Spam is the bane of my life so when Natalie Hunter of Online Schools offered to give us some advice I took it. Here is her take on how NOT to spam customers
When most people think of spam, they think of unwanted e-mail or uninvited messages over social networks and instant messaging programs. Yet there are also spam Web sites. Most people browsing the Web are aware of the things that make these sites seem “spammy” and will group your Web site with them if they share those qualities.
Many of the same attributes are also recognized by search engine algorithms, and these will quickly drop the ranking of your site. In order to make sure your site is not written off in this way, there are some things that must be kept in mind.
- One of the biggest warning flags to consumers is something called "keyword stuffing." Keyword stuffing takes many forms, but the most obvious examples are excessive repetition of search terms in the page text, and nonsensical sentences that simply string these terms together. Make absolutely sure that your content does not look like gobbledygook to visitors, or they will be sure to leave your site within seconds.
- Relevant domain names are also highly important. Too many keywords in a URL is another form of keyword stuffing and is immediately apparent to visitors. A URL such as CheapestUsedRubberBoats.com can sound kind of like used car salesman talk, and it will tip off visitors that you are desperate for traffic. Contrariwise, onlineschools.org is a legitimate-sounding domain name that is great for a resource site geared toward helping students choose an online school. Consumers trust URLs that are simple and to the point, such as your business name, but if that domain name is not available do some solid keyword research and remember to keep it clear.
- Another big flag to visitors is poor visual design. Use ads and pictures that are appropriate to your text, and opt for original and quality art whenever possible. A site that looks like it was thrown together in the '90s tells your visitor that you couldn't be bothered to spend time making your site look nice, and they will extrapolate that assumption to your product or service being of poor quality as well. In this same vein, avoid using animation and movies that load automatically. Forcing aural and visual stimulus on visitors comes off like a political canvasser dragging you aside on the street when you're trying to get somewhere and talking to you for five minutes. It is disruptive, annoying, prevents possible buyers from getting where they want to go, and they are more likely to leave as a result.
- Buggy coding, missing files and poor links may not be spammy in and of themselves, but they do give users and search engines that impression. Missing index files are among the most grievous of these errors, but even worse are missing files that redirect users to pages filled with advertisements, especially if those ads have nothing to do with whatever the site is about. As in the case of poor Web site design, this gives the impression of not caring about presentation, and by extension not caring about your product. Of course, not all errors can be avoided, so be sure to at least have 404 and other common HTTP error pages that fit with your site's overall design.
You can find more ideas for keeping your site looking good on this site detailing common spam Web site design issues, but the main thing is to keep in mind is that you must always view your site from the perspective of a consumer. When you are looking at a promotional site that turns you off, keep the reasons why it did that in mind for your own work. Presenting yourself apart from these qualities will make your product or service far more appealing than most of your competition.
