Buying or building artificial backlinks

Link building and backlinks are one of the top Google ranking factors. Some businesses resort to purchasing backlists to have their website address listed on other websites because of the time and effort involved in building links naturally. There exists a cycle in SEO that whenever a link-building tactic is exploited, search engines update its algorithm to level the playing field. Search engines like Google have become adept at identifying artificial links. Purchasing or trading links to boost rankings is a risky and outdated practice that can lead to penalties.

Keyword stuffing

Keyword stuffing used to be a common technique to boost search engine rankings. It works by loading a webpage with targeted keywords in order to manipulate search results. This behavior makes the website content unreadable and creates a poor user experience. Not only can the search engine recognize this spammy pattern, but users who were attracted to the page will become frustrated and leave which increases bounce rates. Instead, focus on writing valuable, well-written content and let the keywords flow naturally.

Ignoring user experience and mobile optimization

Search engines no longer just measure keywords, contents and backlinks, they ensure that visitors have a seamless, effortless browsing experience. The users should be able to find answers to their questions quickly without much effort. Slow loading speed, difficult navigation and non-responsive designs can frustrate visitors and ruin the best content and lead to high a bounce rate that negatively impact the website's SEO. To stay ahead of the SEO game, make sure that your website is optimized for mobile devices with responsive design, fast loading speeds, and an intuitive user experience.

Exact Match Domains

Exact Match Domains or Partial Match Domains are domains that include all or part of your keyword as the domain name. For example, if you have a website for landscaping services and use the domain name "yournamelandscaping.com", this would be an exact match domain. Exact Match Domains (EMDs) no longer offer the ranking boost they used to, as Google has updated its algorithm to counteract their overuse, especially by low-quality websites. EMDs won’t make up for poor content or user experience. Building a strong brand and creating high-quality content is now more crucial for SEO success.