SlideShare uma empresa Scribd logo
1 de 17
Baixar para ler offline
10 toxic seo techniques
10
Toxic SEO
Techniques
Page
2
Wikimotive.com 888-975-9454 Share This
Wikimotive is your wall to wall
digital marketing solution. Find
out how we can get you on page 1,
guaranteed.
Lead Generation
& Management
Blogging Social Media Search Engine
Marketing &
Optimization
Web Design
10
Toxic SEO
Techniques
Page
3
Wikimotive.com 888-975-9454 Share This
10 Toxic SEO Techniques
By: Daniel Hinds
Daniel J. Hinds is an SEO strategist and Director
of Content for Wikimotive. Over the course of his
career, Daniel has designed and implemented
successful digital marketing campaigns for
companies of all sizes. You can follow him on
Twitter, Facebook, or his blog SEOMG.
10
Toxic SEO
Techniques
Page
4
Wikimotive.com 888-975-9454 Share This
Table of Contents
Page 5:
Page 6:
Page 7:
Page 8:
Page 9:
Page 10:
Page 11:
Page 12:
Page 13:
Page 14:
Page 15:
Page 16:
INTRODUCTION
Exact Match Anchor Text
EMD
LINK EXCHANGING
ARTICLE SUBMISSIONS
NO-NEWS PRESS RELEASE
BAD GUEST POSTS
IGNORING SOCIAL CUES
IGNORING LOCAL
GOOGLE ONLY
WORTHLESS CONTENT
CONCLUSION
10
Toxic SEO
Techniques
Page
5
Wikimotive.com 888-975-9454 Share This
INTRODUCTION
SEO changes daily.
You need to be willing to adapt just as quickly. It can be painful to
abandon techniques that have worked well for you in the past, but it’s
necessary if you want to prosper in the future.
In this eBook, we’ll go over once-popular SEO techniques that have
mutated into toxic waste. Remember them fondly if they served you
well, but don’t waste your time trying to preserve them in 2013.
Let’s get started.
10
Toxic SEO
Techniques
Page
6
Wikimotive.com 888-975-9454 Share This
Exact Match Anchor Text
The anchor text (also known as link label, link
text, or link title) is the visible, clickable portion
of a hyperlink.
For years, the majority of SEO consisted of having a lot of
backlinks that contained the anchor text you wanted to
rank for. If you were trying to be #1 for“quality widgets,”you
would simply seed the web with links to your site that had
the anchor text“quality widgets.”It was such a widespread
technique that people are STILL doing it. The problem is
that Google is now penalizing exact match anchor text
because it is an obvious attempt to game the system.
Diversify your anchor text by using related but different
terms that modify your keyword by things like quality,
price and geography, for instance,“Best Widgets”,“Cheap
Widgets”and“Widgets USA”.
Truly, the best way to do it these days is to write quality,
sharable content that gets organically spread. That way, you
don’t have to worry about the anchor text being diverse, it
will be naturally diverse.
TOXIC: INSTEAD:
10
Toxic SEO
Techniques
Page
7
Wikimotive.com 888-975-9454 Share This
EMD
An exact match domain (EMD) is a domain that
exactly matches your targeted keyword. For
instance, “qualitywidgets.com” is an EMD.
EMDs aren’t toxic in and of themselves, but be wary. They
once gave a huge boost in search results and people would
base SEO strategies around them. Since Panda, EMDs have
dramatically reduced power and no longer are a major
ranking factor.
Make your domain your brand name and build that brand!
The real way to succeed in any industry is to make your
name synonymous with the product, and that should
always be your goal when marketing. Note that having
an EMD won’t hurt you if you already have one, or are just
starting a business and want to include a keyword in your
brand name. It just won’t help much.
TOXIC: INSTEAD:
10
Toxic SEO
Techniques
Page
8
Wikimotive.com 888-975-9454 Share This
LINK EXCHANGING
Exchanging links is when you give another site
a link with the exact anchor text they specify,
and then they do the same for you.
Most places asking to exchange links today are still
operating with toxic practices. Your link will just be part
of their link farm, and will do far more harm than good.
Additionally, their site is most likely low-quality and by
linking to it, you further damage your own site.
Just don’t do it!
There are always exceptions, and if you want to partner up
with a site that has a related theme, quality content, and
a great PageRank, then go for it. Just be very discerning
before you trade links with anyone.
TOXIC: INSTEAD:
10
Toxic SEO
Techniques
Page
9
Wikimotive.com 888-975-9454 Share This
ARTICLE SUBMISSIONS
Think “EzineArticles” and content spinning and
you’ll get the gist of what article submission is
all about.
Article submission used to be a quick way to get backlinks
to your site. Honestly, it still is a quick way to get backlinks,
but those backlinks are toxic and will do far more harm than
good. This toxic effect is amplified every time you resubmit
the same article to a different article-farm, or (God forbid)
try to spin it and repost it.
If you’re going to write articles, you’re better off taking
the time to write quality pieces. Submit these pieces to
reputable sites that have humans who approve or deny
work, and make sure the content is actually helpful for your
audience. Once something is published, don’t submit it to
a bunch of other places. If it’s good, it will be organically
shared and spread. If it’s bad, move on to the next piece and
try harder.
TOXIC: INSTEAD:
10
Toxic SEO
Techniques
Page
10
Wikimotive.com 888-975-9454 Share This
NO-NEWS PRESS RELEASE
When your business does something truly
newsworthy, a press release is a great way to
get the word out.
Businesses know free article submissions are no longer
valuable, and many are turning to spamming press releases
as an alternative. In this case spamming means issuing
news releases about things that aren’t newsworthy by any
metric.
No-news press releases have the exact same effect as article
