Keyword Stuffing As A Google Ranking Factor: What You Need To Know

keyword stuffing
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Isn’t it true that if specific keywords are excellent, then additional must be better?

Keyword stuffing is just a ranking factor that follows this simple reasoning. Google rated site content using a rudimentary set of signals in the initial periods of web search, long before SEO was a thing.

keyword
keyword

One of such signs was the use of keywords. In the early time of search engines, the more essential keywords you utilized, the higher your page would rank. It is one of a popular approach since it produces results, at least temporarily.

See Also: Keyword Research: A Complete Guide To Finding The Right Keywords That Rank

But what is Google’s current attitude about it?

Here’s a look at the history of keyword stuffing claims, as well as what the evidence indicates now.

Keyword Stuffing Is A Scoring Factor, According To The Claim

Perfect match keywords were traditionally seen as a powerful indicator. A site would reasonably rank if a keyword displayed precisely how the user wrote it.

Keyword stuffing became popular once users realized they could score their web pages for more inquiries by repeating multiple permutations of phrases on a page.

With a lot of relevant keywords, you might get away with it. This included anything from keyword stuffing in on-page material to entire paragraphs of keywords comma – separated.

ranking factor
ranking factor

A more extreme form of keyword stuffing includes having the text the same color as the page’s backdrop to hide paragraphs of keywords. When Google crawls the pages, it can detect hidden keywords, but consumers won’t realize anything out of the ordinary.

Keywords were pushed into more places than just on-page content. Page headers and meta summaries were crammed with keywords to manipulate search rankings.

When people claim that the early days of SEO were like the Wild West, they’re referring to this. Sites were unaffected by it, but they were also more likely to gain from it.

Then The Google Updates Begin To Roll Out

When Google released the Florida update in 2003, which is considered Google’s first big algorithm update, the impact of term stuffing on search ranks changed.

According to evidence, the Florida update primarily targeted link spam, although other spamming approaches were also impacted. Although Florida lessened the influence of keyword stuffing on rankings, the practice was still rewarded by Google’s algorithms.

panda update
panda update

Google announced the Panda update in 2011, which targeted low-quality websites and information with minimal or no added value.

Keyword Stuffing As A Ranking Factor

As Google’s search results show, keyword stuffing isn’t a ranking influence. Page names that flow naturally, meta descriptions that contain paragraphs of genuine material, and articles that aren’t stuffed with exact-match terms are all features of today’s SERPs.

Conclusion

However, this is only anecdotal evidence. Let’s take a look at some complex data straight from the source. In Google’s Webmaster Policies, which websites must obey to stay classified in search, keyword stuffing is addressed in a chapter titled “irrelevant phrases.”

See Also: Diving Into Keyword Stemming And It’s Use in SEO

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