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If you own a website then you will know all about the importance of SEO for your site’s performance. Search engine optimization is essential for driving traffic to your site and being seen as a reputable and trusted source of information in your field. That being said, many companies don’t know how best to harness the power of SEO without doing more harm than good. So, we will go through some common pitfalls in the world of SEO that can hurt your site’s performance and actually push you further down the search engine results pages, instead of helping you rise to the top. Let’s dive in so you know what not to do.
First things first, you have probably heard of keywords in SEO. These are essential words and phrases that you should use in the content you create and on your site related to your field. So, if you are a hairdresser, you want words like “hair”, “haircut”, “healthy hair” and so on featured repeatedly in your content. This helps search engines to identify your site as a great source of information for people searching for haircuts. You can do keyword research to identify which words and phrases are most applicable to your company.
But what you don’t want to do is stuff in as many keywords as possible in a way that is obvious and reads badly. Keyword stuffing is very apparent not only to people who understand SEO but also to search engines. The search engines can punish you for this attempt to move up their rankings and can instead push you down. Rather than keyword stuffing, you should generate quality content that reads well, or pay for this service to be completed for you professionally.
This brings us to our next point; another classic mistake made in SEO is the generation of poorly-written content, often at the hands of AI, which can be grammatically sound but often inaccurate, robotic, or repetitive to read. The quality of the content you produce matters as it represents you as a company. You want it to be up-to-date, well-presented, informative, and backed up by reputable sources.
Whether you run a blog, post regularly on social media, send out marketing emails, or produce guest posts for other sites, you need to ensure any content that links back to your page is optimized for SEO with keywords, well-formatted images, and relevant, useful, and well-laid-out for the reader. According to expert SEO consultant Mike McKearin at mikemckearin.com, SEO and organic traffic generate more leads than any other marketing initiative. So, with this in mind, it is clear that SEO and generation of quality, engaging content should be a top priority.
When you are creating your site and content, it is essential that you include links to other high-ranking authority sites, such as large publications and official sources of information, as the association with your site can boost your search engine ranking. Moreover, you should try to get featured in other blogs and publications, as this will increase your credibility online.
Beware of broken links and 404 errors, as they are bad for SEO. They let the search engine know that your site is experiencing technical difficulties and is not a reliable source of information, which can damage your ranking. Moreover, having no internal links to other pages on your site is a big mistake. Internal links can encourage people to stick around on your site for longer, drawing them in and potentially converting leads into paying customers.
Your website as a whole should be inviting, easy to navigate, and full of relevant, useful information. Make sure your contact information is easy to find, and your phone number, email, address, and opening hours are clearly stated. Moreover, a call to action to subscribe to your newsletter or make a purchase should be included. An SEO strategist can help you design an accessible, well-designed site for optimized traffic and lead conversion.
The site should be formatted to work well on various devices, be it laptops, tablets, or even mobile phones. In a world where many people search for information on the go, it is a huge mistake to ignore mobile users when formatting your website. Make sure you are as accessible, informative, inviting, and easy to contact as possible for maximum traffic and lead conversions.
As you can see, the world of SEO is full of enticing opportunities, as well as several pitfalls to look out for. In terms of the biggest mistakes people make in SEO, the top of the list is keyword stuffing. This is when you cram in as many keywords as possible to rank higher on search engines, but you end up sounding clunky and unnatural. Instead, you need to produce quality content – and avoid repetitive AI. Including internal links in your content is a great idea, but make sure that all links work properly, as broken links are bad for your ranking. Finally, make sure you have a well-designed site that works on different devices so that you are as accessible as possible. With these tips in mind, you can avoid making some of the biggest mistakes in SEO.