submission (harming your business’s SEO) and have the
added bonus of alienating news networks who won’t be
willing to report on your business when you do have real
news.
Don’t issue a press release unless you’re doing something
that merits one. If you REALLY want a good press release,
then go create a big event for charity like an auction or golf
tournament. You’ll get the good PR and the satisfaction of
knowing you actually helped people.
TOXIC: INSTEAD:
10
Toxic SEO
Techniques
Page
11
Wikimotive.com 888-975-9454 Share This
BAD GUEST POSTS
Guests posts are quickly growing in popularity. Anytime you write
content for someone else in return for a link to your own site in
the attribution section, that’s a marketing guest post.
When looking to make a guest post on a blog, it’s important
you do your research. Guest posting has a lot of potential,
but businesses hurt themselves by guest posting to the
wrong blogs. A blog is the wrong blog if it has duplicate
content, link-farming, low PageRank, or anything else that
reeks of content aggregating over content creation.
Ensure the site you’re guest posting to is high quality. A
good blog will have a decent PageRank, unique content,
post frequently, and have positive social signals like
comments, likes, reTweets and shares. Also, be sure the blog
is relevant to your own target audience.
Once you find the right blog to guest post on, be sure to
send your best work. Also, most guest blogs offer a link in
the footer, but try and get one in the body of the text. Those
are more valuable!
TOXIC: INSTEAD:
10
Toxic SEO
Techniques
Page
12
Wikimotive.com 888-975-9454 Share This
IGNORING SOCIAL CUES
Social cues show that your content actually has an audience
beyond Google’s robots. They can be anything from Facebook
Likes and Twitter Shares to Google +1s and blog comments.
Social media used to just be for those gosh darned kids and
their baggy pants, am I right? Right? GET OFF MY LAWN!
Use social! Your business needs a presence on all of the
major social networks, and your content needs social
sharing buttons right there on the page. Make sure you’re
syndicating your best content out to all of your social
networks and watch what does well. Finding the content
with the most positive social cues, and replicating that style,
is the fastest way to grow your audience organically!
TOXIC: INSTEAD:
10
Toxic SEO
Techniques
Page
13
Wikimotive.com 888-975-9454 Share This
IGNORING LOCAL
Local search accounts for about 45% of all
searches (Google, 2012). It also works a little
differently than traditional SEO.
If you want to blend in with the sea of competitors, then
ignoring local is the right move for you. Google especially
is keen on delivering local results, and people especially are
keen on using Google, so neglecting local is a sure way to
damage your SEO efforts.
The best way to start with local is to create a Google+
business page. These pages are delivered above MANY
other organic results and contain valuable snippet
information like contact info and social cues. You may
have heard that Google+ as a social network isn’t great for
marketing, and that’s more or less true, but Google+ local is
a necessity.
TOXIC: INSTEAD:
10
Toxic SEO
Techniques
Page
14
Wikimotive.com 888-975-9454 Share This
GOOGLE ONLY
Google is the dominate search engine and has
been for years, but other search engines DO
exist. Weird, we know.
It’s a good idea to focus on Google, because that’s where
about 67% of all people do their searching. However, if you
do some quick math, you’ll realize that leaves about 33% of
searches unaccounted for.
The bottom few search engines are too small to invest
much time in, but the second place finisher, Bing, has about
17% of the remaining search share, and that number is only
rising. That 17% is significant enough for you to spend a
little time on. Luckily, Bing uses many of the same indicators
as Google, so if you’re ranking on one, it shouldn’t be too
hard to rank on the other. Check out Bing’s webmaster tools
to get started.
TOXIC: INSTEAD:
10
Toxic SEO
Techniques
Page
15
Wikimotive.com 888-975-9454 Share This
WORTHLESS CONTENT
The new mantra of SEO is content is king.
Content is what drives traffic, raises rankings,
and builds brands.
Since content is the new commodity, people are trying
to produce it as fast as possible. If content is good, lots of
content must be great, right? The problem is that it isn’t
content that’s king, it’s UNIQUE, QUALITY CONTENT.
Instead of writing hurried content and publishing it
as many places as possible, produce content in a slow,
deliberate manner. Write longer posts and back them up
with facts. Edit your work and make your writing fun to
read. One long blog or article that gets shared and linked
hundreds of times is infinitely more valuable than five short
articles that fizzle and die.
In today’s marketing world, your content IS your brand, so
have some pride in it.
TOXIC: INSTEAD:
10
Toxic SEO
Techniques
Page
16
Wikimotive.com 888-975-9454 Share This
CONCLUSION
SEO is no longer about gaming the system.
It’s about creating content that is valuable to your target audience, and then finding the best
ways to share and spread that content.
Ditch the gimmicks and clean up the toxic waste. Embrace your audience and EARN customers
with quality work.
If you only learn one lesson from this eBook, let it be this:
10
Toxic SEO
Techniques
Page
17
Wikimotive.com 888-975-9454 Share This
Even if you just need help getting started, or have a question about one
of our tips, never hesitate to contact us. Here at Wikimotive, we don’t
want to just be another vendor; we want to be a trusted asset and friendly
community member.
Remember:
Click Here
For a Free SEO
Evaluation

