Digital Marketing Learn How To Supercharge Your Online Visibility

Online is the way forward, but where do you start? With terms like SEO, PPC and CRO popping up, get help on all things Digital Marketing.

Posted On: 21st March 2022

What Is Keyword Stuffing?

In the early days of search engines, it was pretty easy to game the system. Site owners (then known as webmasters!) attempted to claw their way to the top of page one using dubious techniques like keyword stuffing, and some still try their luck with it now. But what exactly is keyword stuffing, and why does it no longer work? Here’s everything you need to know.

What is a keyword?

Before we get into keyword stuffing, what about keywords? Essentially, keywords are search terms you’d like to rank highly for on search engine results pages (SERPs).

Say you’re in the cleaning business. If you provide commercial cleaning services in Peterborough, logically you’d want your business to show up on page one for the search term ‘commercial cleaning Peterborough’ – and that will become your target keyword.

The thing is, there are right and wrong ways to try and achieve this. The correct way is to write accurate, informative and helpful content for your website that answers people’s questions. Within your content you should tell them what they need to know about your business, incorporating your chosen keyword seamlessly. And the wrong way?

What is keyword stuffing?

Keyword stuffing is how not to make your content SEO-friendly. This dated technique involves repeatedly mentioning your keyword in the text, even when it doesn’t make sense in the context of the sentence or becomes overly repetitive.

Here’s an example:

Our commercial cleaning Peterborough service is perfect for those looking for high quality commercial cleaning Peterborough. If you need commercial cleaning Peterborough, speak to us today.

Not very nice to read, is it? Rewind a few years and text like this was relatively common online, with many website owners viewing it as the key to search engine success. Back when algorithms were much less sophisticated, it did work – but nowadays it won’t get you anywhere.

Modern search engines can see right through your strategy and will consider your page low-quality as a result. You might sell top-notch products or have five-star reviews, but keyword stuffing will severely hamper your ability to rank highly on Google, Bing or any other platform.

In summary

Avoid keyword stuffing! There’s no quick and easy way to rank highly on search engines any more. Instead, make sure you utilise modern SEO techniques to boost the visibility of your site, writing great content that’s relevant to your keyword. Ranking highly on search engines takes time: don’t try and take outdated shortcuts.