Bad SEO tactics are like a bunch of cockroaches invading your internet house. They. Just. Won’t. Die. Plus, they’re hard to find and easy to miss. When you finally spot one, it can scuttle out of sight before you know it. It’s no wonder that despite the evolution of Google and the internet, bad SEO content tactics still proliferate. They continue to haunt webpages, search rankings, traffic, and conversions. So, what are some of the craziest and most common “do nots” of SEO? Learn what to absolutely, always avoid doing when writing SEO content. In this presentation, we will cover: – The most common bad SEO content tactics that are still happening all over the web in 2019. – Which bad SEO content tactics Google really hates. – Smart solutions and replacements to help you avoid them for good.

2. #SEJThinktank
@JuliaEMcCoy
Julia is the CEO of Express Writers, 2x
author, and content marketing educator. Her
expertise is SEO-friendly content marketing.
Since 2011, her agency of 90+ writers and
strategists have created content for a huge
variety of brands around the globe…even
Johnson&Johnson and Nordstrom.

3. #SEJThinktank
@JuliaEMcCoy
Welcome to our webinar!
The Do Nots of SEO: 7 Terrible,
No-Good Tactics to Abandon in
2019

4. #SEJThinktank
@JuliaEMcCoy
Question….

5. #SEJThinktank
@JuliaEMcCoy
Why should we care about what “NOT” to do
when it comes to our website & Google-friendly
practices?

6. #SEJThinktank
@JuliaEMcCoy
Because if we’re still practicing outdated or
worse, penalization-worthy practices, Google
AND our human audience might feel a little like
this when they see our site…

7. #SEJThinktank
@JuliaEMcCoy
“It was a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad [site]!”
Scene from the 2014 movie Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day

8. #SEJThinktank
@JuliaEMcCoy
Steve Carell’s expression
sums up the feelings of
Google and our reader when
they find us (subconsciously or
not) guilty of bad practices
online.

9. #SEJThinktank
@JuliaEMcCoy
Google is pro-user.
Google’s face when spotting an anti-user site

10. #SEJThinktank
@JuliaEMcCoy
We care about Google and avoiding bad
practices for search because…

11. #SEJThinktank
@JuliaEMcCoy
We care about Google and avoiding bad
practices for search because… if you add together
traffic from all popular search engines (Google
primarily, along with Bing, Yahoo, and YouTube),
70.6% of all online traffic originates from a search
engine.

12. #SEJThinktank
@JuliaEMcCoy
Out of 70.6% of all online traffic originating from a
search engine, 60% of that happens in Google.
This means more than half of all traffic on the web starts
with a Google search.

13. #SEJThinktank
@JuliaEMcCoy
Source: Sparktoro and Jumpshot, design Backlinko

14. #SEJThinktank
@JuliaEMcCoy
To forget, or even worse – ignore! – how
your website is performing in search, is…
REAL TALK… irresponsible.

15. #SEJThinktank
@JuliaEMcCoy
To forget, or even worse – ignore! – how your website
is performing in search, is… REAL TALK…
irresponsible.
The good news is that if you put the right practices in
place, you might be on the verge of a success story.

16. #SEJThinktank
@JuliaEMcCoy
Success Story: 8 years and counting, 99%
leads & revenue through SEO content!

17. #SEJThinktank
@JuliaEMcCoy
And with that, let’s head into…

18. #SEJThinktank
@JuliaEMcCoy
Poll Question #1
What is your biggest
concern when it
comes to your SEO
efforts?

19. #SEJThinktank
@JuliaEMcCoy
Ready for our first SEO
no-no?

20. #SEJThinktank
@JuliaEMcCoy
Using your target keyword in
an outdated, forced and
stuffy style

21. #SEJThinktank
@JuliaEMcCoy

22. #SEJThinktank
@JuliaEMcCoy
Creating too much content around
similar keywords can cannibalize
your keyword rankings.

23. #SEJThinktank
@JuliaEMcCoy
Solution
Naturally incorporate
synonyms of your
focus keyword in one
comprehensive piece
of content.

24. #SEJThinktank
@JuliaEMcCoy
Tip
Scroll down to Google
after you type in your
target keyword to find
synonymous keywords.

25. #SEJThinktank
@JuliaEMcCoy
Here’s what that looks like…

26. #SEJThinktank
@JuliaEMcCoy

27. #SEJThinktank
@JuliaEMcCoy
All of these synonymous keywords
make excellent keyword choices to
use in our blog!

28. #SEJThinktank
@JuliaEMcCoy
Question time…

29. #SEJThinktank
@JuliaEMcCoy
Poll Question #2
How often do you
perform keyword
research?

30. #SEJThinktank
@JuliaEMcCoy
Developing ONLY short,
thin, non-comprehensive
content

31. #SEJThinktank
@JuliaEMcCoy
Short content has its place.
Not so much in SEO.

32. #SEJThinktank
@JuliaEMcCoy
Solution Create long-form
content.

33. #SEJThinktank
@JuliaEMcCoy
Incidentally, the most-shared AND
the highest-ranked content is
long-form (1,900-3,000 words).

34. #SEJThinktank
@JuliaEMcCoy
BuzzSumo analyzed more than 100 million
articles. The most-shared posts were
long-form. Backlinko studied 1 million
blogs, and found 1,900-2,000-word posts at
the top of Google.

35. #SEJThinktank
@JuliaEMcCoy

36. #SEJThinktank
@JuliaEMcCoy

37. #SEJThinktank
@JuliaEMcCoy
Posting content erratically
instead of on schedule

38. If you post content consistently, you’ll feed
Google, your website, and build your list.
#SEJThinktank
@JuliaEMcCoy

39. Hubspot looked at blogging frequency data
from over 13,500 marketers and agencies.
Those who blogged 16+ times per month
earned the most traffic and the most leads.
#SEJThinktank
@JuliaEMcCoy

40. #SEJThinktank
@JuliaEMcCoy

41. #SEJThinktank
@JuliaEMcCoy
Solution
Set a blogging schedule.
Post consistently and
regularly to build up your
content library.