Mais conteúdo relacionado

Mais de Wikimotive - A Digital Marketing Company

Wikimotive President, Timothy Martell – Featured Speaker at Digital Marketing...
Wikimotive President, Timothy Martell – Featured Speaker at Digital Marketing...Wikimotive President, Timothy Martell – Featured Speaker at Digital Marketing...
Wikimotive President, Timothy Martell – Featured Speaker at Digital Marketing...Wikimotive - A Digital Marketing Company
 
Timothy Martell Founder of Wikimotive To Speak At The 2012 Digital Marketing ...
Timothy Martell Founder of Wikimotive To Speak At The 2012 Digital Marketing ...Timothy Martell Founder of Wikimotive To Speak At The 2012 Digital Marketing ...
Timothy Martell Founder of Wikimotive To Speak At The 2012 Digital Marketing ...Wikimotive - A Digital Marketing Company
 
The Biggest Mistake Marketing Professionals Make With Social Media Marketing
The Biggest Mistake Marketing Professionals Make With Social Media MarketingThe Biggest Mistake Marketing Professionals Make With Social Media Marketing
The Biggest Mistake Marketing Professionals Make With Social Media MarketingWikimotive - A Digital Marketing Company
 

Mais de Wikimotive - A Digital Marketing Company (15)

The Impact Of Social Media Marketing On Automotive SEO
The Impact Of Social Media Marketing On Automotive SEOThe Impact Of Social Media Marketing On Automotive SEO
The Impact Of Social Media Marketing On Automotive SEO
 
Where Should You Spend Your Search Engine Marketing Budget?
Where Should You Spend Your Search Engine Marketing Budget?Where Should You Spend Your Search Engine Marketing Budget?
Where Should You Spend Your Search Engine Marketing Budget?
 
