To fortify your digital presence, it is important to have an SEO plan that truly works and is devoid of SEO mistakes. This can help you leverage the potential of Search Engine Optimisation to the fullest. Over the past decade, Search Engine Optimisation has evolved faster than you can imagine.
In a scenario where buying decisions are based on results from search engines, it has become crucial than ever to build a strong web presence. Here’s why!
93% of online experiences start with a search engine (Source)
82% marketers report that importance of SEO is on a rise (Source)
88% of consumers rely on online reviews as much as recommendations from family/friends. (Source)
However, as SEO gains importance, it is becoming harder for marketers to stay abreast with the latest updates. To drive increased traffic to your website and boost sales, it is vital to keep up with the fast-evolving search engine algorithms.
There have been significant changes in the way Google ranks a website. It can be tough to understand what to focus on and how to avoid the most common SEO mistakes that can affect your page rankings.
As a digital marketer or an avid blogger, you should keep away from SEO blunders that can cost you your search engine rankings, web traffic and sales.
Here is the list of top SEO mistakes you must avoid to optimise your website the right way and increase traffic?
#1: Ignoring the Keywords
One of the biggest mistakes marketers commit today is believing that keywords aren’t important for SEO content anymore. Though time-taking, keyword-research is a task worth-investing time in for the returns it gives your website in the long-run.
Keywords are still an integral component of Search Engine Optimization. They are the cues that search engines take to understand what your web page is all about and whether it is relevant to what people have searched for.
Greater the degree of relevance, higher the likelihood of your page getting a good position in SERPs. Keywords scattered optimally throughout the content, help people find your website on search engines, driving more traffic.
So if you have completely taken keywords for granted, it’s time to buckle up and do some rigorous keyword research. Some fantastic tools to get your hands on are Google Trends, Google AdWords Keyword Planner and SEMRush.
Using long-tail keyword is the latest trend you can bank upon. Highly specific and relevant multi-word phrases are more likely to rank well than the generic keywords.
Top keyword research tools can certainly help you with long-tail keywords, but here’s another amazing tip for you – Google Search. Check the example below:
In the above example, all the suggestions that come up while typing “Green Tea” in the search box can be used as targeted long-tail keywords, if you are a seller of green tea. Similarly, you can do the same for the keyword you want to rank your website on.
#2: Not Having Pages That Add Real Value to the Website
Many website owners make one of the most common SEO mistakes of having too many pages without much value for the customers. The downside here is that it can affect your page ranking.
Even if you have a minimalist website, it should convey everything that your customer is looking for. Such websites look more real, natural and authoritative since they answer every query of their prospect.
Create unique pages that clearly indicate necessary details about your products/service. Write engaging web blogs and add website content that reflects what you are best at.
Make sure each page has a unique and relevant title, Meta description, H2-H3 tags and content.
#3: Overlooking the Importance of Meta Title, Meta Description and Page Title
Scour through the search engines and you will often find Meta tags and Meta descriptions written in an abrupt manner. Quite many times, you will see the same description copied and pasted for every similar product or service page. Visit a website and the header of the Home Page just reads “Home.” And to be very honest, that’s a big SEO blunder!
Check out the Meta description blunder that websites often do in the below image
For Google, nothing matters more than page relevancy. Adding Meta tags, descriptions and page title is a great way to provide a brief synopsis of what the page covers. In fact, it is the first thing your audience reads when your page appears on the SERPs.
If it’s not written in an engaging manner, it can prevent them from clicking your page link. That means Meta tags have a direct effect on your site’s click-through rates (CTRs).
These integral elements also allow the search engines to determine how relevant the page content is with regard to the search term. They rank the pages likewise.
#4: Compromising with Content Quality
When it comes to Search Engine Optimisation, content is the king. Even Google loves it. But marketers commit the mistake of compromising with the quality and stuffing keywords in an irrelevant manner. Long-form content is trending nowadays but one without any context – a big NO!
What’s the solution? Poorly contextualised content is one of the biggest SEO mistakes to avoid. That is because the quality of your content matters most to Google.
As search engine algorithms are constantly evolving to offer improved user experience, content is gaining more importance. 92% of marketers report that content is a powerful asset for their business, while 70% prioritise the quality of content over quantity.
