Avoiding Black Hat SEO

What is Black Hat SEO?

Black Hat SEO is an unethical practice to increase the ranking of a certain web page in search engine results. It focuses only on search engines and usually disobeys SEO guidelines. It is frequently used by those aiming for a quick financial return against long-term investment on their website.

What are the different Black Hat Techniques?

These are some of the techniques that we try to avoid in SEO Devon.       

The use of unrelated keywords

Black Hat SEO uses irrelevant keywords to get an extra page hit. SEO writing should always focus on a specific topic, so that the users can easily find what they are searching for.

   

Hidden links

Adding a link to a page is allowed as long as it is visible to the naked eye. Black Hat SEO introduces links to a page, with the same colour as the background, in order to increase the chances of opening the link page accidentally.

Cloaking

Black Hat SEO commonly incorporates a website description that is different from its content. For example, when searching for the keyword “sharks”, you will click on the search result that has a description about sharks and realise later on that the page is all about pornography.

Duplicate content

Black Hat SEO copies the content from another website, without first seeking permission. It is one way of plagiarising someone’s work. To refrain from having duplicate content, rephrase a certain article in your own words.

URL hijacking

Black Hat SEO includes a listing of domain names that are similar or a misspelled version of their competitor to re-route the visitors to their website. Every website should become popular based on the quality of its content, not by misleading the users.

  

Comment spam

The automatic posting of links as a reply to someone’s post, comment spamming increases the number of inbound links but should always be avoided. The comment should always be constructive and related to the blog post.

Social networking spam

Social networking spam includes sending advertisements to random people. For example, you might receive a message saying “visit www.website.com and see our pictures together”. Upon clicking it, you will be lead directly to that webpage, which will likely increase their views and ranking.

These Black Hat SEO techniques should be avoided at all costs. With Google imposing bans and penalties, you may even be facing a lawsuit for copyright infringement. For legal and efficient ways to increase your website’s search engine ranking, contact Devon SEO on 0800-404-5988. You can also check their website for more information.

Image source:

http://www.quickseosupport.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/black-hat-SEO.jpg

Successful Business Branding with Devon SEO Co.

People nowadays often search for the things that they want to purchase on the Internet. The use of smartphones has made it easier to access the Internet anytime, anywhere. Companies utilise the Internet to sell products because it is one of the fastest and cheapest ways to get in touch with their target market. Devon SEO Co. provides various services that can enhance your company's online visibility. Here are some of them:

·         Search Engine Optimisation

Search engine optimisation involves website auditing, keyword research, competitor analysis, creating company profiles and content generation. All of the content that we generate consist of active links that opt to bring more traffic to your website. This type of service will help you to increase your company website’s rankings on various search engine sites such as Google and Yahoo. Usually, the websites that are on top of search engine sites are first in line to the perspective customer.

·         Website Design and Development

Devon SEO Co. provides user-friendly web designs that are also structured in line with Google’s search engine algorithms. The navigations that we set are easy to use and understand. Other efficient tools for your website can also be included such as the auto-responder and the anti-spam feature.

·         Social media campaign and marketing

Establishing your company website as a resource provider can help you to gain the customers' trust. This can be achieved by providing helpful materials related to your products/services. Devon SEO Co. produces high-quality graphics and articles (web contents and blogs) for your customers, which will eventually build new connections with other potential clients through social media sharing. Generating infographics and slogans are also essential to grab the attention of online buyers.

Tip:

Make sure you have completely defined your company's missions, qualities and target market before consulting an SEO specialist. This can help them to formulate a web design and content that is aligned with your business goals.

Improve your online visibility by partnering with Devon SEO Co. Call us on 0800 404 5988 or complete the contact form with your enquiries. We look forward to talking with you!

Social Media Techniques to Boost SEO Rankings

Utilising social media is one of the easiest ways to boost your Exeter SEO ranking. It helps your website to top the search engine rankings. Here are some techniques on how you can use social media as an effective SEO strategy.

ü  Optimise Social Media Profile

Companies must complete all the necessary descriptions and information that the social media channels require. Here are the 3 components that should be included in your account:

a.       Keywords: Put keywords or phrases that are related to the field of your business.

b.      Links: Your social media profiles must include a link to your website and links to other key sites. This is a strategy to increase brand awareness and to increase the traffic on your domain web page.

c.       Address: Your business address is equally important as your business name. Never forget to include this in your profile so that potential customers can easily find you.

ü  Optimise Social Media Posts

All your social media posts must be related to your business. Always include keyword phrases or “hash tags” to attract your target market. This strategy relies upon pre-existing content but it also opens a secondary channel for search.

ü  Promote your Social Media Accounts to Gain More Followers

Getting more followers will give you the chance to gain more customers. This also helps in brand awareness that could lead to referrals.