14 Great Facebook Timeline Business Pages
14 Great Facebook Timeline Business Pages14 Great Facebook Timeline Business Pages
14 Great Facebook Timeline Business Pages
 
Wikimotive President, Timothy Martell – Featured Speaker at Digital Marketing...
Wikimotive President, Timothy Martell – Featured Speaker at Digital Marketing...Wikimotive President, Timothy Martell – Featured Speaker at Digital Marketing...
Wikimotive President, Timothy Martell – Featured Speaker at Digital Marketing...
 
Timothy Martell Founder of Wikimotive To Speak At The 2012 Digital Marketing ...
Timothy Martell Founder of Wikimotive To Speak At The 2012 Digital Marketing ...Timothy Martell Founder of Wikimotive To Speak At The 2012 Digital Marketing ...
Timothy Martell Founder of Wikimotive To Speak At The 2012 Digital Marketing ...
 
7 must-have Social Media Apps for Business
7 must-have Social Media Apps for Business7 must-have Social Media Apps for Business
7 must-have Social Media Apps for Business
 
Twitter for Personal and Business Goals
Twitter for Personal and Business Goals Twitter for Personal and Business Goals
Twitter for Personal and Business Goals
 
Nissan to place QR Codes on Window Stickers - Wikimotive
Nissan to place QR Codes on Window Stickers - WikimotiveNissan to place QR Codes on Window Stickers - Wikimotive
Nissan to place QR Codes on Window Stickers - Wikimotive
 
9 Social Media Guidelines For Auto Dealers
9 Social Media Guidelines For Auto Dealers9 Social Media Guidelines For Auto Dealers
9 Social Media Guidelines For Auto Dealers
 
3 Reasons Car Dealers Fail At Facebook Marketing
3 Reasons Car Dealers Fail At Facebook Marketing 3 Reasons Car Dealers Fail At Facebook Marketing
3 Reasons Car Dealers Fail At Facebook Marketing
 
7 Facebook Apps for Business
7 Facebook Apps for Business7 Facebook Apps for Business
7 Facebook Apps for Business
 
Benefits of Online Press Release
Benefits of Online Press Release Benefits of Online Press Release
Benefits of Online Press Release
 
Understanding Quality Score Optimization
Understanding Quality Score OptimizationUnderstanding Quality Score Optimization
Understanding Quality Score Optimization
 
Top 8 Uses of Blogs
Top 8 Uses of BlogsTop 8 Uses of Blogs
Top 8 Uses of Blogs
 
The Biggest Mistake Marketing Professionals Make With Social Media Marketing
The Biggest Mistake Marketing Professionals Make With Social Media MarketingThe Biggest Mistake Marketing Professionals Make With Social Media Marketing
The Biggest Mistake Marketing Professionals Make With Social Media Marketing
 

Último

Building a Future Where Everyone Can Ride and Drive Electric by Linda Bailey
Building a Future Where Everyone Can Ride and Drive Electric by Linda BaileyBuilding a Future Where Everyone Can Ride and Drive Electric by Linda Bailey
Building a Future Where Everyone Can Ride and Drive Electric by Linda BaileyForth
 
Program Design by Prateek Suri and Shakaya Cooper
Program Design by Prateek Suri and Shakaya CooperProgram Design by Prateek Suri and Shakaya Cooper
Program Design by Prateek Suri and Shakaya CooperForth
 
Centering Equity Presentation by Brenna Rivett
Centering Equity Presentation by Brenna RivettCentering Equity Presentation by Brenna Rivett
Centering Equity Presentation by Brenna RivettForth
 
Centering Equity and Community in Transportation by Benito Perez
Centering Equity and Community in Transportation by Benito PerezCentering Equity and Community in Transportation by Benito Perez
Centering Equity and Community in Transportation by Benito PerezForth
 
Building a Budget by Jeff Allen and Josh Rodriguez
Building a Budget by Jeff Allen and Josh RodriguezBuilding a Budget by Jeff Allen and Josh Rodriguez
Building a Budget by Jeff Allen and Josh RodriguezForth
 
Transportation Electrification Funding Strategy.pptx
Transportation Electrification Funding Strategy.pptxTransportation Electrification Funding Strategy.pptx
Transportation Electrification Funding Strategy.pptxForth
 
