Search Engine Journal published this article by John McAlpin, an SEO consultant, examining seven common SEO practices that practitioners should avoid because they undermine long-term performance. The piece is structured as a practitioner-focused critique rather than a beginner guide, aimed at agency professionals and in-house SEO teams who may default to familiar but ineffective habits.
McAlpin’s first warning targets “assembly line SEO,” where agencies apply identical tactics across every client without customization. He argues this approach inevitably leads to growth plateaus because different sites, markets, and competitive situations require distinct strategies. A second caution addresses the tendency to blame performance drops on Google algorithm updates without first examining technical issues, content changes, seasonality, or competitor activity as potential causes.
Additional tactics flagged include duplicating location page copy across multiple city pages, relying entirely on automated auditing tools to define strategy, and paying for guaranteed links sourced from low-quality link sellers. On the link-building front, McAlpin draws a clear distinction between paid low-quality links and earned links acquired through PR partnerships with notable publications, recommending the latter.
The article organizes SEO work around four foundational pillars: content, link building, technical SEO, and local SEO. McAlpin emphasizes that practitioners should allocate resources across all four simultaneously rather than concentrating on one area at a time, as neglecting any single pillar delays ranking improvements. He also encourages SEO professionals to seek peer input rather than working through problems in isolation. The article appears on Search Engine Journal, a major industry publication covering SEO news and strategy.
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