There are many outdated SEO tactics that are still being widely used in the industry, so we take a look at the five most commonly used yet ineffective tactics….
Keyword Research
Using AdWords and Keyword Planner is no longer recommended for keyword research as it hides a vast number of keywords that they do not believe are commercially relevant.
Both AdWords/Keyword Planner are imprecise and they lack a number of critical metrics, and so it is highly recommended to use a tool that is driven by clickstream data, such as Ahrefs, SEMrush or Keyword Explorer.
Subdomains
Dominating the SERPs by adding a number of subdomains to your website, or by registering separate domains is no longer an effective strategy.
Google has started to give priority to multiple subpages in a single SERP from a single domain, and so it is far better to replace the old technique with barnacle SEO and subfolder hosted content.
Number 1 Rankings
Obsessing over reaching the number one ranking in the SERPs is no longer worth it as SERP features, such as Google’s featured snippets, mean that the number one spot isn’t actually the top spot.
Companies would do well to focus on getting their information into the featured snippet, because it’s click through rate is far better than the number one spot.
Link Building
Link building in order to reach the top of the SERPs no longer works – however they are still a powerful ranking factor, so they shouldn’t be entirely forgotten about. Replace link building with searcher task accomplishment, UX optimisation, content upgrades and brand growth because each of these better serve the searcher.
Keyword Placement
Having strict rules about keyword placement – obsessing over having the keywords and phrases perfectly placed in H1, H2, the headline tags and the URL – can be a waste of time and energy.
That time and energy would actually be better placed adding related keywords and topics. Of course, the title and the headline should contain the keyword, however, including related terms can actually be more effective in the other areas.
For example, trying to rank for ‘New York neighbourhoods’ with content that doesn’t include Manhattan, Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens or Staten Island is much harder than trying to rank with each of those easily recognised, related terms.
Adding 5 to 10 terms that feel like they’re missing can have a profound impact on rankings, so this is well worth looking into…
Source