Outdated Keyword Optimization Techniques that Could Be Killing Your Rankings

It’s almost a weekly occurrence. An email (or four) pops up in my inbox asking for help because pages that once ranked really well in Google have gradually been falling.  For most, it happens without fanfare over time, until somebody finally asks the questions, “Where have all of our sales gone?” and “Why can’t anybody find us on Google anymore?”

Since the first rollouts of Google’s Panda and Penguin updates, there has been a slow and silent progression with regard to keyword optimization and SEO copywriting.  With “better quality” and “natural-sounding text” being two popular battle cries of Google, web pages all around the Internet are seeing differences in rankings and traffic.

However, the possible causes of these differences have largely gone unnoticed.  That’s because many of the criteria Google looks for where on-page elements are concerned have changed slowly and quietly for the most part.

There are a basketful of causes that could account for sites having reduced rankings (and, thus, less traffic and fewer sales/conversions). However, using these outdated keyword optimization techniques may be having more of a negative impact on your pages than you thought.

1. Optimizing for Only One Keyphrase per Page

In years past, Google had significantly less sophisticated methods of identifying what web pages were about. Still many people believe they have to choose one keyphrase and use it in its exact states to get a page to rank.

I interviewed Matt Cutts about the changes in SEO copywriting.  One of the areas he talked about was the diverse number of clues Google now uses to discover what web pages are about.

It is not necessary to use just one keyphrase to ensure Google correctly identifies your page’s topic.  As Google’s algorithm has gotten more sophisticated, keyword optimization has become much simpler.  (Read the article mentioned above for more info about the changes Matt suggests.)

2. Using Keyphrases Too Often in Your Copy/Content

Here’s where keyword density advocates will chime in. Let’s skip that whole conversation and look at results, OK?  It is pretty simple to see the results this old strategies achieved. Now many sites are facing over-optimization and having to backpedal because of the drastic changes in Google’s intolerance of keyword overuse.

Keyword optimization isn’t about quantity.  In fact, in one video from Google’s YouTube channel, Matt specifically says that mentioning keyphrases too many times will get you “diminishing returns.” In addition, when talking about optimizing for a specific keyword density, he states, “… rather than helping, let’s make that hurt.”

Dial it back.  Just because you *can* put a keyword phrase somewhere doesn’t mean you *should*.

3. Writing with No Regard for Keyphrases

On the opposite end of the spectrum are people who think Google’s call for natural copy/content means writing with no regard for keywords at all.  Uh… no.  “Keyword” optimization – by its very name – means you are writing using keywords and phrases.

“Natural” doesn’t equate to keyword-free.

With very few exceptions, getting good rankings requires the use of keyphrases in your copy.  It’s how you use those phrases that comes into question in discussions of natural SEO copywriting.

To help your text read more naturally, avoid amateurish mistakes like:

• Forcing singular or plural keyphrases into sentences when they are grammatically incorrect.  Just as an example: “Visit our dogs carriers page for great bargains” is simply wrong.  It should be “Visit our dog carriers page.”  While “dogs carriers” might be a great phrase, using it in your copy this way will not only look like a typo on your page, but it also doesn’t look natural.
• Stating the Obvious – One practice that always makes me cringe is when I see a page that reads something like “Our USB drives (also called flash drives, flash sticks, thumb drives and USB sticks) are of the highest quality.”  It’s a lame attempt to shove a ton of keyphrases into a short amount of space.  It sounds horrible.

On-page keyword optimization certainly doesn’t operate in a vacuum.  There are lots of elements in the whole SEO equation. But getting your pages in line with Google’s preferred copywriting strategies can go a long way to obtaining higher rankings or recapturing lost ones.

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