I always think it’s hilarious when SEO “experts” email me about improving my on-site SEO.
Today, I got this:
Hello Web Admin, I noticed that your On-Page SEO is is missing a few factors, for one you do not use all three H tags in your post, also I notice that you are not using bold or italics properly in your SEO optimization. On-Page SEO means more now than ever since the new Google update: Panda. No longer are backlinks and simply pinging or sending out a RSS feed the key to getting Google PageRank or Alexa Rankings, You now NEED On-Page SEO. So what is good On-Page SEO?First your keyword must appear in the title.Then it must appear in the URL.You have to optimize your keyword and make sure that it has a nice keyword density of 3-5% in your article with relevant LSI (Latent Semantic Indexing). Then you should spread all H1,H2,H3 tags in your article.Your Keyword should appear in your first paragraph and in the last sentence of the page. You should have relevant usage of Bold and italics of your keyword.There should be one internal link to a page on your blog and you should have one image with an alt tag that has your keyword….wait there’s even more Now what if i told you there was a simple WordPress plugin that does all the On-Page SEO, and automatically for you? That’s right AUTOMATICALLY, just watch this 4minute video for more information at.,,
Let me pick this apart so you can see that this email belongs in the trash. Please don’t fall for it.
Picking Apart the Scammy SEO Email
for one you do not use all three H tags in your post
There are more than three H tags. In fact, there are seven.
Google likes to see these because they help the spiders follow the main theme of your page – and readers like them so they can skim. They are good for SEO, which is why your subheads should be H2 tags (mine are). If you’re breaking those subheads into smaller pieces that are deserving of another heading, then use H3 tags. Breaking it down to H7 tags is ridiculous in most cases.
also I notice that you are not using bold or italics properly in your SEO optimization
Bold and italics have nothing to do with search engine optimization. (Also, it kind-of gets on my nerves when someone says “SEO optimization,” just like it does if someone says “ATM machine.”)
On-Page SEO means more now than ever since the new Google update: Panda
Well, this is awkward. Panda wasn’t the last Google update. As of this writing, RankBrain was. On-page SEO has always been important… but the way these people do it (I’ve seen their site) will earn you a Google smackdown (which is probably why they’ve resorted to emailing website owners rather than getting Internet traffic of their own). Hummingbird rendered keyword density useless.
First your keyword must appear in the title.Then it must appear in the URL.You have to optimize your keyword and make sure that it has a nice keyword density of 3-5% in your article with relevant LSI (Latent Semantic Indexing).
Yes, your keyword should appear in the title and the URL. A keyword density of 3 to 5 percent is ludicrous. Yes, I said ludicrous. That means you’ll need to use the same keyword three to five times in every 100 words. That used to be a good idea… in 2006.
The fact that they refer to LSI, which is a thing, shows that their keyword suggestion is ridiculous.
Latent semantic indexing is something that search engine crawlers use to find out what your page is about by connecting related words; that means if you’re an attorney writing about a specific crime — let’s use car theft — the search engines can tell what your page is about if you use related terms, such as theft, carjacking, hot-wiring, felony… prison, sentence, parole… you get the picture. That’s precisely why you don’t need to have that ridiculous keyword density.
You should have relevant usage of Bold and italics of your keyword
Again, this has zero to do with SEO. In fact, all it will serve to do is annoy and distract your reader.
Let me tell you something that’s totally not a secret: Google puts user experience first. Period. If users don’t like your site, Google doesn’t like your site. SEO tactics, techniques and “tricks” be damned… if it’s not written and designed for users, Google won’t deliver it on the search engine results pages, or SERPs.
Don’t Let SEO Idiots Trick You
These people pass themselves off as SEO “experts,” but they don’t know the first thing about SEO. They truly don’t. They want to sell you a WordPress plugin and services that will actually harm your website’s rankings.
