Here Are 6 Tips How to Avoid a Google Penalty

1. Don’t go link shopping or swapping
   Gaining backlinks was a tried and tested method to get to the top, but now it will only bring a penalty. In this video, Matt Cutts explains how Google defines paid links.
2. Write blog posts and articles that engage, inform, solve problems and entertain. Don’t write for search engines.
   If you write great articles and posts, the links will come naturally, but writing thin content and then expecting people to link to your site won’t work.
3. Don’t link to spammy sites or articles.
   By linking to other blogs and posts, you’re giving a vote of confidence to that blog or website.
4. Be careful with guest posts.
   This year Google declared war on guest posting for links that pass PageRank. Many guest posts have thin content but are full of links to the author’s website or spammy websites. If you allow guest posts on your blog, be very careful with which outgoing links you allow. Nofollow any links to blogs or websites that you wouldn’t vouch for.
5. Don’t copy or scrape content from other people.
   Apart from being unethical and possibly criminal, you won’t see any long term benefits from scraping.
6. Don’t stuff keywords or hide text on your blog.
   Keyword stuffing and hidden text was an effective technique back in the dark ages. Now you’ll be rewarded with a manual action.

Follow the advice above and your blog or website should be on the right track. Focus on providing quality posts, solutions or products and aim for long-term success. Building a successful blog or website doesn’t happen overnight so make sure you keep to Google’s guidelines.

Source: http://goo.gl/T2hZqK