The demands and opportunities for proper SEO are growing every day. SEO is now integrated into all sorts of marketing practices and digital strategies when it comes to content creation. Hence, writers and marketers have to be at the top of their game to get their page the best ranking. While it is not easy, SEO has to be done correctly. Else, it will affect the page ranking, and recovering from it will be close to impossible. We all know Google is on a mission to provide its users reliable information and innovative content from the best writers. Hence, it tweaks its algorithms continuously so that the best web pages get the exposure they deserve. Google will hate your site if you do not comply with its rules and may even penalize you. How does this work? Google refines the quality of its search engines and results every day. Poor quality content gets penalized and removed. This forces low-quality marketers to re-think the way they wish to strategize their content.  Examples of penalization can include: 

Your website losing its ranking;  it is not on page one anymore. Looking up your website gives no results. Google has removed your website from its cached results.

These are the top SEO mistakes marketers are making in 2023:

1. Duplicate Content

Hosting duplicate content will definitely result in a penalty as it is not original work. Instead of receiving a penalty and then stating “I hate Google” it is better to have fresh, unique and well written content. Copyscape is a good tool which can immediately identify duplicate content.

  1. Duplicate Content2. 404s Within Your Website3. High Keyword Density4. Link ProfileLinks In Other LanguagesHidden LinksInvalid External LinksSuspicious LinksPrompt Link InsertionsAbusing Affiliate Links5. High Downtime6. Site With Slow Speed7. Outdated Content StrategySpinning ContentStolen ContentDo Not Over-Optimize Your ContentLifted Content8. Choosing Expired Domain Without Proper Research9. Flaws With Robots.txtFinal Words: Journey From I Hate You Google To Google Loves Me

If you want more information, visit our special guide on Duplicate Content now.

2. 404s Within Your Website

Google will hate your site if you have internal problems within your website. They like users who optimize their content regularly and keep it relevant. If your website faces problems like unwanted glitches or 404s (error not found), it will definitely be an issue and Google will penalize you for it. 

3. High Keyword Density

This is a red flag. While it is not a rule set in stone, it goes without saying that if a lot of keywords are stacked or stuffed together back to back, it is poor content. Google may or may not penalize you for this but we would recommend you to make a note of it and improve. This study focused on Keyword Density will help you.

Do you know, the link profile of your site matters the most. After all, the content you are preparing should have informative links from reputable websites. Please see if you are making some or all of these mistakes in your online project.

Whether this client’s link is legitimate or not, if it is in any other language apart from the one your website is in, it will be held against you. It might sound unfair but technically is not. Google’s reasoning is: Readers prefer to read a website in one language. Links in other languages may not be useful to them. 

Users should be able to see and use all of the links on your site. Anything hidden is suspicious. Even if you have a good reason, you should never make a link the same color as the page or button backdrop.

These may refer to invalid links which lead nowhere or broken links. Google prefers users who optimize their content regularly and keep it fresh. If your content will have broken links, Google’s algorithms will treat it negatively for overall user experience. Google will surely penalize your size if the content is linked to the pages that do not exists any more.

It is a terrible idea to associate yourself with any business that questions ethicality. Links to porn, sites with malware, hacked websites, etc. should be avoided at all times. Google will remove your page from rankings if they notice suspicious links on your page.

If you are a new website manager, it is natural that you might want your page to get top rankings immediately. A lot of links in different websites pointing to the same place will catch the attention of Google’s algorithms and your website may be classified as spam. Thus, it is best to do this over time than spamming.

While Google is not opposed to this, it is usually a red flag as this means that these links are being used to mask the poorly written content. Google may penalize you for this. Pro Tip: When you are creating a content, make sure you give it a weight by linking to high authority sites with relevant content only.

5. High Downtime

When a website goes down, albeit temporarily, it upsets the user, the search engine, and the webmaster. Google prefers to remove such pages from their index and replace it with fresh content, rather than sending users to a page that does not work.

