Writing for search engine optimization, more than ever, is a balance of art and science. While the science applies to predominantly toward the search engines, the art pertains to the content your visitors see once they arrive at your site. While there are an absolutely unlimited number of SEO mistakes that can be made, the following is a list of five that will have your visitors clicking the “back” button and leaving your site, never to return:

1) Writing for the search engines only – Sticking as many keywords and phrases into your content may generate points with the search engines but don’t sacrifice quality for quantity. The algorithms currently in use take ratios into account but keyword rich content is only one aspect of the total calculation. Granted, you’ve got to cater to the search engines to move up the rankings but if your visitors are bouncing off the site after reading a couple lines of your content you are losing the battle.

2) Sacrificing readability while catering to your keyphrases – Jamming keyphrases into your content because they score well as search terms can work against you if they don’t read well in the content on your site. Optimizing your content in this manner can turn your keyphrases into a series of non sequiturs and can be annoying and confusing to your readers. You will get a much better response using keyphrases that fit into your content, even if they generate a little less traffic.

3) Using misspellings in your content – While misspellings can be valuable as search terms, sneaking them into your content will sacrifice the credibility and professionalism of your site. Calling attention to a misspelling using, for example, an “also known as” doesn’t work either.   Many people will go to site and forget everything they saw except for the words that were misspelled thinking, “Haven’t these guys heard of spell check?”

4) Multiple repetitions of the same keyphrases – It may work in songwriting but using the same keyphrases as a chorus will turn off a reader, especially if they see the repetition as an attempt to drive home a point. At that point it becomes insulting, which isn’t a great way to start a relationship.

5) Using key phrases that are tangential to your objectives – Incorporating high traffic keyphrases that relate to but aren’t part what you’re offering might get more visits to your site but they will bounce as soon as they realize they won’t get what they’re looking for. Don’t waste the time and page space going after visitors that aren’t going to convert.         

Sacrificing the quality of your content to pursue traffic is an assured path toward frustration and sub- par website performance. The same can be said for content directed at your visitors which ignores the search engines. Optimized content must work both for the search engines to bring traffic to your site and for the visitors that arrive after finding you. Striking a working balance between the two with high quality content that is rich in keywords will drive traffic to your site while conveying the necessary credibility and trustworthiness to your visitors which will then lead to your main objective; conversions.