A Basic Guide to Google Trends and Penalties
There are various reasons for getting a Google penalty; some people just do not follow the rules and some people are simply unaware that they are breaking these rules due to the lack of knowledge about good SEO practices. In the latter example, it is easy to see that not everyone can optimize their content based on simply doing research without any previous planning or in-depth knowledge.
Cheap and Fast Results
People who want to avoid hiring an SEO expert will often embrace the flattering title of SEO experts themselves, but the chances are they will not know enough about SEO to be able to back up the name. In most instances, they will follow any piece of advice they find on the Internet meaning the chances are even higher that they will come across black hat SEO techniques by basing their research on one thing only – fast and cheap success that will get them to the top of search engine results. Black and white hats are not fashion accessories; they are strict rules regarding what you can and what you cannot do. Therefore, read on in order to find out what you should do so as to recover from a Google penalty.
Bad Links as One of the Most Common Reasons for Getting a Penalty
According to a study which included a hundred websites that got penalized by Google, almost one third of these websites got a penalty due to bad incoming links. Although these are considered to be black hat SEO techniques, many people use link farming and buy links in order to increase the ranking of their website. In case you are not familiar with link farming, here is a brief explanation of what this term represents. Link farming is a process in which websites are created with the sole purpose of increasing the ranking of another site. These websites are often not related to the site they link to, and they are most commonly full of bad links. In order to recover from a Google penalty earned by using bad incoming links, you can use the Google Disavow tool.
Problems with the Content on Your Website
Another thing that can get you into trouble is low-quality web content. Yes, you can get a Google penalty for featuring poorly-written content on your website. On the other hand, the same can happen if you have unoriginal content on your website. The solution for this problem is relatively easy to find – you need to change your audience. Instead of writing the content that crawlers will like, you should redirect your attention to writing for people. However, just because you are writing for people, it doesn’t mean that you should have poorly-written web content. Remember, content is king. So, try to feature content that brings useful information, perfect grammar, and content that is easy to digest.
Be Cautious
In order to avoid getting a Google penalty, you should also stay informed about all Google’s search algorithm updates. What was considered desirable in regards to Google trends last year may not have the same status today. So, pay attention to all the changes that are happening relating to Google and SEO, and try to adjust your web content according to the latest trends and updates, as this will save you from getting the infamous Google slap!
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- License: Creative Commons image source
This article is written by Abhishek for a SEO professional based in Sydney.
