Don't just write blogs for keywords

[MrsPWN]

OK, I admit I don't understand all this seo malarky, but I was reading a blog entry just now of someone who posts on here quite abit. It was obviously done for keywords or something because 1 word (eg pianist) was repeated 26 times, making the relatively short article pretty hard to read.

In 2 sentences the word was used 6 times I can't be the only one that is alienated by this, surely.

 

[Ali-v-8]

If the guys website got a positive result from it then its not a bad thing. If google hold that content of the link in good regard then obviously its not a bad thing.

OK, I admit I don't understand all this seo malarky, but I was reading a blog entry just now of someone who posts on here quite abit. It was obviously done for keywords or something because 1 word (eg pianist) was repeated 26 times, making the relatively short article pretty hard to read.

In 2 sentences the word was used 6 times I can't be the only one that is alienated by this, surely.

 

[webpromoterservice]

i agree with MrsPWN.It's terrible and i wouldn't waste time reading such an article or post.
posts should be written with readers in mind and not the search engines.

 

[IBiz]

I'm new but I agree too! The days of keyword stuffing are gone. Search engine algorithms are advanced enough to pick it up and you've likely to get your website banned for it.

My rule of thumb for writing articles is the 'friend test'. Give the article to a friend and have them read it. If it sounds funny to them, chances are you've put in too many keywords.

Just make sure you put the keyword in the first and last paragraph, and maybe a couple of times in the body.

That should be enough!

 

[MASSEY]

It depends, what were the words associated around it, if they had key word phrases including the word pianist, then it wouldn't go down as spam, although for a human to read it is fairly irritating.

 

[Gillie]

Yep in fact since reading this I remembered we have blogs on this site and wow, there is one who likes doing this keyword stuffing thing - now come on, you can't tell me that stuffing the same words over and over in all the wrong places means readers will actually enjoy and not laugh at the dammed things!

 

[MrsPWN]

It just changes the point of the blog, to serve a purpose to a machine rather than a person :|

eg
If you are looking for a pianist you need to find a list of pianists and the pianists will have their details and how long they have been a pianist. A pianist is someone who can play the piano therefore making them a pianist.

seriously

 

[inspired38]

I agree - its frustrating.

To build an online presence takes time and patience and its important to focus on delivering value to customers all the time. Many people want the short cut easy way and this is happening for people less and less now.

Regards

 

Yep in fact since reading this I remembered we have blogs on this site and wow, there is one who likes doing this keyword stuffing thing - now come on, you can't tell me that stuffing the same words over and over in all the wrong places means readers will actually enjoy and not laugh at the dammed things!

Like ones Turkey nothing wrong with a bit of stuffing,providing you make sure you get it in every nook and cranny.

Keyword stuffing will not get you banned,but it may not have a positive effect on your results.

Google is still using the same algo with very minor mods that it used when it opened its doors.IMHO

The one major change is the importance it is giving to keyword rich domains.Not a good thing IMHO

Earl

 

but if the human visiting leaves the page immediately, then all you have done is drive a visitor to a site with poor conversion. Everyone looses

If you are selling the right product they stick around.

Forget the words,forget the design.

Product at the right price is king.

Earl

 

[directmarketingadvice]

If you are selling the right product they stick around.

Forget the words,forget the design.

Product at the right price is king.

Earl

Here's a question: if I want to buy a product and I know which product I want to buy, why on earth would I be reading a blog post?

(or why would I click on a link in the SERPS that was for a blog post or article?)

Steve

 

[Colin Parker]

If you are selling the right product they stick around.

Forget the words,forget the design.

Product at the right price is king.

Earl

Here we go again!

This is absolute nonsense.

Words, paragraph length, font, font size, pictures, picture location, colour, number of colours used, call to action etc., etc., etc., etc., etc., etc., will have a HUGE effect on conversion for any product or service.

I guarantee that I could ruin the conversion of any of Earl's (or anyone's) sites not by changing the price but by changing the design.

Crap design = crap conversion. FACT.

Colin Parker

 

Here we go again!

This is absolute nonsense.

Words, paragraph length, font, font size, pictures, picture location, colour, number of colours used, call to action etc., etc., etc., etc., etc., etc., will have a HUGE effect on conversion for any product or service.

I guarantee that I could ruin the conversion of any of Earl's (or anyone's) sites not by changing the price but by changing the design.

