Not using H1's with keywords to simulate natural non SEO'd content?

[DCochrane]

There has been a lot of talk lately about making a website seem like it is not SEO'd to avoid over optimization penalties with the recent Google Algorithmic updates.

Has anyone come across the practice of not using Headings (H1's, H2's etc..) properly to simulate that the current webpage isn't over optimized?

I've come across a site that used to use multiple keywords within their headings & now they are using none. In fact they are marking their company name & logo as an H1 and non keyworded H2's such as our work or Contact.

Is anyone holding back on their old SEO tactics to not seem over optimized to Google?

Thanks!

[My-Favourite-Holiday-Cottages]

Considering having h1 as the pages main heading  and using h2-h6 for sub headings is proper html (or multiple h1s and sections in html5), I'd never stop doing it in hopes of getting an SEO advantage that may or may not lost with algo updates.

Most sites at the very least have a h1 as their main heading, theres nothing over-optimised about it unless you then keyword stuff it or something like that.

Basicaly, using a h1 for your main heading isn't an SEO tatic, it's what it's actually for.

[DCochrane]

Yes thanks. My question wasn't to stop using them at all. My question was if people were not using them with keywords anymore to simulate a webpage not being overly optimized.

[My-Favourite-Holiday-Cottages]

In that case, I've seen a few people try it with no notable diffrence. Pre-Penguin there were a few cases here were removing several instances of a keyword in the body seemed to dramaticaly improve rankings, but thats more removing keyword stuffing then optimising your page to apear unoptimised.

Right now, if your keyword can be there and it reads naturally, then I don't see much reason for it not to be there. In contrast, if you whole page is about blue widgets ad the heading /doesn't/ include blue widgets, you'll be confusing people. People also link using the heading/title occassionaly, so you should pull off a few genuinely natural links with that heading.

At least as far as penguin goes, it seems much more link anchor oriented right now.

[DCochrane]

Thanks!