Not too long ago, we featured a list of Search Engine Optimisation risks that could end up paying off. Today, we’re taking a look at some of the risks that are not worth taking. Just about every business with an online presence will make at least one or two mistakes at some point. In many ways, it is the mistakes that help to improve and fine-tune SEO strategies. Mistakes help you learn what works and what doesn’t work.
With that said, the biggest difference between mistakes and risks is that the latter is often made deliberately rather than accidentally. Knowing that any given strategy or move could end up having consequences is not quite the same as trying something and finding out that it has not worked. This is especially true if you are aware that the stakes are high.
To help you find out which SEO risks should be avoided at all costs, we have made a list to help you stay clear of possible penalties and other consequences.
Stay Clear of These SEO Risks
Every decision has a repercussion. In the highly competitive world of SEO, repercussions could be as small as seeing a drop in your rankings. They could be as big as getting blacklisted or having penalties that make it virtually impossible to get your hard-earned results back on track. Rather than taking that chance, make sure that you avoid the following SEO risks.
Using any type of black hat strategy
This might sound like an obvious risk but many businesses think that it might be worth taking if it gets them higher in the SERPs. Although there is a small chance of increasing ranking through keyword stuffing, cloaking, and other techniques, there is a much larger chance that you will be penalised harshly. As a result, you could end up putting your site, your business, and your reputation at stake.
Outsourcing to the cheapest provider you can find
Digital marketing of any kind is an investment. While trying to save costs is one thing, using the cheapest provider is another thing altogether. If you are hoping to cut costs by choosing a far below market value provider based outside of the country, you are taking a big risk with your rankings and your website. As the cliche goes, you get what you pay for… paying the lowest price possible will usually give you the lowest results possible.
Making site-wide changes without testing
Testing is an essential step for any type of website change or development. Where SEO is concerned, testing plays a vital role in ensuring that your site is responsive and optimised to ensure the best possible user experience. Making small changes without testing is risky enough. Implementing large, site-wide changes without testing is far riskier, making it difficult or even impossible to spot bugs before changes are rolled out. The impact will be lost traffic, increased bounce rates, and poor conversion.
Understanding SEO Risks
At the end of the day, you will need to decide whether any move you make is worth the risk. Calculated risks that are made with a full understanding of any and all potential outcomes are far better than risks taken without considering the effect that they could have in the short and long term. Once you start thinking things out carefully, it will be far easier to decide whether any type of SEO risks are worth taking.
