Is the SEO-optimizer right in choosing methods?

Question

Search Engine Optimization

I am developing a new version of the site, the seo-optimizer worked on the old one. The results of his work:

• Main title: "Keywords, shop name in city name";
• Headings in the catalog: "keywords, keywords, keywords" (for the main categories; the title of the rest of the catalog pages is empty);
• All pages have a single meta description and keywords of the form “keywords, keywords, keywords, a lot of keywords, and everything is in the name of the city”.
• "Popular" pages are placed on separate domains like "kluchevoe-slovo.nazvanie-magazina.ru".

I, as an ideological supporter of creating sites for visitors, and not search engines, suggested putting the name of the store in the first place in all headings (it is already “optimized”: “World keyword ”), make meta descriptions different depending on the content (I also wanted offer to remake the domains in "nazvanie-magazina.ru/kluchevoe-slovo", but forgot; you will also need to ask). He argued with the assumption that this way visitors would rather pay attention to the site in the search engine results.

The optimizer's response sounded something like this: “Main title, keywords, meta descriptions, title tags - do not touch, because it is optimized taking into account the frequency of requests. In the catalog, you can add the name of the store, but only after the keywords. The customer, as it turned out, pays the optimizer for the position in the search results, and not for the visitors (although there are such payment options). Recently, the site was banned in Yandex for “cheating a behavioral factor” ... The customer did not change the optimizer and generally believes that these are one of the best on the market (on their website it says: “In such and such a year, in such and such a rating, we were the first in Russia).

SEO has not been directly involved and is only superficially familiar with the issue, so I need help.

Attention, the question is: who is wrong? Developer, optimizer or customer?

And a question for backfilling: is it worth bothering at all? Maybe do as the customer asks, and not fool anyone?

Answer 1

If this is a one-time development and in general it does not bring you any interest except financial, do as the customer asks. If you benefit from the correct operation of the site (you get a percentage, you will work in the future, etc.), pay a little normal SEO for a consultation and let him explain to you what the matter is, then you can go to the customer with arguments.

Answer 2

1. Why write the name of the store in the title, description and keywords? Have you looked at the statistics? How many visitors come from search queries containing the name of the store? If there are none or very few, then you do not need to enter at all. And even more so in the first place in this case, you do not need to put the name of the store.
2. From subdomains, of course, it is better to move sections to the main domain with a 301 redirect to the corresponding page.
3. Descriptions, keywords and titles must be unique. And of course not spammed. Title and description must be human. In addition, it will increase the clickability of snippets. You will have to work hard on compiling high-quality titles and descriptions in order to also take into account the marketing component.
Which of you is right depends on the result and who wants to see it.
Should you bother, it also depends on what you want.

Answer 3

And no one reads Yandex help, right? This is such a principled position among mankind, probably, before using something, light a cigarette, setting fire to it with a torch from the instructions.
sorry for the lyrics) if
you want, I can conduct an easy audit / educational program / master class, as they say, "for so".
advweb-doggy-yandex.ru

Answer 4

It is no longer so important who is right and who is not. But to cooperate with them is not worth it anymore. As a result, the site turned out to be banned for cheating behavioral ones.