42. #SEJThinktank
@JuliaEMcCoy
But, don’t lose quality in the
process, which brings us to
#4…

43. #SEJThinktank
@JuliaEMcCoy
Prioritizing quantity before
quality

44. #SEJThinktank
@JuliaEMcCoy
Google cares about quality content, in a
big way. Poorly-written, crappy content
does NOT contribute to high rankings.

45. #SEJThinktank
@JuliaEMcCoy
According to Google Quality Rater Guidelines, Google
says that pages with the highest quality:
• Achieve an intended purpose
• Demonstrate a high level of E-A-T (expertise,
authoritativeness, and trustworthiness)

46. #SEJThinktank
@JuliaEMcCoy
For more on Google’s Search Quality Evaluator Guidelines, see my post on SEJ:
searchenginejournal.com/google-says-need-expert-writers-content-standards-new-search-
guidelines

47. #SEJThinktank
@JuliaEMcCoy
Solution
Focus on creating better content
than the results that already exist
in the top five results on page 1 of
Google for your keyword/term.

48. #SEJThinktank
@JuliaEMcCoy
Publishing duplicate content

49. OOPS! According to a SEMrush study of over
100,000 websites, one of the most common
on-page SEO errors is duplicate content.
#SEJThinktank
@JuliaEMcCoy

50. #SEJThinktank
@JuliaEMcCoy
Nearly 66% of websites in the study were publishing
duplicate content.

51. #SEJThinktank
@JuliaEMcCoy
Solution
Use Copyscape to run your
content through a duplicate
search, and rewrite any
pages that have a high
percentage match. Goal: 0%
match.

52. #SEJThinktank
@JuliaEMcCoy
Buying backlinks

53. One of the oldest and most black-hat SEO ‘techniques’
out there, buying links is expressly forbidden and
penalized by Google nowadays. Just don’t do it.
#SEJThinktank
@JuliaEMcCoy

54. Google views each link to your site essentially as a
“vote of confidence”. If you buy backlinks, Google
equates that to vote rigging.
#SEJThinktank
@JuliaEMcCoy

55. #SEJThinktank
@JuliaEMcCoy
In Google’s Webmaster forum, Google says that ‘buying or selling links may be considered
part of a link scheme and a violation of Google’s Webmaster Guidelines.

56. #SEJThinktank
@JuliaEMcCoy
Solution Create backlink-worthy
content, consistently.

57. #SEJThinktank
@JuliaEMcCoy
Strive to become a known resource
that people know, like, trust, and link
to. This takes time and commitment.

58. #SEJThinktank
@JuliaEMcCoy
Can you survive without
physically buying or acquiring
links?

59. #SEJThinktank
@JuliaEMcCoy
Can you survive without “getting links”?
YES. We’ve never sought out a link in 8
years! Quality of content, originality of
thought, and relevancy for our audience has
always come first.

60. #SEJThinktank
@JuliaEMcCoy
Other leaders that have earned thousands of links without ever
seeking one…
- Unbounce: Oli Gardner wrote free ebooks and blogs to grow their
brand. He created a 13,000-word, 15 million pixel infographic, The
Newb's Guide to Online Marketing, for Moz. It was downloaded over
150,000 times and earned thousands of backlinks.
- Buffer: Kevan Lee has created ‘ultimate’-style content that’s earned
hundreds of links per post for Buffer. Their “What We Learned
Through 43 Million Facebook Posts” earned 164 organic backlinks.

61. #SEJThinktank
@JuliaEMcCoy
Forgetting about consumer
reviews—or even worse, getting
fake ones posted and written

62. 70% of consumers today check out company and
product reviews before making an online purchase.
#SEJThinktank
@JuliaEMcCoy

63. A study by the Washington Post found that 61% of
electronics reviews on Amazon are fake.
#SEJThinktank
@JuliaEMcCoy

64. #SEJThinktank
@JuliaEMcCoy
Solution
Ask more happy customers
on a regular basis to review
you on social media or your
most important site (BBB,
Yelp, Amazon). Listen for
customer “YAY!” moments, and
ask then.

65. #SEJThinktank
@JuliaEMcCoy
What did you learn today?

66. #SEJThinktank
@JuliaEMcCoy
If we’re still practicing outdated or worse,
penalization-worthy practices, Google AND our
human audience might feel a little like this when
they see our site…

67. #SEJThinktank
@JuliaEMcCoy
“It was a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad [site]!”
Scene from the 2014 movie Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day

68. #SEJThinktank
@JuliaEMcCoy
Google is pro-user.
Google’s face when spotting an anti-user site

69. #SEJThinktank
@JuliaEMcCoy
1. Don’t create too much content around similar keywords.
Naturally incorporate synonymous keywords.
2. Don’t create short, thin content. Comprehensive content earns
more mentions, shares and rankings.
3. Don’t post content erratically. Stick to a content schedule.
4. Don’t put quantity before quality. Focus on creating better
content than what’s already in Google’s top 5.

70. #SEJThinktank
@JuliaEMcCoy
5. Don’t post duplicate content. Use Copyscape to check for
originality.
6. Don’t buy backlinks. Create backlink-worthy content.
7. Don’t forget customer reviews—and never have fake ones
created and posted. Ask happy customers for reviews in their “Yay!”
moments.

71. Julia McCoy
CEO, Express Writers
@JuliaEMcCoy