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The Eternal AdSense Advices That Contradict Each-Other

by Bulldozer
9 replies
  • SEO
    • |
I am using the "WordPress SEO" plugin by Yoast to do the on-page SEO for my WordPress-based websites.

I am strictly following the advice that this plugin gives me - keyword density between 1% and 3%, use of keyword in headings, use of keyword in images' Alt tags, etc...

I go through all of this optimization and as soon as I get a green OK from the plugin on all major SEO factors, I publish my posts.


Today I did a SEO analysis of my site using the Internet Business Promoter (IBP) tool and I did a comparison of my site against my competitors.
  • To my great surprise, IBP reported that my keyword density is 1,3% which it considered to be too high and that this is a problem.
  • It also criticized me for having the keyword in my images' Alt tags
  • It also told me that I should remove the keyword from all headings on my page
  • IBP also criticized me for many other popular on-page SEO things that are going on my pages. Too lazy to list them all.

What the heck?!
My SEO plugin advises me to spam my keyword as much as I can on my pages (with limits, of course), while the other tool, IBP, reports that I should go easy on the keyword and remove most of its instances!
Maybe because IBP saw that my leading competitors don't use this kind of optimization, so I should try to copy their approach instead, while abandoning my own SEO tactics???

Which one of these two completely contradicting advices should I follow?
#adsense #advices #contradict #eachother #eternal
  • Profile picture of the author Bulldozer
    So, what do you guys think about different SEO tools giving completely different and contradictory advice to people?
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  • Profile picture of the author MrWonton
    What does this have to do with Adsense?!

    Lots of SEO advice is theory. The only way to find out what works for you is to test!
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    • Profile picture of the author Bulldozer
      Originally Posted by MrWonton View Post

      What does this have to do with Adsense?!

      Lots of SEO advice is theory. The only way to find out what works for you is to test!
      Well, it's more of a SEO question indeed.
      I was tired when I was posting this and replaced SEO with AdSense in the title of the thread.
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      • Profile picture of the author Tashi Mortier
        Maybe you should replace the title now, then.

        The thing with SEO is that you can ask 10 experts and get 11 opinions.

        In my eyes, I'd always make sure to look where the info comes from. Does the person who created the plugin have real SEO experience? Did he implement this stuff himself? Or did he just gather information from all over the Internet?

        Also, you shouldn't forget that SEO is a topic that is subject to constant changes. So what is top information now can be outdated in a year.

        If you use your keyword in the alt tag of every image, does that make any sense? Is it normal to have 5 times the same image on a site?

        Is it normal to have the same keyword combination in every headline?

        Google is slowly getting smarter, and it's learning that only SEOers implement all these strategies. So if you overdo it, it's always suspicious.
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        • Profile picture of the author SEOtraveler
          I am using website auditor for onpage seo and came across the same issue. In the end it all came down to understanding what keyword density formula is used in each tool and like Tashi said, it is important to know what level of expertise your SEO software provider has - the more experience the better the chances their formula is somewhat decent. for instance, if your plugin tool averages only 3 competitor keyword densities, IBP measures 5 and website auditor 10, you will get different densities because of a different sample.

          since none of the formulas are 100% bullet proof I suggest using their densities only as a reference point. before following their suggestions, I would also scrutinize competitor sites with a naked eye and then follow my hunch instead of some automated program's "expert advice" - it's only a program, after all...
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        • Profile picture of the author Retziki
          Originally Posted by Tashi Mortier View Post


          The thing with SEO is that you can ask 10 experts and get 11 opinions.
          LOL. I couldn't have said it better myself
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    • Profile picture of the author Mister Natural
      Originally Posted by MrWonton View Post

      What does this have to do with Adsense?!

      Lots of SEO advice is theory. The only way to find out what works for you is to test!
      I have to agree with Mrwonton
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  • Profile picture of the author UMS
    While no tool can give you 100% accurate advice, I would say that IBP has been around for a while (not sure how often it is updated) and based on your results, it contracts every other on-page SEO software/plugin that I've come across.

    Make of that what you will.
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  • Profile picture of the author nvs74191
    I think the following are just the ones required (I optimize my wordpress theme to automatically incorporate most of these):

    Have your keywords in:

    Title

    URL (no, you don't need EMD to rank)

    Meta Description ( I seem to get better adsense ads on my site when I use this)

    Meta KW tag (for better and more relevant ads from adsense, as above)
    (both the above are generated using a plugin called meta magic)
    Image alt tag - I upload an empty image and make wordpress dynamically give the alt txt as the title of the post - I put this in the footer. You can of course create a logo for your site that you use for this purpose)

    KW in bold (on footer)

    Heading tags for content - I modify the single post template to make the title of the post h1, and other headers as h2

    I also use a TOC plugin to create a table of contents to the sections of my content. This plugin creates a nice table of contents in a place I specify providing internal anchor link to other sections of the page (identified using H2 tags). It takes all headings using this h2 tag and uses them as TOC headers. This internal linking to other areas of my own page seems to help in boosting rankings.

    With only this much on page optimization, I am able to get on first page of google for micro niches. I usually ignore all other seo advice and don't buy SEO related wsos.

    Remember google ranks pages, and not sites. I treat each of my pages as if it is a separate site, and base my content on what the visitor is looking for when he searched with a particular keyphrase. For example, a person typing in kate spade handbags would like to see several choices (s)he could explore. A specific product name/model being typed in indicates the need for information regarding the specific product name / model. e.g. Hoover SH0001 canister vacuum.

    Hope this helps.
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