There are so many factors to think about when it comes to optimizing a Web site for search engines: On page factors like title tags, keyword density, internal link structure, etc. and off page factors like link building, marketing, reputation management, etc. It’s easy to get caught up in that one thing that you think will make or break your optimization efforts. Three of the most common that I hear about are duplicate content issues, paid directory controversies, and keyword rich URLs. These are all good items to think about, but there’s no need to get so hung up on them.
The first issue I mentioned is duplicate content. There are always questions about what does and does not count as duplicate content. You basically have to copy a web site word for word with no other original content to be penalized for duplicate content. Web site with directories that have similar content don’t need to worry so much. Localized directories worry about this the most. Even if the content for Indianapolis, IN and Lafayette, IN are very similar they’re not identical. Quoting parts of other sites’ content is also safe. If you have other original content surrounding the quote there won’t be a problem.
Next is paid directory submissions. Many people will say that paid directories will have an adverse effect on your rankings (because it could be considered spam). But how could they see it as spam? If you’re paying to be in a relevant directory there’s no reason a search engine should penalize you. You’re simply promoting your Web site. Some of the best links a site can have come from the Yahoo Directory, DMOZ, and other large directories. Why would a search engine give these directories so much weight and consider other directories bad? Of course this form of link building can be very time consuming and tedious. Creating great content that will attract natural links is much more efficient but sometimes very difficult - especially for smaller sites that don’t always appeal to the linkerati.
The last issue is keyword rich URLs. It seems as though having keywords in your URLs does help in some of the search engines, such as Yahoo. But you shouldn’t rely on it for the majority of your SEO efforts. It’s just another factor in the long list of SEO tasks. The biggest reason for including keywords in your URLs is to help your visitor know which page they are on. And if they link to you using just the URL as the anchor text then it will include keywords. But it’s not something you need to obsess over. I’ve seen plenty of sites rank well for their key terms with URLs that have nothing to do with the site.
The little things SEOs and Web Masters worry about (but probably shouldn’t) - To learn more about this author, visit James Wells's Website.
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