Before we dive into some common SEO mistakes you could be making, make sure you have an understanding of what SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is and how it works. The goal of SEO is to have search engines find your website and reach a high position on the search results (hopefully on the first page). A complete SEO picture includes website architecture, page optimization, and link building. Take some time to understand how each piece works and how they work together.
Keyword Stuffing
‘Keyword Stuffing’ refers to loading your content with keywords in order to manipulate your ranking on Google. At one time, this did in fact help your rankings. However, now, an overly stuffed webpage causes lower rankings or worse yet, could lead to your content from being removed from the rankings altogether. Aim for a keyword density of 2% or less. Create your content with the thought that real people will be reading it, not just robots looking for keywords. Google has some hints to help you produce quality content.
Forgetting the Back End
Search engines will skip over even the best written content with perfectly placed keywords,if you haven’t optimized the page. What does that mean? Your title, slug, meta-description, and image alt attributes should all be relevant and feature your keywords. All of these items describe your page to the search engines and to the people doing the searching. Make them informative and compelling to increase your chances of a clickthrough.
Not Using the Right Keywords
It is really important to research the top keywords and search phrases that appear in top results related to your business. Ask your customers to define the search words they would use to describe your business. Keyword generator tools like Google Keyword Planner and SEMrush can help too.
Focusing on Quantity vs Quality
Your main reason for writing content is to provide your audience with something they actually want to read. Sounds obvious, right? One of the most common SEO mistakes is writing articles that are little more than thin content, for the sole purpose of boosting SEO. Your audience is smart and will see right through this, thus giving you the opposite of the intended effect. Research what your audience wants and consistently deliver quality content with quality keywords. Giving them valuable content will get you the SEO results you’re looking for.
Not Taking Advantage of your Google Presence
While it’s true that many web searches result in a clickthrough to a website, don’t miss out on the large population of people that stay within the Google properties to get their information: hours, location, contact info, etc. Make sure your Google My Business panel is up to date and optimized. Boost your Google reviews. Upload pictures and other information to make your profile stand out.
If all of this sounds like a foreign language that you’re just not ready to take on- call us at Blindspot Advisors. We can help you ditch any common SEO mistakes your site may be employing and step up your SEO game.