5 New Years Resolutions You Need to Break Now – Do You Make These SEO and Internet Marketing Mistakes?

If you work in Internet Marketing, I hope you made some New Years resolutions. These “promises” probably include increased traffic and sales.

You already know that goals need to be specific. You need to include specific steps to reach each of these goals. And, this is true.

But, some goals, if you included them, need to be dropped right now. Some guru may have showed them to you. Or you could have thought of them on your own.

Some of these goals may even help you in the short term. But you want a long term business, don't you? Drop these resolutions from your list now.

1. I am going to add some Invisible Text to my Page.

This is a black hat SEO technique where you include text or links on your page that only search engines can see. It is text not aimed at your end users.

There are a few different ways to accomplish this technique. By making the text too small to read. Or by making the text or link the same color as the background.

Search engines are very aware of these techniques, so keep them out of your tool set. Some claim that using CSS blocks search engines from catching this, but don't rely on it. You will get caught and penalized.

2. I will Keyword Stuff my Pages so they rank higher.

This involves creating pages that consist of long lists of keywords and no valuable content. I can't believe some of you still think this is a good idea. But I still see it.

This hasn't worked for ages. At best, it will get your page ignored by the search engine. At worst, your entire site could be penalized, and that is very likely.

3. I will create doorway pages which redirect to my sales page.

Doorway pages are another black hat SEO scam, where pages are designed strictly for search engines. But when a user clicks on them, they are redirected to another unrelated page.

They are meant to trick search engines. Google, Yahoo and Bing engineers are smart. They are well aware of these tricks.   Stay away from them.

4. I will register my site with 10000 search engines.

You are wasting your time. There are really only a few search engines that matter. Maybe 50 – 70, depending on your niche.

Other so called “search engines” are really free for all link pages. These pages can actually hurt your search results.

5. I will submit PLR articles to all the article directories to build back links.

First let me say that article directories and back links are great.

PLR articles are not.

I could write an entire article about PLR articles, and probably will, someday. But suffice it to say that they are articles you buy, and then put your name on.

But so do hundreds of other people. This means they are not unique.

PLR articles can serve a purpose as research material, but don't go submitting them to article directories. Most prohibit it. Please create your own unique content that adds value.

All of the tricks listed above are well known in the internet world. You may think you are being smart or creative by using them, but you are not.

By using these “tricks”, you are adding to all the garbage out there. And hurting your business in the process.

So make this New Years promise right now. Then hang it where you will see it every day.

“I will use only honest SEO and traffic building tools, to promote my site.”

By following this, you are setting yourself up for long term success in 2010.

Using tricks, and “spam” techniques can help for a while. They can even make you a few bucks. But, in the long run they are going to hurt your internet business.

Build it right, by creating true value for your customers. You will be rewarded with business that will last a lifetime.