6. Site With Slow Speed

No one likes to visit slow websites. If your website falls in this category, users will definitely get irritated as they do not like waiting longer than a few seconds for a page to load. There are many factors that affect loading speeds so it is a tricky situation to resolve. Two possible solutions: Use a CDN right away, or relocate your data center closer to where your target users are. If you face issues with downtime or slow speed, move to Bluehost that offers you over 99.99% uptime. Read our Bluehost Review. Spam comments: While most comment-related algorithms maintain a strict vigilance for spam, some still get through. Google’s algorithms do not appreciate spam one bit. As a website manager, you have to make sure that spam does not build up. Alternatively, if you do not have time to manage that, then it is better to switch off the comment feature for good.  Hacked Website: In the offset that your website gets hacked, Google will immediately de-list your website to keep the spam away. Take regular backups of your site. In the scenario you do get hacked, work towards restoring your website so that your page can get its ranking back. Do you know: WPX hosting provides free malware removal. Migrate with WPX to avoid hacking-related issues for a lifetime.

7. Outdated Content Strategy

Are you still using short content? May be a post of 500-600 words? Honestly, in today’s scenario, Google has nothing to love you and your site here. Write detailed content with atleast 1500 words, with proper internal and external links, images and videos if required. What else? Check below content related mistakes as well.

Spinning Content

This is basically theft. Apart from Google penalizing you, it could also lead you into other legal implications. A lot of times, content is spun by writers who sell the same article to various website managers at really cheap prices. If you bought cheap articles from a writer, then chances are your articles might be spun as well. This is ultimately cheating, with the original writer, and your audience as well.

Stolen Content

Even if the content you posted is original and unique, chances are you may get penalized for it if someone steals your content. It could lead to DMCA notices, or even end up in court. It is best to ask Google to remove the stolen content by proving that it is originally yours. If you are serious about improving your content, you will love this article on Content Marketing Strategy. Read DMCA’s guidelines related to plagiarism.

Do Not Over-Optimize Your Content

Overdoing anything has never benefitted anyone. The same goes for the content on your website. Google will hate your site if it detects that you are over-optimizing the content in an attempt to knock everyone out in your industry. This is a sign of unhealthy competition which Google despises. Do not say “I hate Google” if it penalizes you for this. It would be wiser to post neutral content keeping the flow natural.

Lifted Content

Many website owners lift data off other websites to increase the amount of data on their websites. Google views this as another form of duplication and will penalize you. It is better to write your own original content instead.

8. Choosing Expired Domain Without Proper Research

Looking for expired domains to get quick rankings? Sometimes it is just bad luck that you end up purchasing a domain with a bad reputation. This is usually a dead end. Wasting money on a domain like this will not help as you will keep getting penalized unnecessarily. It is best to purchase a new domain. There are various websites for expired domain, from where you can pick according to your requirements. If you are still choosing one for your project, check the Domain Authority and Backlink profile. Checkout Semrush that will help you here.

9. Flaws With Robots.txt

Website managers should use the robots.txt file to define what is allowed and what is blocked. This file tells crawlers, and bots about various permissions that are defined for your website. There can be an issue with a particular page or for a specific reason [usually legitimate ones] for website managers to customize robots.txt. But beware, if not done correctly, it will attract a penalty from Google.

Final Words: Journey From I Hate You Google To Google Loves Me

All website managers want their website to rank on the first page of Google. Having a top-ranking website consists of high-quality content and proper SEO. Being updated with the latest Google algorithms is a good idea so you know how to tweak your content accordingly.

Semrush 30 Days Free Trial: Try Pro or Guru Account for Free Now 5 Conservative Search Engine Alternatives to Google Yoast SEO Premium vs Free Plugin: An In-Depth Review Best Alternative to KWFinder for Keyword Research Ubersuggest vs Semrush: Which SEO Tool Is Worth Trying? Best Answer the Public Alternatives for Topic Research Most Effective Google Search Tips And Tricks for 2023 YouTube SEO Tips: 11 Ways to Get Your Videos Noticed Important SEO Statistics You Need to Know in 2023 People Also Search For (PASF): How to Rank for These Queries?

It is best to keep your content optimized, original, and user-friendly.  Checkout these ultimate guide by Google itself – SEO Guidelines.