Google Says Tag Clouds Don’t Help Search Engine Optimization

Google’s latest stand on the employ of tag clouds is this: Less is more. According to Google’s search quality specialist Matt Cutts, the visuals we usually see on the right or left side bar of a blog web site known as tag clouds may be more detrimental to search engine optimization when done in surplus. Tag clouds appear as a population of words or tags. Frequently employed tags usually look huge than those seldom employed. There was a time when tag clouds were so huge in blogging that numerous bloggers applied it. But with this current news, it would be judicious for blogs to grant tag clouds a sound and thorough second look. Google’s search quality specialist Matt Cutts has this current update on tag clouds that will dramatically alter the way blogs are set up. Tag clouds are the visual layout of random words usually seen on either the left or right side bar of a blog web site. Tag clouds are populated with tags, or words, which are oftentimes applied on the blog posts. The huge words refer to the more used tags, while those looking to have regular font sizes or even smaller font sizes are the seldom employed tags. There was a time when numerous bloggers employed tag clouds to also render the visitors a visual representation of top topics on the posts of the blog. But Cutts said, where search engine optimization is concerned, having tag clouds may have no dependable impact.

Why won’t tag clouds be ally for search engine optimization? According to Cutts, this is because people can overdo tags. And when this happens, Google may mark your blog for keyword stuffing, a major error in search engine optimization. SEO banks on adequate content with just the decent keyword density to accomplish sound high page ranking.

In the place of tag clouds, Cutts recommended producing categories instead, a thing which he confesses to do on his own blog. The reason for categories and not tag clouds is because categories prepare the blog content in such a way that visitors will pick up posts which are of import to them in ampler ways. With more visitors enjoying the content and visiting your web site, you can sure get a high ranking in Google.

Although Cutts did not grant a textbook rule on employing tag clouds, he is suggesting a more prudent approach to using them. Less is more with tag clouds, it seems.

But why not tag clouds? Because each word on the tag cloud is in reality a link that goes to the tag URL. When a visitor clicks on a tag, prospects are he will be brought to the tag URL which has the comparable content as the blog post. This is how tag clouds produce duplicate content. Google can penalize your blog for duplicate content. Apart from this, visitors who are looking for facilitative and worthwhile content may not feel delighted looking at the identical material ever-present in many places in the site. It is a waste of time for visitors who wish plain information in the shortest time period.

Lesson learned? Nothing still beats excellent and innovative content to win the game of search engine optimization.

Check out Matt Cutts’ video on tag clouds: http://www.trafficgenerationcafe.com/google-tag-clouds/.

Click for further information on SEO or Web Design.