If your website hasn’t achieved the desired rankings as you want it to be, you may wonder what you’re doing wrong. Google positioning is based on an array of algorithms that search engine giants have created to provide the best possible user experience.
Web penalization occurs from bad management or choices related to your website and content. Some of the elements and causes Google considers when evaluating websites include the quality of the content, backlinks, reputation, and the user’s experience.
Understanding some of the main causes of penalties can help you avoid them.
Duplicate Content
One of the most important things that Google values over other factors are originality. This means duplicated content will be penalized.
A common practice, especially for online stores, was using the manufacturers’ texts and information to sell products. This offered a simple way to present the products and achieve the desired positioning. To ensure your content isn’t considered as a duplicate, you can’t just change the colors or the format. Google puts a higher level of value on content that is considered 100% original.
The Page Speed
How many times have you discovered a website that takes too long to upload, and you wind up wanting to leave? Speed is considered by Google when evaluating the website and content. Put simply – the shorter the load time, the better ranking your page will achieve.
Keyword Stuffing
When you create your content, you know what keywords you will use. That’s because you know how your customers are searching for you. While using the right keywords is important, you can’t overuse them.
Google will know if you are overexploiting these words. While this was considered an acceptable strategy in the early days of the internet, this is no longer the case.
Purchasing Links
Google values a site that becomes a reference, and that is a valuable source of information that can be quoted and that other websites can link to. That is because it is viewed as valuable. To comply with this standard, which Google now considers essential, some websites create pages with the sole intention of linking to the main page, which they want to position, but this isn’t acceptable.
Error Pages
Have you ever encountered a website where you are continually redirected to an error page? These are also called 404s. Google doesn’t value websites that have too many error pages. In fact, this is one of the main reasons that Google penalizes websites.
Make sure your users can find what they are looking for. Be sure to check your links and pages regularly, too, and don’t let 404s ruin your ability to rank well in SERPs.
Getting Help to Avoid Google Penalties
There are several reasons that Google may penalize your website and drop your rank. By avoiding some of the most common issues, which are highlighted above, you can feel confident that you can achieve a higher rank. If necessary, seek help from a third-party service provider.