Save Your SEO By No Keywords Stuffing
As you choose your keywords to write articles and make content, you should be careful that you do no keywords stuffing. A while ago, it was a general practice to fill the content with the keyword however, that no longer holds true.
In fact, SEO keyword stuffing is a black-hat tactic and can lead to penalization.
This article discusses why you should totally avoid this practice and what you should do instead so that your content ranks.
1.
What is Keyword Stuffing?
Keyword stuffing refers to the practice of filling up a page with the target keyword, other relevant keywords and numbers so that it can rank higher on the search engine results page.
This kind of stuffing does not give a good user experience and focuses only on beating the algorithm to rank higher.
Google clearly is not fond of such shortcuts and tactics.
They do not come naturally in the text but feel unnecessary and in the wrong place.You will find them collectively in a list or group.
Examples of stuffing includes:
- Listing cities and states (that you aim to rank for)in paragraphs or keyword list form several times in the text
- Using the same set of words and keywords repetitively not in natural prose and it seems like it is being pushed on the reader. For example, This is the best dry cleaners shop in the city. In this city, you will find the best dry cleaners shop. Get your clothes washed at the best dry cleaners shop. Contact us to get the best dry cleaning.
- Listing random numbers without any context such as writing phone numbers
- Using irrelevant keywords in the text that do not fit the topic
Once you are aware of the things that cause stuffing, you can avoid them and remove keywords where necessary.
You should also try to not increase the keyword density.
The keyword density indicates the number of times a word appears in the text.
You can calculate it by dividing the total number of times you use the target keyword by the total number of words in the text.
For instance, if the word, “SEO ” appears 30 times in a 1000 word blog on Off-Page SEO, then the keyword density will be:
30/1000= 0.03 i.e. 3 percent
Usually, keyword density between 2 to 5 percent is safe but there is no specific number.
Some keyword stuffing is also hidden on the webpage.
You will find this in meta description tags, comment tags, alt attributes in images and the page’s code.
Also, some words will be in the same color as the page’s background.
This way the reader does not see them but the Google search engine crawls it to rank it.
Why You Should Do No Keywords Stuffing
If you want readers to enjoy your work on your website then you should create a good user experience for them.
You should educate them on a topic while also maintaining their interest.
However, if you do not write for the interest of your readers but to rank higher on Google and stuff your content, then you will also lose readers.
They will not find the content they need instead they will get random words not making sense.
As the readers stop coming to your site, then the bounce rate increases.
This will lead to a lower ranking on the search engine results page.
This is how you will never reach the customers you were aiming to reach by stuffing your content.
Hence, it is a lose-lose situation.
Furthermore, you can also get a Google penalty.
As a result, your site will fall down in ranking and there is also a chance that it gets removed entirely from the Google Search Engine Results Page.
Hence, it is totally not worth it.
You will see short-term benefits and your site may manage to rank on the first page for some time.
However, as soon as your bounce rate increases, it will only leave a negative impact.
Therefore, do not go for these black-hat tactics to improve your ranking.
Rather try the following strategies to rank in the organic search on the SERPs.
2.
Use Keyword Optimization
You should optimize your keyword rather than stuff it.
Make content that is informative, useful and utilizes keywords in the right context naturally.
Also, make sure to use the appropriate keyword density and do not over-optimize the words.
1. Select A Target Keyword
Begin by selecting one target keyword for your topic.
Run a keyword search to choose from head-tail, medium tail or long-tail keywords for your topic.
Also, search for the volume and keyword difficulty in a tool such as Google Analytics or Search Console.
Medium tail keywords are your safest best.
They do have a high search volume and they do not have a high keyword difficulty to be a top keyword.
The keyword you choose should be relevant to your topic and once you have written on that, do not repeat it on your site.
This will prevent your site’s web pages from competing with each other.
As you write, you also need to keep the keyword density in mind.
Keep the keyword density for the main keyword at 2 percent to be on the safe side and avoid exceeding that.
2. Add Synonyms and Secondary Keywords
Your targeting keyword is your primary keyword. You may need to use it several times in the text.
However, this will increase keyword density and stuff the page uselessly.
Hence, you should run keyword research and use secondary keywords, LSI (latent semantic indexing) keywords and synonyms in place of the target keyword.
An LSI keyword is usually found at the end of the Google Search Engine Results Page.
When you search for a keyword on Google and scroll down, you will find different similar keywords that people search for and you should include them in your text.
You should also use other long-term versions of your keyword to give search engine crawlers an idea of what your page is about.
In order to determine the authority of a page, crawlers also analyze the relevant synonyms and secondary keywords you use in the text.
This will allow Google and other search engines to differentiate between homonyms and recognize what your page is exactly about.
For instance, the word “book” could be used in your restaurant business site.
Though, you need to add relevant synonyms such as “reserve” in your text so that search engines know that you are not talking about reading books.
This will also help you rank for the relevant topic.
Moreover, if you use long-term keywords, then your content also has a chance to rank in the “People Also Ask” section at the bottom of a search engine results page.
3.Using Keyword in Page Elements
You should not only avoid stuffing in the body text but also in your page elements.
However, it is very important to include your primary keyword in these page elements.
These are part of your On-Page SEO and crawlers look for the keyword in these page elements.
These include:
H1 or Page Title
Your main heading and title of the page should contain the primary keyword once.
Since it has a few characters you should not include the keyword more than once.
Sub-Heading
You should try to use more H2 headings within your text.
However, if there is a need for an H3 heading somewhere then you can add that too.
At least one of your subheadings should contain the target keyword.
Though, if you use several subheadings then you will require to put the keyword in more than one of these.
Still, remember to not over-optimize and it should not be in 75 percent of your subheadings.
Title Tag
Your Title Tag should contain the Page title i.e. the topic name and the name of the website or category (preferably the website).
Hence, if your Page Title already has the keyword once, you do not need to write it down as the Title Tag.
Meta Description
Include the primary keyword once in your Meta description which describes the content of the article to entice the reader to read it.
Do not include it more than once in your meta description as it is already a short body of text.
Using the keyword or part of the keyword twice will result in over-optimization.
Body
In the body text remember to include it in two crucial places:
-First paragraph
-Conclusion or towards the end
This way the crawlers will see the keyword first and last in your entire content and decipher that it is related to the keyword.
Image Alt Tags
At least one of your photos should contain the keyword.
However, if you are using several images then you may require to put it in more than one for better visibility.
That said, you should still not over-optimize and only add it in a few images.
Placing the keyword in these page elements gives you more relevancy and allows Search Engines to rank you higher.
Moreover, it does not count as stuffing if you do not add an excess of these.
4. Write at least 300 words
Your content should be at least 300 words long.
Search engines value information-rich, thorough content.
Hence, in order to become relevant and visible, you should write longer relevant pieces of content.
Lastly, also run an On-Page SEO check on your article after it is done to enrich your content further with synonyms.
Conclusion
No keywords stuffing will allow your content to organically reach the first page of Search Results.
This will bode well for you in the long run as it can gain you a regular and organic traffic.
Moreover, you do not have to worry about penalties and only work appropriately on your On-Page SEO.
As long as you do no keywords stuffing, you will be saving your site and its SEO.