What is Over Optimization that bloggers always say? Usually it is voiced by Erzedka about Over Optimization and its connection to SEO. Did he give a negative or positive assessment?
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is a website optimization technique so that it appears at the top of the first page of search engine results (SERP). The two main goals of SEO are visibility and high rankings.
Search engine optimization is an effort that is continuously carried out by website owners or managers. When SEO is done correctly, the goal of increasing visibility and rankings can be achieved well.
What is Over Optimization?
Over Optimization is a process that goes too far in optimizing. This is what often happens and causes failure in SEO techniques. Not only that, your blog will be in the lowest position and it will certainly be difficult for Google to index your blog/entry.
We are ready to understand that Google usually often assesses and checks a blog and checks blogs that often "SPAM" other people's blogs and, even more seriously, carry out excessive optimization in the Google search engine.
Sometimes we come across complaints that maximum SEO efforts do not provide maximum results. The website is not on the first or second page of search engine results for relevant keywords or is far on the back page of search results. If the website is not on the first or second page, it is very difficult to get organic traffic.
Why do maximum SEO efforts not provide maximum results on website visibility and ranking? In SEO, too much of a good thing, instead of getting better, can actually get worse. Website visibility and ranking can be achieved well if you implement the best SEO practices. Failure to achieve good visibility and rankings while search engine optimization has been maximized is likely because you have over-optimized.
In the ever-evolving SEO landscape, it is crucial to avoid over-optimization, which is the practice of over-optimizing a website for search engines. Over-optimization can lead to penalties from Google and hurt your rankings.
In this article, we will discuss comprehensive tips to avoid over-optimization and ensure your SEO practices remain ethical and effective.
How to avoid over-optimization?
A website is said to be over-optimized if search engine optimization techniques to achieve visibility and high rankings actually damage the quality of the website, which in turn also damages search engine rankings. Google's algorithm is constantly changing. Google is getting more sophisticated and smarter. SEO techniques that were good in the past may not be considered white-hat SEO anymore today.
Over-optimization can have a negative impact on SEO. Website visitors will have a different, worse experience. For example, content with excessive keywords becomes difficult to read or is actually annoying, especially if irrelevant keywords are optimized as text links. It is best to create content that is natural, engaging, and informative.
How do you know that a website is over-optimized or over-optimized? The following are several signs or signals that a website is over-optimized. You can diagnose and then fix to implement the best SEO practices.
1. Keyword stuffing
In SEO techniques, inserting several keywords into an article or post is very important so that when it is crawled, search engine crawlers or spiders can understand the content, index it and rank it accordingly. Keywords that are entered excessively (keyword stuffing) actually have a negative impact.
For example, in one paragraph the same 8 keywords or several different keywords are found that are not relevant to the topic of discussion.
Keyword stuffing is frowned upon by Google and can hurt search engine rankings. Content that is over-optimized by including as many keywords as possible will not rank well. Website content filled with keywords will be difficult to read or understand and will be unpleasant. Visitors become lazy about reading and immediately leave your website to switch to a competitor's website. This causes a high bounce rate and poor user experience (UX).
2. Keyword by keyword
If you understand SEO regarding the use of keywords, maybe you have read articles or posts that are filled with lots of keywords. Some keywords occur naturally, while most are deliberately included as a result of research. These additional or secondary keywords (LSI keywords) are intended to provide encouragement to the main keyword. Carefully chosen secondary keywords will lead to better rankings.
Like main keywords, excessive use of secondary keywords also harms website rankings. The large number of keywords can make Google feel overwhelmed, awkward, and have difficulty distinguishing between the purpose and meaning of the content. You need to remember that website content is created for humans. Creating content that is easy to understand and understand is the best thing.
3. Useless long articles
Google pays attention to websites, one of which is through articles or posts. Google likes articles between 1200 to 2000 words or about 10 minutes to finish reading. Quality articles with a moderate and natural number of keywords help websites stay current and be seen as a valuable information resource by Google.
Many people take advantage of Google's attention to websites through articles by creating long articles. Articles are forced to be long so that the information conveyed is vague, many phrases or sentences are repeated with similar meanings, the use of many keywords becomes unnatural, and the language is not coherent. Articles become difficult or unpleasant to read and confusing.
Long, useless articles that are only intended to meet Google's preferred word count actually have a bad impact on SEO. Google can know this from the behavior of website visitors which gives negative signals to SEO. Visitors don't continue reading and immediately leave your website, returning to the search results page (SERP) to open an article on a competitor's website. This is what causes high bounce rates, poor user experience, and low rankings.
4. Excessive titles and headers
A little about the difference between title and title. A title covers the entire document (article) and captures its contents through one or two phrases, while a heading is only for a chapter or section and only captures the content of that chapter or section.
In SEO, titles and headers play an important role in telling search engines and visitors what content is. Titles and headers without keywords and that don't make sense can damage your website. Headers that are too long with inappropriate formatting throughout also drag your website down.
Google wants to understand content quickly and precisely through titles and headings. If the two are confused, this can damage the SEO performance you are building.
You can use best practices for titles and headings. The title uses the h1 HTML element, contains the main keyword, and is no more than 70 characters. Within the h1 title, try to have one or more headings using the h2 HTML element and include secondary keywords. You need to pay close attention to how titles and headings are applied in the article.
5. Excessive use of links
Internal links and external links are very important for SEO, as are backlinks. Links that are used correctly, have relevance, and are placed appropriately can tell Google that a piece of content is an important and valuable source of information, as can backlinks from websites that have high authority. These three types of links can increase your web page ranking and the credibility of your website.
Sometimes, we often find web pages with lots of links, both internal links and external links, linked carelessly, and seem overly optimized. An excessive number of links that are not balanced with the content, especially those that have no relevance, can damage SEO. Likewise, backlinks from websites that do not have high authority or are not trusted can also drop your website ranking.
6. Many SEO improvements at once
Improving content for search engine optimization (SEO) purposes is necessary to have high visibility and rankings. However, carrying out a major overhaul of a website by overhauling most of its content and structure can overwhelm search engine crawlers. Search engine crawlers have to crawl and relearn your website.
Although a major overhaul is in line with best SEO practices, a high volume of changes made simultaneously can temporarily impact your website's ranking. If there are plans to carry out a major overhaul, it should be done in stages so that search engine crawlers can crawl and study your website well..
Conclusion
Avoiding over-optimization in SEO is critical to maintaining your rankings and avoiding penalties. By following the tips outlined in this article, you can ensure that your SEO practices remain ethical and effective.
Remember that SEO is an ongoing process that requires ongoing monitoring and adjustments. By avoiding over-optimization and focusing on providing a positive user experience, you can build a successful website that attracts organic traffic and grows your business.
Now we know "What is Over Optimization". Therefore, don't do this to get your entry/article/post to be in the best position on the SERP. You can use optimization but don't overdo it. If you violate Google's regulations, then you are just looking for trouble on your blog. Be careful when learning SEO techniques.