ü  Encourage External Inbound Links

Share your blog posts in your social media accounts. They can serve as broadcast channels that can get you more readers for your content. It is also good to use hash tags to increase online visibility. Just make sure that your blog posts are good enough to attract the readers to visit your domain web page and eventually avail your products or services.

ü  Locally-Optimised Posts

Social media is a great opportunity to engage your business in the local community. You can provide updates whenever your company participates in local events. It is also the best way to communicate with other local brands and establishments.

Social media is one of the most important SEO strategies to ensure the success of your business. To improve your rankings, call Devon SEO on 0800-404-5988. You can also check out their website for more information.

Image source: http://thinkpyxl.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/blog-seo_and_social_media_convergence.jpg

Defining Off Page SEO

Off Page SEO is another way of describing the SEO activities that take place outside of your website, the end game being an improvement in your rankings, which ultimately leads to an increase in your website traffic.

Many people think that Off Page SEO and Link Building is one and the same but it is more than that. Off Page SEO has more to do with promotional methods to drive a website’s rank higher in the search engine results. If you want to dig deeper into Off Page SEO, here are some of the things that you might want to know. 

The success of Off Page SEO

The Off Page SEO strategy will create benefits to website holders, such as an increase in:

·        Rank – an increase in rank is also an increase in traffic.

·     Page Rank – it is a figure between 0 and 10 that tells how essential the website is in the eyes of Google.

·     Exposure – when the rank increases, the exposure of the website also increases because it gains more links, visits and social media signals.

Most Important Parts of Off Page SEO

1. Link Building – it is about enlarging the trust and citation flows, increasing your popularity online and supporting the domain authority to become stronger. Here is one of the most important ways to construct links:

·         Directories – similar to an online version of the yellow pages, these sites allow your company to be shown within its correct category. The Devon SEO Co has numerous sites that we have built up over the years. These sites have been used in other campaigns and contain a good overall quality score, which will be looked upon favourably by Google.

Social Media

Simply put, social media is also a form of link building. Links are primarily obtained through the development of original content that is shared across social media. It is also known as online reputation management because social networking sites such as Facebook, YouTube, Twitter and other social media platforms help the search engines to recognise dependable websites.

Social Bookmarking

Social Bookmarking is no longer as popular as it was but it is still a powerful way of promoting your website. Social bookmarking sites have been spammed by most people because they do not know how to utilise them well. Some social bookmarking in popular sites such as Digg and Delicious should be approached with caution.  It is important to handle the tags that are spreading your news over an extensive area, accurately. The growth of your website’s traffic depends on the frequency of your active participation.

Whether link building, social media, social bookmarking or any other strategy, it is necessary that your Off Page SEO is administered by a professional company like SEO Devon. We are equipped with the knowledge that is essential for effective SEO strategies. We are dedicated to achieving the results that you crave for your business. You can visit our Facebookpage for more updates.

How Does On Page SEO differ from Off Page SEO?

SEO or Search Engine Optimisation is the process of getting traffic and affecting the visibility of a website on a search engine. Search engines have primary search results. This is where web pages and their contents, such as video, articles and other content forms are ranked and shown. The process of ranking is based on the relevancy of the web page to the users. Ranking also relies on the algorithms given by the search engine. To be familiar with different SEO techniques, you should first know the two classifications of SEO. The On Page SEO and Off Page SEO.

The difference between the two:

On Page SEO

Before considering other techniques in SEO, you should focus first on the appearance and the design of the website itself. Making it an easy to manage and user friendly website is a must, being an important factor in the ranking. Aside from that, On Page SEO also includes adding informative and quality content, such as articles with highly targeted keywords. Keywords are used by the search engines to refine the searches according to their relevance. Improving your website's navigation and using different types of meta tags are also common factors to consider.  To make the most of your On Page SEO, Smart tips should be observed.

Off Page SEO

On the other hand, Off Page SEO refers to the outside techniques or influences that improve your website's ranking. The process of getting links back to your site from other websites that are relevant to your keywords, proper linking will result in the possibility of a higher ranking. However, there are still rules and guidelines to follow when creating back-links for your website. Just make sure that these links are relative to your keywords, otherwise they might result in bad links and bad links affect the ranking as well.

Which Is More Important?

Both techniques are important. The methodical commitment and monitoring of both on page and off page strategies is equivalent to your success. Remember to keep your sites as navigable as possible, as recommended for On Page SEO. To sum up, these two techniques should not be neglected and both should be practiced at the same time.

Devon SEO is a UK based Search Engine Optimisation expert that specialises in both off page and on page SEO. To learn more about the SEO industry and its techniques, kindly contact us here.

