Top 11 SEO mistakes

11. JavaScript Menus
Using JavaScript for navigation is not a big problem as long as you know that search engines do not read JavaScript well and site is built with that in mind. JavaScript is usually used for fly-out and mouse -overs in navigation. Many of the typical functionality of a JavaScript menu can be duplicated using CSS, which is search engine readable.

10. A Flash website without a HTML alternative
Flash is attractive but not to search engines and users. Most search engine spiders cannot read flash sites, and those that can read flash are not very good at it. If the search engines cannot read your site they cannot index it. If you absolutely must have a site in Flash and you want search engines to love it, provide an HTML version. This means double the updates and additional cost.

9. Ignoring the Title tag
Many, many sites leave the title tag of the site blank, or have duplicate titles. The title tag is a line in the HTML coding of a website and appears in the top bar of your web browser. This is an important place to have keywords, because not only does it help you in optimization but the text in your title tag shows in the search results as your page title.

8. Targeting too many or the wrong keywords
Sometimes people choose keywords that they think are descriptive of their website but average searcher just don't use. A good example of this is when a business has a term they use to describe a service that is generally used in another context ... like NHL for the New Hampshire Library. Choosing the right terms is key to having a successful SEO campaign.

7. Lack of Maintenance
One of the big misconceptions is that SEO is something you do once and then it is done forever. If you want to be successful, you need to constantly optimize your site, keep an eye on your competition and pay attention to the changes in the ranking algorithms of search engines.

6. Concentrating too much on meta tags
Another misconception people have about SEO is that it is all about getting your meta tags (meta keywords and meta description tags) just right. In fact, meta tags are becoming less important than in the past. Creating good, optimized meta keywords and descriptions tags is important but don't expect to rank well only because of this one thing.

5. Using only Images for Headings
Some think that an image looks better than text for headings and menus. It's true an image can make your site look more distinctive but in terms of SEO images for headings and menus are a big mistake because h2, h2, etc. tags and menu links are important SEO items. These can be modified using CSS to get a different look.

4. Ignoring URLs
Another item often overlooked is the site URL. Dynamic page names are still very frequent and no keywords in the URL is more a rule than an exception. It is possible to rank high even without keywords in the URL but all being equal, if you have keywords in the URL (the domain itself, or file names, which are part of the URL), this gives you additional advantage over your competitors.

3. Backlink spamming
All backlinks are not created equal. Backlinks are the sites that link to yours, and are used by the search engines to judge importance. Many people believe that the QUANTITY of backlinks to your site is what is important and because of this web masters resort to link farms, forum/newgroup spam, which ultimately could lead to getting their sites banned. What you need is QUALITY backlinks to your site. Personally, I'd take one link from the New York Times or CNN over a 100 poor quality links.

2. Lack of keywords in the content
Once you come up with your keywords you need to modify your content and put the keywords into your on page text in the right balance and in a way that makes sense. You wouldn't believe how many times I've had to ask clients to put keywords into the content of their site.

1. Lack of fresh content
Search engines like frequently updated content. What this means is like your SEO is never done, neither is your website. Plan for frequent additions or updates to your site, at the minimum a couple of times a year.

Many Thanks to Erica Darcy for this informative post. She can be reached at

emhdarcy@gmail.com

http://mhvtheater.blogspot.com
http://thefrequentbookworm.blogspot.com