Common SEO Mistakes

Part One: Links - Some people will tell you that you want as many links as possible. Those same people might tell you that they can sell you one thousand links at rock bottom prices. Chances are they can, but it's probably not the type of links you want. Good natural links take time. You want the right kind of links.

• Link Location - Just like some neighborhoods are desirable and other are not, links are the same. You want to avoid places that require a link back. These automated reciprocal links rarely help, and can often hurt. Also sites that deal with pornography, illegal content, or use "black hat" or spammy SEO techniques are frowned upon. While submitting to a few directories is a good idea, it's probably not worth your time or money to submit to hundreds. For a few good directories to submit to see Directory Listings and DMOZ.
• Contextual Links - Not all links are the same. These are the links that are your biggest goal. This is especially critical with links from sites that aren't very influential (have low page rank). They should appear inside of a paragraph or article. Getting people to write about your page or your product can be difficult, but it is often the most rewarding. These also have the benefit of giving people more information and encouraging clicks. One thing that people forget is having a link to your web site is only half of the issue. The "context" or the words used in and around the link is the other and sometime most important. I suggest going for the best context you can. Make it a reasonable string of three to six keywords if possible. For example, anyone linking here, or writing about this site would be welcome to use Costa Rica SEO and Web Design.
• Paid Links and Banner Ads - These can be useful if the site is relative to your subject. The down sides are you have to pay for them, and they should be watched for results. Sites that attract the same type of visitors that you want often sell links, and sometimes it's as simple as a quick e-mail to find out. Make sure that any link you pay for has good optimization. They should use keywords in your link (especially important and overlooked in banner ads). The page should be within three clicks of the home page. Check to see if the page is indexed with major search engines. You can do this by typing "site:http://www.example.com/linking_page". Just replace the example domain with the page your interested in. Try to choose pages that have less than 25 TOTAL links. More links means you get less credit for yours. I include navigation when counting links as well. It's important that you get detailed reports on these type of links to ensure that you're getting your money's worth. How many visitors does the web site get per month? How many times was your link clicked? Another part of doing this is setting up tracking or reporting on your site to see how many people actually contact you or buy. I would also try to get reports independent of the seller.

Well that concludes this first part of our list of common SEO mistakes. If you didn't already, be sure to check out Common SEO Mistakes Part 2 for common mistakes made with designing content. Building links is a complicated process, but essential for any web site that wants natural search engine traffic. Be sure to read the rest of our self SEO tips. We make building links and promoting your web site easy. Contact us to find out.

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