Tips on Improving the Quality of Your Content to Rank in Search Engines

Search engines are not just looking for the number of times you mention a specific keyword or the number of visits to your site. They are also after the quality of the Website content, as well as the content of on-page and off-page blog posts. Choosing the most deserving websites that should be placed in the first few pages of the search engines will see only the fittest survive. Content should be informative and easy to understand in order to use it to your advantage to improve your website ranking. Devon SEO recommends the following:

• Pitch general but very interesting topics. Know the nature of the company you are writing for and start with the basic topics. People are usually more interested in general topics rather than the most technical jargon. Focus on content that tackles “How to”, “The Advantages of”, “The Importance of” and other step by step articles that are easy to follow. You may also include business news since it causes a sensation in search engines. Always remember that basic topics are widely searched, which means that they arm the website with a bigger opportunity to attract more visits.
• Talk to your target market. Identify whether you have a specific target market or are you simply writing for everyone? This is essential in order for you to construct your sentences in a way that your audience can easily relate to. If your company offers sports cars, then you should write for men around 20 years old and above. On the other hand, if your company showcases gowns and fashionable items, the content would be better written taking on a girly and trendy format.
• Use easy to understand words in the content. Avoid using a lot of jargons and idioms in the article because not everyone is familiar with them. As much as possible, use simple and easy to understand words and phrases so that the readers can really understand all the information you want to convey.
• Write a call for action at the footer. It is very important to write something to encourage the reader to enquire or buy in the store directly. Keep in mind that profit is the blood of any business and that's also ultimately the reason why companies want to rank in search engines – to gain more customers and sales.

If you find this article helpful, kindly like Devon SEO on Facebook. All the best in your next content writing venture!

Smart Tips for On Page SEO

Fully understanding how SEO works is quite impossible. The constant update and changing search engine algorithm make it hard to tell which of your SEO efforts today is still convenient to use tomorrow. Nevertheless, it is an undisputed fact that SEO is an important part of successfully marketing your business online. Search engine algorithms might constantly change but there are a few smart tips to make sure that your on page SEO efforts work well for the benefit of your website.

Know the right keywords

You rank well because of the keywords you use. You should first and foremost be able to identify which keywords you'd like to rank for. Knowing the right keywords to rank for allows you to enhance your chances of gaining a wider set of search volumes both local and abroad. The wider your search reach is, the higher the possibility for you to find your potential customers.

There are several keyword tools that you can use to know what most people are searching on the web like Google's Adwords. On the other hand, you might do the simplest way by searching for the keyword you're trying to target and look at Google's suggestions. These suggestions appear because that's what the audience are looking for.

Take note though that while the suggestions may be endless, you should limit your target keywords to four words maximum. Use the exact phrase to be more specific and if you want to rank locally, make sure that you get to include the location of your business.

Optimise your titles

When you're writing, your content is not the first thing that the audience will be looking for. They would first look on your web page's title and see if it’s specific, relevant to what they are looking for, and engaging enough to make them read it. Incorporating your keywords in your titles is a smart move because it helps you be found easier when people search for your target keywords. Keep in mind though to avoid using vague titles or make it look too spammy with too many keywords. Too long titles are usually cut off by Google so make sure that you create unique titles that is ideally under 70 characters long.

Write an interesting meta description

Whenever you visit search engines and search for a keyword/s, Google's first page shows the top 10 web pages complete with a title and a little snippet of text. Those snippets you see are actually meta descriptions. Just like titles, meta descriptions describes your page's content and tells your audience what your page is all about. If written correctly, your meta descriptions will be enough to market your business. This is why it’s important that you summarise your web page and still make it sound interesting, specific, and informative. It's even better if you can include important keywords within the description.

Make use of the “alt” attribute

If you don't know it yet, you can actually optimise the images you put into your blogs and help Google determine what your image is all about. In fact, Google does not know what kind of image you have unless you make use of the alt attribute. With the alt attribute, an alternate text can be displayed whenever the image fails to load. This increases the relevance of your page and helps Google determine what your image is all about. Thus, it is imperative that you make sure that the images are relevant to your content and optimise them more by including your keywords in the alt attributes.

Use Google-friendly URLs

Creating optimised titles and engaging meta descriptions are smart SEO practises but when it comes to creating an optimised URL, not all websites adhere to Google-friendly URLs. Just like your titles and meta descriptions, keeping your URLs short, sweet, specific, and keyword rich is one way to be found on Google. It's easier to remember http://i-am-a-website.com/blogs/category/first-blog/ than http://i-am-a-website.com/blogs/wiZ%@eg8263ehgweurt1265138778/. The second URL doesn't make sense at all and it doesn't add value to your SEO efforts because it lacks coherent words.

For more information on how you can make your SEO better, visit us at Devon SEO or check out our Facebook page for more tips on how to build your presence online.