subject: 3 Typical SEO Errors [print this page] A simple mistake that can be easily avoided when you're doing SEO for your site is, lowering the use of images and increasing the content. Remember that images are there for your visitors, which is fine, but they have little SEO value.
Quality content is what helps to optimize your site, so this is good for both your visitors and the search engines. Having images in the right places is great, as long as they aren't the dominant element on your site. Don't overload your site with unnecessary images that will slow down your site and not help the search engines much when it comes to ranking. Using your primary keywords in the ALT tags of any images you feel are worth using is one way to improve their SEO value. This gives the search engines a way to see your image, or at least the tag that accompanies it. The best way to deal with this is to try and replace most of the images with something that's worthy to read and also has your keywords in it. Good content that you create (or outsource) is still what the search engines like best.
Another obvious mistake that every SEO marketer should avoid is plagiarism. Using content without permission can not only lower your rankings, it can harm your whole reputation and could even result in legal action. The search engines favor those sites that keep their content original and high quality. Their goal, after all, is to provide value to their users, and this means it should be informative and original. You also have to be aware that the search engines use a duplicate content filter, which removes content that is identical to something already listed. But this only applies when you have the same content on all the pages of your site. It's perfectly fine to republish content from sites that allow you to do so, provided that you don't claim credit for it. The general idea is to be truthful and up front in your efforts.
Finally, your site's content needs to be written in a search-engine friendly manner, and it would be a mistake not to pay attention to this. Remember to embed your target keywords in your content and keep it fresh and original. Keep in mind that it's best to update your content regularly, because that is important to search engines. Therefore, pay attention to how often you add content to make sure there's always something new. In summary, if you manage to not make the kind of mistakes mentioned in this article, your SEO campaigns will run much more smoothly.