Design and Fund Equitable Electric Transportation For Communities by Jasmine ...
Design and Fund Equitable Electric Transportation For Communities by Jasmine ...Design and Fund Equitable Electric Transportation For Communities by Jasmine ...
Design and Fund Equitable Electric Transportation For Communities by Jasmine ...Forth
 
Lakshitha maduranga CV - for data entry clerck
Lakshitha maduranga CV - for data entry clerckLakshitha maduranga CV - for data entry clerck
Lakshitha maduranga CV - for data entry clerckLakshanMadhushanka3
 
Centering equity and the community in Transportation by Richard Ezike
Centering equity and the community in Transportation by Richard EzikeCentering equity and the community in Transportation by Richard Ezike
Centering equity and the community in Transportation by Richard EzikeForth
 
USDA’s EV Charging Infrastructure Solutions by Chris McLean
USDA’s EV Charging Infrastructure Solutionsby Chris McLeanUSDA’s EV Charging Infrastructure Solutionsby Chris McLean
USDA’s EV Charging Infrastructure Solutions by Chris McLeanForth
 
Commercial Extractor fan repair services
Commercial Extractor fan repair servicesCommercial Extractor fan repair services
Commercial Extractor fan repair servicesmb1294198
 
Environmental and Climate Justice Programby Karen Campblin
Environmental and Climate Justice Programby Karen CampblinEnvironmental and Climate Justice Programby Karen Campblin
Environmental and Climate Justice Programby Karen CampblinForth
 
Study on Financing of zero-emission trucks and their infrastructure
Study on Financing of zero-emission trucks and their infrastructureStudy on Financing of zero-emission trucks and their infrastructure
Study on Financing of zero-emission trucks and their infrastructureEuropeanCleanTruckin
 
Nosfdsfsdfasdfasdfasdfsadf asdfasdfasdfasdf
Nosfdsfsdfasdfasdfasdfsadf asdfasdfasdfasdfNosfdsfsdfasdfasdfasdfsadf asdfasdfasdfasdf
Nosfdsfsdfasdfasdfasdfsadf asdfasdfasdfasdfJulia Kaye
 
Equity Lab: Inked with Intent by The Greenlining Institute
Equity Lab: Inked with Intent by The Greenlining InstituteEquity Lab: Inked with Intent by The Greenlining Institute
Equity Lab: Inked with Intent by The Greenlining InstituteForth
 

Último (17)

Building a Future Where Everyone Can Ride and Drive Electric by Linda Bailey
Building a Future Where Everyone Can Ride and Drive Electric by Linda BaileyBuilding a Future Where Everyone Can Ride and Drive Electric by Linda Bailey
Building a Future Where Everyone Can Ride and Drive Electric by Linda Bailey
 
Program Design by Prateek Suri and Shakaya Cooper
Program Design by Prateek Suri and Shakaya CooperProgram Design by Prateek Suri and Shakaya Cooper
Program Design by Prateek Suri and Shakaya Cooper
 
Centering Equity Presentation by Brenna Rivett
Centering Equity Presentation by Brenna RivettCentering Equity Presentation by Brenna Rivett
Centering Equity Presentation by Brenna Rivett
 
Centering Equity and Community in Transportation by Benito Perez
Centering Equity and Community in Transportation by Benito PerezCentering Equity and Community in Transportation by Benito Perez
Centering Equity and Community in Transportation by Benito Perez
 
Building a Budget by Jeff Allen and Josh Rodriguez
Building a Budget by Jeff Allen and Josh RodriguezBuilding a Budget by Jeff Allen and Josh Rodriguez
Building a Budget by Jeff Allen and Josh Rodriguez
 
Transportation Electrification Funding Strategy.pptx
Transportation Electrification Funding Strategy.pptxTransportation Electrification Funding Strategy.pptx
Transportation Electrification Funding Strategy.pptx
 
Design and Fund Equitable Electric Transportation For Communities by Jasmine ...
Design and Fund Equitable Electric Transportation For Communities by Jasmine ...Design and Fund Equitable Electric Transportation For Communities by Jasmine ...
Design and Fund Equitable Electric Transportation For Communities by Jasmine ...
 
