case. In a sense, only relevant methods are going to pay the desired results, so they should be used.

Let’s look at some of irrelevant SEO tactics that are still used despite their no visible benefits in sight:

Linking pattern is changed

Gone are the days when only the number of links was enough to make the ranking difference. There was nothing required on the front of relevance of the links or about their origin. The scenario is changed a lot now where link building stills matters a lot, but only when it’s relevant and has quality. And this is where those still stuck with seeking links from any and every source should change their strategy.

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Keyword stuffing in content won’t help  

Earlier, you tried everything to stuff the content with keywords and phrases to boost the rankings. And this strategy worked fine till updates struck. This method no longer works as search engines now use latent semantic indexing (LSI) which focuses more on user experience. It means, you need to write content not targeting the search engine but your target audience. You can use synonymous and similar-meaning words rather than stuffing keywords and this will work.

Content quality matters not quantity

You simply can’t afford to ignore the quality aspect of the content. Bad content should be a big No as Panda updates has severe penalty for the same. Rather than focusing on quantity, give emphasis to adding value to the content, as this will work big time. If users read your content, your job is done.

Rankings and traffic are still unrelated

Higher rankings neither guarantee of more traffic nor enhance sales enquiries. You may rank in top yet may not get relevant traffic. You have to rank higher for the keywords or phrases that belong to your domain, or which are used to find your presence on the web. Make sure to be relevant on this front.

Change of strategy with backlinks profile

Websites with unnatural links get penalized and they can’t escape the wrath of search engines no matter how hard they try. The days are gone when links from any source matter, including spammy directory site of low quality nature. No business can afford to engage in such practices at a time when niche directories are so easily available to benefit from.

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Comment spamming

Engaging in comment spamming tactics to boost rankings simply won’t work beyond a point. Above all, it always carries the risks of making you get penalized. No need to pay comment spammers to do a job to get huge quantity of backlinks. Such links are devoid of any value and they may also harm your site in more ways than help it. So, be sure of using only what comes under the ambit of ethical to gain more SEO benefits.

Conclusion   

It’s quite obvious that search engine optimization is a lot changed now than few years earlier. SEO professionals thus must understand that what was once helpful and rewarding may not help in today’s time. They should therefore try to always benefit from only ethical and relevant form of SEO activities to get ranking and visibility benefits for their clients’ websites.