Has your website traffic suddenly dropped? Ranking too? There’s a good chance that a penalty from Google has hit your site. Don’t worry; you won’t be left in the dark about why your website received a penalty.
Google issues penalties in either of these two ways — manual penalties and algorithm penalties. If you notice an abnormal drop in ranking and traffic, start by checking Google Webmaster Tools. Suppose you’ve been given a manual penalty. In that case, you will be notified via the webmaster tool about what is the reason for it.
Algorithmic penalties, on the other hand, are more complicated. To figure out why you’ve been penalized, you might find yourself down a rabbit hole of Google algorithm updates.
10 Common Mistakes That Get Your Website Penalized?
The root cause of most Google penalties is backlinks. However, that is not all. Google uses extensive guidelines to ensure that the SERPs remain relevant. Often changes in these guidelines can lead to disastrous consequences for your website.
Algorithmic penalties are especially difficult to deal with. It’s important to have a top-notch digital marketing agency to avoid being penalized by Google. They can make a world of difference in protecting your online presence.
Unethical Linking Practices
This is the most prevalent of a multitude of issues that warrant a penalty from Google. Exchanging links used to be acceptable until people started going overboard with it. To discourage this practice which reduced the relevance of search results, Google started penalizing websites that exchange links with clients excessively.
Buying links to manipulate page ranking can also get you a penalty. Lots of purchased links=bad links, so it makes sense why Google is after these websites.
Overusing H1 tags
A proper content structure is excellent for SEO. The H1 tag indicates to Google what the content is about. But don’t overdo it. Too many H1 tags may be interpreted as an attempt to pump up Google’s listing with keywords.
Keyword Stuffing
More keywords are good, right? Wrong! While there are many rules regarding keywords, most are yet to be proven. But one thing is for sure, an oddly high keyword density goes against your interest.
A very high keyword density often indicates poorly written content causing Google to penalize you.
Broken External Links
You have followed all the external linking best practices but still got penalized for it? Chances are your site is ridden with broken links. Neglecting to update your external links and repairing broken ones can convey the impression that you don’t care about the user experience.
Checking links regularly and getting rid of the duds will help you ward off penalties.
Duplicate Content
This might be stating the obvious for many. However, there are still many digital marketing agencies out there who focus on the quantity rather than quality of content.
Google views duplicate content as superfluous and unethical and may hit you with a penalty. Take care to only post-well-written and unique content to avoid falling down the SERPs.
Spun Content
Beware, spinning content is the same as stealing content. Besides ending up with a penalty from Google, it could cause a host of other issues, including plagiarism suits. People who outsource their content work may not even be aware that the content was spun.
If you’re paying peanuts for large volumes of content, then it might be time to reevaluate your priorities. If you want to avoid the Google penalty quicksands, stop spinning content.
Slow Site Speeds
40% of users reportedly abandon a website that takes over 3 seconds to load. When Google notices increased bounce rates on your page, you get hit with a penalty, making it crucial to keep the loading speed up to par.
Use a CDN or catching plugin immediately to boost speeds. Alternatively, consider moving your site to a data center closer to your frequent visitors to improve load time. Source
Over-optimization
Too much of anything can be harmful, and that includes SEO too! If you’re going overboard with SEO to outrank your competitors, it’s time to give it a rest. Optimization is good, but making it your sole objective shifts the focus from other factors like originality and relevance.
Publishing some natural content here and there ensures you don’t get picked out for an SEO “simp.”
Hacked Content
Google will quickly remove any hacked sites from its SERPs. In this case, you might be the victim, but only acting quickly to contain the attacks will save your site from sinking down the black hole of Google penalties.
Backing up your site will be a great help if you ever face this risk. If your site has been hacked, prioritize restoring its functions post haste.
Don’t fall for quick fixes
Beware of digital marketing agencies that claim to have foolproof techniques to deal with Google penalties in record time. Building credibility takes time, and rushing to establish your online presence will only result in an influx of penalties over time.
Leading digital marketing agencies focus on laying a solid groundwork over time to ensure consistent ranking in the SERPs without risking penalties.
Conclusion
There are countless guides and shortcuts to becoming an SEO superstar. The truth is that most of these claims are bogus. Ethical practices and comprehensive knowledge of the latest developments in the Google algorithm is the only way a website can avoid being penalized.
Exnovation is the go-to digital marketing agency to achieve your digital marketing goals and avoid setbacks along the road. Don’t let your site get bogged down by Google penalties. Let the professionals get you through it!
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