Lakshitha maduranga CV - for data entry clerck
Lakshitha maduranga CV - for data entry clerckLakshitha maduranga CV - for data entry clerck
Lakshitha maduranga CV - for data entry clerck
 
EVAT - Future Mobility Transformation in Thailand
EVAT - Future Mobility Transformation in ThailandEVAT - Future Mobility Transformation in Thailand
EVAT - Future Mobility Transformation in Thailand
 
Centering equity and the community in Transportation by Richard Ezike
Centering equity and the community in Transportation by Richard EzikeCentering equity and the community in Transportation by Richard Ezike
Centering equity and the community in Transportation by Richard Ezike
 
USDA’s EV Charging Infrastructure Solutions by Chris McLean
USDA’s EV Charging Infrastructure Solutionsby Chris McLeanUSDA’s EV Charging Infrastructure Solutionsby Chris McLean
USDA’s EV Charging Infrastructure Solutions by Chris McLean
 
Commercial Extractor fan repair services
Commercial Extractor fan repair servicesCommercial Extractor fan repair services
Commercial Extractor fan repair services
 
Reinventing the Car - as I reported it in 1985!
Reinventing the Car - as I reported it in 1985!Reinventing the Car - as I reported it in 1985!
Reinventing the Car - as I reported it in 1985!
 
Environmental and Climate Justice Programby Karen Campblin
Environmental and Climate Justice Programby Karen CampblinEnvironmental and Climate Justice Programby Karen Campblin
Environmental and Climate Justice Programby Karen Campblin
 
Study on Financing of zero-emission trucks and their infrastructure
Study on Financing of zero-emission trucks and their infrastructureStudy on Financing of zero-emission trucks and their infrastructure
Study on Financing of zero-emission trucks and their infrastructure
 
Nosfdsfsdfasdfasdfasdfsadf asdfasdfasdfasdf
Nosfdsfsdfasdfasdfasdfsadf asdfasdfasdfasdfNosfdsfsdfasdfasdfasdfsadf asdfasdfasdfasdf
Nosfdsfsdfasdfasdfasdfsadf asdfasdfasdfasdf
 
Equity Lab: Inked with Intent by The Greenlining Institute
Equity Lab: Inked with Intent by The Greenlining InstituteEquity Lab: Inked with Intent by The Greenlining Institute
Equity Lab: Inked with Intent by The Greenlining Institute
 

