Current Generation of SEOs and Noises They Make About These Practices
Common pitfalls among the SEO community
As search algorithms evolve and competition intensifies, search engine optimization is becoming a more complex undertaking. Though some SEO professionals cling to antiquated tactics, these outdated techniques often prove ineffective in our current digital landscape. This article examines common pitfalls among the SEO community, critiquing strategies that may have diminished utility today, whether due to misinterpretation or the shifting digital ecosystem.
To succeed in contemporary SEO, practitioners must stay up-to-date on algorithm changes, understand nuances in approaching optimization, and adapt techniques to match the ever-changing online sphere.
1. Trying to rank pointless blog pages using skyscraper technique
Brian Dean: The Mastermind Behind the Skyscraper Technique
The skyscraper technique in SEO involves creating a piece of content that surpasses all other existing contents in terms of quality, depth, and value. The idea is to take an existing piece of content that has garnered a significant number of backlinks and improve upon it to such an extent that people are compelled to link to it instead.
However, some SEOs, in an attempt to leverage this strategy, end up creating content on topics that have little to no relevance or utility to their target audience. They focus on skyscraping the content, but they miss the point that the content also needs to be relevant and valuable.
This leads to the generation of numerous blog pages that, although high in quality and detail, serve no real purpose to the reader or the website in terms of driving relevant traffic or increasing engagement. This technique often backfires because it can lead to keyword stuffing, cannibalization and other black hat SEO practices.
2. Spending most of their days on 3rd party tools trying to collect keywords for the next niche site.
I keep saying this, "The best part about SEO is you have tools for everything, and the worst part is the tool itself.”
Keyword research is a fundamental part of SEO and involves identifying popular words and phrases people enter into search engines. The goal is to figure out what to rank for. However, some SEOs spend an inordinate amount of time on third-party tools like SEMRush, Ahrefs, and others to collect keywords for their next niche site. This may lead to an over-reliance on these tools and a lack of focus on other equally or more important aspects of SEO like objective, content creation, user experience, and technical SEO.
Remember that ‘SEO tools are just proxies’ ; they're not a substitute for understanding your target audience and what they're searching for.
3. Spamming irrelevant schema markups and internal links
I recently saw an SEO expert who had written something like “ dominating the search engines at their own game since 2010 with monster unrivaled SEO strategies“
Schema markup is code that you put on your website to help search engines return more informative results for users. It can be very useful in helping search engines understand the content on your pages.
However, some SEOs misuse this feature by implementing irrelevant schema markups to try and trick search engines. The same can be said for internal linking, which involves linking to other pages within the same website. While it can help spread link equity around your site and improve navigation, spamming internal links can lead to a poor user experience and potentially harm your site's SEO.
4. Thinking that topical authority is about writing as much as they can about certain topics
I haven’t seen most SEOs in Nepal talking about content or website structure but those who are little aware or heard the term ‘topical authority’ they tend to write.
Example : If the objective is to rank on ‘chairs’ ‘best chairs for office’ SEO professionals would approach the topic from all angles. They'd probably suggest writing about
The meaning of a chair (its history, its symbolism),
Advantages of chairs (why they're useful, why different types are good for different scenarios),
Disadvantages of chairs (potential health concerns, environmental impact), and so on.
All of this is done in the hopes that anyone searching anything related to chairs will find your website and click on it.
As an audience, ask yourself these questions when you are searching for something: Do you need a definition or the history? With Google SGE, informational queries are mostly addressed by AI. What does this mean for you? (think about it….)
Topical authority refers to a site's perceived authority in a specific area or topic, based on the quality and relevance of the content they produce on that subject. It's an important factor for SEO, as search engines tend to rank sites that have high topical authority higher in search results.
However, it's a misconception to believe that topical authority is solely about the quantity of content. It's not about writing as much as you can about a certain topic; it's about providing valuable, in-depth, and high-quality content on the subject.
5. Doing as little work as possible and expecting exponential results
A lot of SEOs in Nepal focus mostly on building links, which is alright but they often miss out on other important SEO stuff. Also, the way they build links guarantees a penalty. It's pretty usual for such people to buy and sell links to make some quick money.
SEO is a long-term game that involves constant tweaking, learning, and adaptation. It requires a significant amount of time and effort to see noticeable results.
Some SEOs, however, are under the impression that they can do minimal work and still achieve exponential results. This is a misperception that can lead to ineffective strategies and disappointment in terms of results.
6. Actively Promoting Themselves as "Consultants" and Giving Irrelevant Tips to the Community
If you search LinkedIn for "SEO" in Nepal, you'll find over 25 job posts about it. There's been a huge jump in demand for SEOs, making it a good way to get into companies. The common statement I hear a lot is "SEO is slow, results take time." That's true, but for most SEOs it's become an excuse. Nowadays, anyone reading articles or watching YouTube about SEO calls themselves an "SEO expert." In a group of 5 people, 3 may say they're experts. The word "expert" is common now. With ChatGPT here, it seems like everyone knows everything. This generation hates taking instructions from people, but they're fine taking orders from a chatbot that sounds confident.
The SEO field is full of individuals and agencies proclaiming themselves as "consultants," who often provide advice and tips to the community.
While many of these professionals provide valuable insights and strategies, there are those who spread misinformation or irrelevant tips, causing confusion and potentially harm to those who follow their advice.
7. Going to Webinar or conferences to learn SEO
I wonder how a few hours of webinar or conference help to gain expertise on SEO.
I'm not saying these events are bad, but a lot of times, they're just ways for companies or brands to promote themselves. In some cases it is for personal branding or lead generation.
Many SEOs attend conferences to learn more about the latest trends, strategies, and tools in the industry. These events can be a fantastic opportunity for networking and knowledge sharing. However, the knowledge acquired from these conferences should be supplementary to hands-on experience and independent learning. Simply attending conferences without applying and testing the learned strategies can limit an SEO's effectiveness and growth.
8. Treating expired domains as a "hack" to rank ASAP
Well everyone knows this right? People in the SEO industry often recommend this as a hack to rank ASAP but is it really?
Expired domains are those which have been registered but are not renewed by the owners after a certain period. Some SEOs buy these domains with good backlink profiles to leverage their SEO value. While this might provide a short-term boost in rankings, it is not a sustainable strategy for SEO.
It's far more beneficial to build a site's authority organically through creating high-quality content, establishing a strong backlink profile, and providing a good user experience.
End Note
SEO is not a one-size-fits-all strategy, nor is it a field where shortcuts and hacks provide lasting success. It requires consistent efforts, staying updated with the latest practices, and a comprehensive understanding of various elements including content, keywords, backlinks, and user experience. Instead of relying on quick-fix tactics or misinterpreted strategies, SEOs should aim to build a sustainable SEO plan that is founded on delivering value to the users, which will ultimately satisfy the search engines.
A successful SEO strategy is not just about getting to the top of search rankings, but also about enhancing the overall user experience and building credibility in your niche. It's okay not to know everything, but things you know don’t mess it up.
“Real SEOs are silent ninjas. They don't make noise, they just quietly analyze patterns on websites. The more they know about patterns, the more they progress.”
Author : Hawrry Bhattarai