On Page SEO Content Mistakes

People make mistakes all the time. Some are small ones, others are larger. But when it comes to your on page seo tactics, one small slip-up can be the difference between page one on google and page 5 (aka not showing up at all). Now that you have been armed with image optimization and content best practices for on page seo, it is time to make sure you avoid these bad on page seo ideas.

Poorly worded copy

This goes back to writing content for both people and the search engines. Do not just fill your copy with keywords, so that reading it will make no sense. It is called keyword stuffing, and according to Search Engine Watch, Google does not allow it and will warn you to fix it if it finds you in violation.1 You want to make sure that your on page content flows logically and smoothly, while staying on topic and still incorporating the keywords. The article gives the advice that if you read it aloud and it sounds normal, then you should be fine. But if all you hear is your keywords, unnaturally over and over again, then you need to do some content cleanup.

Duplicate Content

This can refer to two different mistakes. One is the actual words and images on your site. In order to achieve higher SERPs, you need to make sure your site is full of original content. If Google scans your site and finds the exact same content as someone else on the web, they can push you all the way to bottom of the results, or even worse, de-index you.
The other duplicate content mistake is having the same page on your site multiple times. This can happen from an ecommerce store displaying the same product in multiple sections or using the same naming convention for your title tags and meta description.

Bad Anchor Text

This is related to the poorly worded content mistake. You do not want your anchor text (text that is hyperlinked to another site or page) to seem forced. If your keyword is mistake, your title on the page is mistakes and most of the links on your page contain the word mistake, it will seem forced and Google will penalize you for for link building. Instead, you want to vary your wording for these links and make sure they flow when you read them back.

1. http://searchenginewatch.com/article/2291159/Keyword-Stuffing-Hidden-Text-Manual-Action-Google-on-How-to-Fix-it

On Page SEO Content Mistakes