We have come to learn that search optimization is a complex task, riddled with both opportunities and pitfalls. In this chapter, we'll examine some of the most common search ranking mistakes webmasters make while building their sites, and how you can avoid these errors.

Every technique that we admonish in this chapter is undertaken commonly, but always with innocent intent. Unlike the active, forbidden techniques we warned of in the last chapter on black hat techniques, here we cover methods that are applied without malice. Nevertheless, however, there are certain techniques and methods that can undercut your ranking power that you will want to avoid. For example, Adobe Flash animation graphics on websites seem innocent and effective: Flash graphics are popular, widely used, and attractive. Unfortunately, search engines don't read Flash effectively and reliably. And so, Flash-based websites don't perform well in search engines. Ideally, webmasters should incorporate...