As an SEO guy I find myself waking up in a cold sweat dreaming up creative new ways to maximize my clients search results. What if I coded it this way or If we syndicated the XML feed a different way, wed blow everyones mind.

In the constantly changing world of algorithms, browser search behaviors, RSS and XML, and simply keeping up with the competition, even the SEO pros sometimes need to take a step back from the coolness and speed of technology and revisit our old friend the SEO Dos and Donts!

Heres what I keep posted on the wall in front of my Captain Kirk-esque command center:

SEO Dos and Donts

Do:
1. Adhere to industry best practices and guidelines (www.bruceclay.com is good stuff and pretty much industry standard)
2. Create relevant and useful content for the website using keyword terms
3. Add new content as often as possible
4. Keep website and sitemap up to date
5. Build links in an ongoing, even paced manner
6. Build unique web pages for each keyword term (product or service)
7. Monitor and maintain rankings and competition
8. Remember that every aspect of your website is intertwined with all others (in terms of SEO)
9. Consult your SEO Specialist for recommendations before making any major changes
10. Be patient

Dont
1. Try to cheat the system, you will get caught, and the gain is only temporary and the penalties are indefinite
2. Use less than 300 words worth of readable, useful content on each page
3. Link to bad neighborhoods or allow bad neighborhoods to link to you (unless you actually are an online porno casino based in Nigeria that sells Canadian Viagra to underage US customers!)
4. Spam like there is no tomorrow
5. Add tons of links as fast as you can
6. Focus on only one linking strategy
7. Over use keyword terms (keyword spamming)
8. Put text into images. Search engines cant read it and dont care about your images
9. Forget to interlink your own website
10. Drive yourself crazy checking your rankings every hour on the hour!

Its great to stay on top of the latest and greatest changes, trends, tools and the ever present Whats Google doing gossip theres plenty to be found. Whats even greater is achieving long term success on the search engines without letting your core business go to hell in a search term basket!

Happy SEOing!
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