Avoiding the Dangers of Overusing SEO Keywords
One of the most important parts of effective Search Engine Optimization practices is choosing the appropriate keywords for your copy. The words you select, as well as how often you use them and where you use them, are quite important in producing the best search results.
However, what some don’t realize is that you can go overboard with the use of your SEO keywords. This practice of trying to force too many keywords into your copy, which is known as “keyword stuffing,” can have exactly the opposite effect that you desire when producing SEO material. All that keyword stuffing accomplishes are grammar or syntax problems in your sentences, which turns the reader off to your copy. Obviously, this is to be avoided.
It’s understandable why so many people would think keyword stuffing is actually helpful. To the inexperienced SEO writer, it would seem logical that more keyword appearances results in better web hits. However, search engines don’t use keyword density as a factor in determining what the search rankings are. All you get out of keyword stuffing is poorly written copy that comes off as robotic and spam-filled, with no measurable return in your search engine rankings.
The key is to find the proper balance when you’re trying to figure out how often to use your keywords. Your content should still be appealing to readers, and the keywords should be more subliminal to human readers. However, these keywords should also still be effective for SEO purposes.
Here are a few tips to keep in mind for using keywords:
- Be careful in choosing your topics. You want your topics to closely reflect your keywords, so that it makes more sense to repeat your keywords in the content.
- Bust out your thesaurus. If you feel as though you’re repeating the same word of phrase too many times, don’t be afraid to use synonyms. Search engines will still pick up on related words.
- Subheadings are important. Using bolded subheadings helps SEO and makes it easier to include clunky phrases.