Content writing is not just about writing a 3000-words beast but with no comprehension, clarity or context. In-depth and well-researched content is a fantastic way of providing valuable information on a topic. It also helps build authority. But make sure it is created around what your reader’s need. It should have a definite flow and must be engaging and easy to comprehend.
Do not beat around the bush. Adding images, statistics, charts or infographics are a superb way of creating high-conversion content.
#5: Buying Low-quality Backlinks to Increase Page Rankings
This is another wrong SEO practice, especially amongst small businesses looking for a shortcut to online success. However, they fail to understand that having hordes of backlinks typically from flagged sites does more harm than good. Getting organic backlinks from high authority websites is the need of the hour, rather than following such an unethical approach.
Since search engines have become smarter nowadays, they can easily detect backlinks coming from bad/low-ranking websites. To keep up with Google’s latest algorithm changes, today you have to earn backlinks. It is no secret that you need to link with high-authority websites with quality organic traffic.
Want to know how to do link building in an effective manner? Click here.
#6: Thinking Search Engine Optimisation Begins Only Once the Website is Built
That is one of the biggest blunders that any digital marketer or website owner can make – not having an SEO plan in place right before you start building a website! Many marketers believe that SEO begins after the site is built.
So it’s like you have already spent huge money and time to build a “perfect” website (you think so) only to find that it is poorly optimised for search engines. Now there again goes considerable time and money to make it search engine-perfect.
Not having dedicated SEO strategy is one of the most costly SEO mistakes webmasters should avoid.
SEO should be planned from the very beginning. Website information architecture, easy navigation, plug-ins, faster page loading time, content plan, sitemap, meta tags, keyword optimisation, description – everything are important aspects that need attention to generate effective conversions and revenues.
#7: Giving Priority Only to On-Site SEO
What do you understand by SEO? Keywords, meta tags and descriptions, great web content, alt tags for images, fast loading website or link building? That’s awesome but you are making the mistake of overlooking the importance of off-page SEO that can be done through directory submissions, article writing , press release writing, guest posts, etc.
SEO isn’t just about optimising key elements of your website to make it search engine-friendly. Off-site SEO strategy also goes a long way in building a strong web presence and increases conversions.
#8: Not Having a Mobile-Friendly Website
Does your website render an amazing look & feel on mobile devices as it does on the desktop? If your answer is ‘NO’, your website is in deep trouble! Having a responsive website design that gives the same user experience on every device is important.
The number of mobile users is growing at an exponential rate with over 70% of website traffic coming from mobile devices. If your website isn’t optimised for mobile devices, then you are missing out on a major share of the market.
Back in 2017 when 69% of mobile users acknowledged that their buying decisions are more likely to be influenced by companies or brands that have a mobile website, imagine the percentage growth in such type of consumers in 2019.
Even search engines give higher rankings to websites that offer an immersive mobile experience to the users.
Keeping this in mind, build a responsive website that delivers the same look and feel across all devices and screen sizes. However, when designing for a mobile device, keep factors like page loading time, ease of navigation and content structure in mind.
#9: Disregarding the Power of Analytics
Many website owners and digital marketers disregard the power of numbers. They think their job ends with optimising a website, both on-page and off-page. But unless you are able to evaluate the performance of your SEO efforts, it’s of no use.
Setting up and reviewing the performance of your SEO campaigns is important to achieve the desired optimisation results.
Google Analytics is a powerful tool you can leverage to measure your website’s performance. Analytics help assess how SEO techniques for different content types and keywords are working, what are the loopholes and how to fix the issues with the right strategies.
#10: Thinking SEO will Deliver Immediate Results or Is to be Done Once
Do you think SEO is a one-time task? Do you feel that it will deliver results in a month or so? The fact is ‘SEO is not a tactic that you set and forget’.
SEO is a continuous process. As search engine algorithms keep changing every day, you should keep abreast with the latest techniques and build your SEO campaigns around them. With consistent and fool-proof SEO strategies, you can aim to boost page website rankings, increase web traffic, and improve sales.
Want to have your content strategy devoid of such costly SEO mistakes? Write to us , and we’ll share with you how content can bring the best results for your business.