10 toxic seo techniques

  • 2. 10 Toxic SEO Techniques Page 2 Wikimotive.com 888-975-9454 Share This Wikimotive is your wall to wall digital marketing solution. Find out how we can get you on page 1, guaranteed. Lead Generation & Management Blogging Social Media Search Engine Marketing & Optimization Web Design
  • 3. 10 Toxic SEO Techniques Page 3 Wikimotive.com 888-975-9454 Share This 10 Toxic SEO Techniques By: Daniel Hinds Daniel J. Hinds is an SEO strategist and Director of Content for Wikimotive. Over the course of his career, Daniel has designed and implemented successful digital marketing campaigns for companies of all sizes. You can follow him on Twitter, Facebook, or his blog SEOMG.
  • 4. 10 Toxic SEO Techniques Page 4 Wikimotive.com 888-975-9454 Share This Table of Contents Page 5: Page 6: Page 7: Page 8: Page 9: Page 10: Page 11: Page 12: Page 13: Page 14: Page 15: Page 16: INTRODUCTION Exact Match Anchor Text EMD LINK EXCHANGING ARTICLE SUBMISSIONS NO-NEWS PRESS RELEASE BAD GUEST POSTS IGNORING SOCIAL CUES IGNORING LOCAL GOOGLE ONLY WORTHLESS CONTENT CONCLUSION
  • 5. 10 Toxic SEO Techniques Page 5 Wikimotive.com 888-975-9454 Share This INTRODUCTION SEO changes daily. You need to be willing to adapt just as quickly. It can be painful to abandon techniques that have worked well for you in the past, but it’s necessary if you want to prosper in the future. In this eBook, we’ll go over once-popular SEO techniques that have mutated into toxic waste. Remember them fondly if they served you well, but don’t waste your time trying to preserve them in 2013. Let’s get started.
  • 6. 10 Toxic SEO Techniques Page 6 Wikimotive.com 888-975-9454 Share This Exact Match Anchor Text The anchor text (also known as link label, link text, or link title) is the visible, clickable portion of a hyperlink. For years, the majority of SEO consisted of having a lot of backlinks that contained the anchor text you wanted to rank for. If you were trying to be #1 for“quality widgets,”you would simply seed the web with links to your site that had the anchor text“quality widgets.”It was such a widespread technique that people are STILL doing it. The problem is that Google is now penalizing exact match anchor text because it is an obvious attempt to game the system. Diversify your anchor text by using related but different terms that modify your keyword by things like quality, price and geography, for instance,“Best Widgets”,“Cheap Widgets”and“Widgets USA”. Truly, the best way to do it these days is to write quality, sharable content that gets organically spread. That way, you don’t have to worry about the anchor text being diverse, it will be naturally diverse. TOXIC: INSTEAD:
  • 7. 10 Toxic SEO Techniques Page 7 Wikimotive.com 888-975-9454 Share This EMD An exact match domain (EMD) is a domain that exactly matches your targeted keyword. For instance, “qualitywidgets.com” is an EMD. EMDs aren’t toxic in and of themselves, but be wary. They once gave a huge boost in search results and people would base SEO strategies around them. Since Panda, EMDs have dramatically reduced power and no longer are a major ranking factor. Make your domain your brand name and build that brand! The real way to succeed in any industry is to make your name synonymous with the product, and that should always be your goal when marketing. Note that having an EMD won’t hurt you if you already have one, or are just starting a business and want to include a keyword in your brand name. It just won’t help much. TOXIC: INSTEAD:
  • 8. 10 Toxic SEO Techniques Page 8 Wikimotive.com 888-975-9454 Share This LINK EXCHANGING Exchanging links is when you give another site a link with the exact anchor text they specify, and then they do the same for you. Most places asking to exchange links today are still operating with toxic practices. Your link will just be part of their link farm, and will do far more harm than good. Additionally, their site is most likely low-quality and by linking to it, you further damage your own site. Just don’t do it! There are always exceptions, and if you want to partner up with a site that has a related theme, quality content, and a great PageRank, then go for it. Just be very discerning before you trade links with anyone. TOXIC: INSTEAD:
  • 9. 10 Toxic SEO Techniques Page 9 Wikimotive.com 888-975-9454 Share This ARTICLE SUBMISSIONS Think “EzineArticles” and content spinning and you’ll get the gist of what article submission is all about. Article submission used to be a quick way to get backlinks to your site. Honestly, it still is a quick way to get backlinks, but those backlinks are toxic and will do far more harm than good. This toxic effect is amplified every time you resubmit the same article to a different article-farm, or (God forbid) try to spin it and repost it. If you’re going to write articles, you’re better off taking the time to write quality pieces. Submit these pieces to reputable sites that have humans who approve or deny work, and make sure the content is actually helpful for your audience. Once something is published, don’t submit it to a bunch of other places. If it’s good, it will be organically shared and spread. If it’s bad, move on to the next piece and try harder. TOXIC: INSTEAD:
  • 10. 10 Toxic SEO Techniques Page 10 Wikimotive.com 888-975-9454 Share This NO-NEWS PRESS RELEASE When your business does something truly newsworthy, a press release is a great way to get the word out. Businesses know free article submissions are no longer valuable, and many are turning to spamming press releases as an alternative. In this case spamming means issuing news releases about things that aren’t newsworthy by any metric. No-news press releases have the exact same effect as article submission (harming your business’s SEO) and have the added bonus of alienating news networks who won’t be willing to report on your business when you do have real news. Don’t issue a press release unless you’re doing something that merits one. If you REALLY want a good press release, then go create a big event for charity like an auction or golf tournament. You’ll get the good PR and the satisfaction of knowing you actually helped people. TOXIC: INSTEAD:
