Any blogger knows just how important search engine optimization can be to overall success. Without adequate presence in a variety of different search engine results, it can be next to impossible to organically grow an audience, improve subscription rates or otherwise make an impact. Content creation is a fundamental part of modern SEO; without great content, SEO efforts will fall flat. Despite this, there are some content efforts that can actually do more harm than good in the world of SEO. Today, we’ll discuss which blogging errors you’ll want to avoid in order to maintain a solid presence in search results.

Purchasing Links

In 2016, it is an absolute no-no to purchase links with the intent of improving SEO. While there still remain services out there that promise top-notch results in exchange for nothing but cash, many of these entities perform the most basic of link building strategies – all of which are detected by Google’s algorithms. This can lead to significant downgrading of your website’s rankings in search engine results. Real link building involves earning links at a slow but steady pace over a period of months and years. Whenever multiple or even dozens of websites start pinging your website with backlinks in a period of just a few days, search engines quickly discover what is really happening.

Copying Content

There is so much content on the web these days that it can be difficult to feel like you can have an original thought. There is a difference, however, between covering topics that have already been discussed and outright copying content from other websites. Search engines have become adept at identifying patterns in content from website to website: even a loose copying of content (that uses different verbs, synonyms, etc.) can often be detected by search engines. Avoid this behaviour at all costs.

Spreading Your Focus Too Thin

All too many websites try to be everything to everyone. In the world of SEO, this is an impossible task for most. If you really want to perform well in search and are not already a well-established entity, then it is necessary to focus solely on one niche that appeals to a given audience. Focusing on two or more niches that are unrelated can spread your content efforts too thin – as well as any keyword targeting – and make it impossible to rise in search rankings. By focusing on one particular niche, you’ll be able to do enough to have an effect.

Building a Busy Blog

Your blog should be chock full of helpful content. With that being said, employing too many elements in its design can be quite off-putting for visitors. How can this affect SEO? It’s simple: poorly-designed websites result in higher bounce rates, which indicate to search engines that your website is either irrelevant in select search engine results or not desirable to users. You want to avoid pinging your website with too many elements (images, design elements, content boxes, etc.) that can create this impression.