Crap design = crap conversion. FACT.

Colin Parker

I take it you don't have to sell anything for a living.?

Car lease site I work with ,consistently voted one of the worst designed sites on the internet by various knopwledgable design bodies.

FACT site sells more cars than any other leasing site in the UK.?

Natwest award.

The everywoman Iris Award

This award is given to the woman whose business growth and success has been greatly improved, through successful implementation and use of IT and communications.

Earl

 

[Deleted member 61074]

but if the human visiting leaves the page immediately,

thats the key fact here, there is no benefit to the site owner if google rates a page highly but all human visitors bounce off the site within 3 secs and never return.

The current mantra is build your site for humans... they are the ones with cash to spend.

 

[Deleted member 61074]

Crap design = crap conversion. FACT.

I used to think this, but over time have been proven wrong.

there are loads of badly "designed" shops out there doing a storm.

Navigation and content rates higher than design (assuming design just means pretty pictures and nice colour theme)

 

[directmarketingadvice]

I imagine he means: "crap design" = "design that converts poorly".

I've seen a number of "over-designed" sites that were pretty and performed terribly.

Ultimately, the proof of the pudding is in the testing. You can think your design is doing "well", but what does that mean? The real question is "would it do significantly better if you changed it?".

Words, paragraph length, font, font size, pictures, picture location, colour, number of colours used, call to action etc., etc., etc., etc., etc., etc., will have a HUGE effect on conversion for any product or service.

Very true. I've been consulting with an ecommerce site recently and, after implementing the changes I recommended (and some of their own ideas that came out of our discussions), the conversion rate is up by just over 480%.

There's been no change to prices or to the products on sale (nor changes to the colour scheme), just changes to the way we present those products.

Steve

 

[IBiz]

I'm going to agree with SteveGibson.

There is a big distinction between two types of design:

1. Design that looks 'pretty' to visitors.
2. Design that gets visitors converting.

These two types are not mutually exclusive, but obviously number 2 is more important.

So yes, it is possible to have a site that is voted the 'worst design EVER!' (in terms of looks that is) but still converts highly.

Look at the countless numbers of opt-in pages / sales letters across the internet. They are not going to win any design awards. But they have been designed specifically to get the maximum number of conversions possible.

They do this by getting rid of distracting elements, reducing the number of links that take people away from the site, using plain white backgrounds and red headers, use red arrows pointing at the email sign-up form, a massive 'click here' type button, simplifying the conversion funnel, positioning the button above the fold in the top right of the screen (due to F-scanning pattern), etc, etc.

These guys lively hood is from people signing up to their mailing lists. You can BET they have done their split / multivariate testing and KNOW what they are doing.

These principles apply to standard retail sites as well. Not in such extremities but they can have a massive impact.

 

[Colin Parker]

I take it you don't have to sell anything for a living.?

Car lease site I work with ,consistently voted one of the worst designed sites on the internet by various knopwledgable design bodies.

FACT site sells more cars than any other leasing site in the UK.?

Natwest award.

The everywoman Iris Award

This award is given to the woman whose business growth and success has been greatly improved, through successful implementation and use of IT and communications.

Earl

Earl - you are totally missing the point.

I too have sites which so called 'designers' tell me could be 'improved'. However I know that they have never split tested a website in their lives and are clueless about tracking conversion. Just as your car lease site converts very well - so do mine.

That does not prove - as you keep repeating - that the right product at the right price makes web design irrelevant. What it proves is that we both track conversion, know visitors like our sites and that 90% of web designers are conversion clueless.

If product and price alone determined conversion that would mean you could split test 100 variations of a site - all completely different - and the conversion results would be exactly the same. Do you honestly believe that?

Because if you do ... I may be way overestimating your apparent marketing ability.

And by the way, I have been selling for a living (and self employed at that) for nigh on 30 years.

Colin Parker

 

[Colin Parker]

Just picked up this conversion gem from my Drayton Bird swipefile:

For instance three years ago a client tested moving the position of one simple phrase on their website order page. Overnight their enquiries went up from 0.8% to 2.2%. It's still there today.

Since that client is the second largest firm in their field turning over hundreds of millions, God alone knows how much that simple suggestion has made for them.

So Earl - same company, same product, same price - yet changing the position of one simple phrase nearly TREBLED sales enquiries.

I rest my case.

Colin Parker