  • 11. 10 Toxic SEO Techniques Page 11 Wikimotive.com 888-975-9454 Share This BAD GUEST POSTS Guests posts are quickly growing in popularity. Anytime you write content for someone else in return for a link to your own site in the attribution section, that’s a marketing guest post. When looking to make a guest post on a blog, it’s important you do your research. Guest posting has a lot of potential, but businesses hurt themselves by guest posting to the wrong blogs. A blog is the wrong blog if it has duplicate content, link-farming, low PageRank, or anything else that reeks of content aggregating over content creation. Ensure the site you’re guest posting to is high quality. A good blog will have a decent PageRank, unique content, post frequently, and have positive social signals like comments, likes, reTweets and shares. Also, be sure the blog is relevant to your own target audience. Once you find the right blog to guest post on, be sure to send your best work. Also, most guest blogs offer a link in the footer, but try and get one in the body of the text. Those are more valuable! TOXIC: INSTEAD:
  • 12. 10 Toxic SEO Techniques Page 12 Wikimotive.com 888-975-9454 Share This IGNORING SOCIAL CUES Social cues show that your content actually has an audience beyond Google’s robots. They can be anything from Facebook Likes and Twitter Shares to Google +1s and blog comments. Social media used to just be for those gosh darned kids and their baggy pants, am I right? Right? GET OFF MY LAWN! Use social! Your business needs a presence on all of the major social networks, and your content needs social sharing buttons right there on the page. Make sure you’re syndicating your best content out to all of your social networks and watch what does well. Finding the content with the most positive social cues, and replicating that style, is the fastest way to grow your audience organically! TOXIC: INSTEAD:
  • 13. 10 Toxic SEO Techniques Page 13 Wikimotive.com 888-975-9454 Share This IGNORING LOCAL Local search accounts for about 45% of all searches (Google, 2012). It also works a little differently than traditional SEO. If you want to blend in with the sea of competitors, then ignoring local is the right move for you. Google especially is keen on delivering local results, and people especially are keen on using Google, so neglecting local is a sure way to damage your SEO efforts. The best way to start with local is to create a Google+ business page. These pages are delivered above MANY other organic results and contain valuable snippet information like contact info and social cues. You may have heard that Google+ as a social network isn’t great for marketing, and that’s more or less true, but Google+ local is a necessity. TOXIC: INSTEAD:
  • 14. 10 Toxic SEO Techniques Page 14 Wikimotive.com 888-975-9454 Share This GOOGLE ONLY Google is the dominate search engine and has been for years, but other search engines DO exist. Weird, we know. It’s a good idea to focus on Google, because that’s where about 67% of all people do their searching. However, if you do some quick math, you’ll realize that leaves about 33% of searches unaccounted for. The bottom few search engines are too small to invest much time in, but the second place finisher, Bing, has about 17% of the remaining search share, and that number is only rising. That 17% is significant enough for you to spend a little time on. Luckily, Bing uses many of the same indicators as Google, so if you’re ranking on one, it shouldn’t be too hard to rank on the other. Check out Bing’s webmaster tools to get started. TOXIC: INSTEAD:
  • 15. 10 Toxic SEO Techniques Page 15 Wikimotive.com 888-975-9454 Share This WORTHLESS CONTENT The new mantra of SEO is content is king. Content is what drives traffic, raises rankings, and builds brands. Since content is the new commodity, people are trying to produce it as fast as possible. If content is good, lots of content must be great, right? The problem is that it isn’t content that’s king, it’s UNIQUE, QUALITY CONTENT. Instead of writing hurried content and publishing it as many places as possible, produce content in a slow, deliberate manner. Write longer posts and back them up with facts. Edit your work and make your writing fun to read. One long blog or article that gets shared and linked hundreds of times is infinitely more valuable than five short articles that fizzle and die. In today’s marketing world, your content IS your brand, so have some pride in it. TOXIC: INSTEAD:
  • 16. 10 Toxic SEO Techniques Page 16 Wikimotive.com 888-975-9454 Share This CONCLUSION SEO is no longer about gaming the system. It’s about creating content that is valuable to your target audience, and then finding the best ways to share and spread that content. Ditch the gimmicks and clean up the toxic waste. Embrace your audience and EARN customers with quality work. If you only learn one lesson from this eBook, let it be this:
  • 17. 10 Toxic SEO Techniques Page 17 Wikimotive.com 888-975-9454 Share This Even if you just need help getting started, or have a question about one of our tips, never hesitate to contact us. Here at Wikimotive, we don’t want to just be another vendor; we want to be a trusted asset and friendly community member. Remember: Click Here For a Free SEO Evaluation