In a post at the Online Marketing blog, Lee Odden notes that one of the biggest fears for website owners is a sudden drop in search-engine rankings. Case in point: Google's recent 'Mayday' algorithmic change affecting long-tail searches (see Google Webmaster Matt Cutts' video explanation). It left many webmasters up-in-arms over potential lost revenues. But that was just one of 400-odd algorithm tweaks that Google applies in a given year, according to Cutts.

So, to help you maintain consistently healthy site rankings through a variety of search-engine updates, Odden defines some common SEO mistakes to avoid at all cost. Among them:

1. Careless site redesign. Before you redesign your company site, work with your SEO to identify how the new design will affect search visibility, Odden advises. Consider the full impact of page layout, content and keyword usage, navigation, links and redirects.
2. Installing a new CMS without a migration plan. A change in your content management system means a change in the templates that format Web pages, navigation, and often the URL structure of pages, he warns. Make sure you have an SEO migration plan in place, including an outreach program to your top sources of inbound link traffic.
3. Allowing inbound links to dwindle. Monitor fluctuations in inbound link counts and identify ways to minimize link loss through active content creation, promotion and social participation.
4. Creating duplicate content. Regarding press releases, RSS feeds or articles that are syndicated, Odden recommends always making sure the original is published on your site first. Then be sure to clearly link any duplicates back to the original.

The Po!nt: Site maintenance is key to consistent SEO. "Don't fall victim to carelessness and ignorance when it comes to maintaining the search visibility achieved from years of content and online marketing," Odden advises. Stay vigilant.

Source: Online Marketing Blog. Read the full post.

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