Avoid Search Engine Stumbling Blocks and the Common Mistakes Made by Webmasters so that You Can Improve Your Chances of Being Found By the Search Engines
Search engine criteria and algorithms constantly change, so to make sure your website is not rejected or de-listed by the search engines, you need to avoid search engine stumbling blocks and be aware of the common mistakes made by webmasters that can cause your website to be rejected on submission, banned, de-listed or otherwise ‘invisible' to your audience.
You may never be listed in search engines if you use frames; drop-down menus; Javascript; too many graphics with not enough text on your home page; insufficient internal page links; broken links; and other design faults.
Your website may have been banned for 'spamming'. Search engines and directories are very sensitive to attempts to subvert the index, and penalties can be severe. Keyword 'stuffing', over-submission, cloaking, and redirection can all trigger spam alerts.
If you do manage to get listed in the major directories (Yahoo!, LookSmart and the Open Directory), you are unlikely to see any real benefit unless your listings include your key search terms.
First, the most common mistakes made by webmasters
The main reasons why a site is not listed, is ignored, or even banned, include these common mistakes made by webmasters. Avoid them and save yourself a lot of anguish and frustration in the long run:
Optimizing your site for the wrong keywords
Putting too many keywords in the Meta Keywords tag
Repeating the same keyword too many times
Creating lots of similar doorway pages
Using Hidden Text
Creating Pages Containing Only Graphics
Not using the NOFRAMES tag in case your site uses frames
Using Page Cloaking
Using Automatic Submission Tools
Devoting too much time to search engine positioning
Second, there are many more reasons why websites aren't 'search engine friendly'. Follow these links to learn more about how to avoid about search engine stumbling blocks:
Website Design and Construction Stumbling Blocks
Website Content Stumbling Blocks
Navigation and Inbound/Outbound Links Stumbling Blocks
Web Hosting and IP Address Stumbling Blocks
Unacceptable Techniques for Search Engines
More Search Engine Submission Stumbling Blocks
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