If your businesses operates through a blog or website, then you’ve probably decided to make SEO – search engine optimization – a key part of your marketing strategy. As long as SEO is done correctly, your small business can see huge benefits, but if blunders are made, progress can be slow or even non-existent.
While SEO is constantly evolving and updating, a few blunders along the way are almost inevitable. However, there are a lot of common SEO mistakes that with a little knowledge and preparation, your business can avoid.
Wrong Keywords
Of course, quality content is important, but keywords are, too. Keywords have a direct impact upon the success of SEO, so how do you know if your business is choosing the best ones? Generic keywords can drive a lot of traffic, but to drive custom, research more specific terms. For example, the term ‘food blog’ is very generic, but using the phrase ‘clean eating food blog’ may be more effective at reaching your target audience. If in doubt, consider using key word generator tools that can produce more up-to-date and trending terms.
Don’t Stuff
You know that keywords can boost traffic, so you decide that the best strategy is to include them as many times as possible. This is a great idea, right? Wrong. By overusing and stuffing your content with the same terms and phrases, will make your work look unnatural and could annoy your audience. Even worse, it could also result in your website being classified as spam by search engines, reducing your visibility and damaging your SEO.
Duplicating Content
This is something that can be easily and innocently done, but can have a massive impact on SEO. It may also be something that’s consciously done and is particularly tempting for startups, which, desperate to create a history, can use software to regenerate existing content. However, while investing in original content may be more costly and time consuming, outsourcing to skilled specialists like WMG can also generate better SEO results for your business.
High Expectations
SEO may seem like an easy strategy to grasp and implement – simply type in a few key words and off you go! This common mistake often means that many startups and small businesses expect to see instant results. However, new websites lack a thorough content history, meaning it will take time for your results to start appearing in search results, when you’re up against businesses and companies that have been using SEO to drive traffic for many years.
Neglecting Analytics
In addition to producing original and high quality content that contains key words and can be accessed through multiple platforms, many businesses forget to track SEO. You may have noticed that your traffic is starting to grow, but could it be doing any better? By reviewing and tracking, you can find out how effective your SEO is and gain the information necessary to adapt your approach and optimize your website’s performance.
Consider Compatibility
A common trap is forgetting to consider how users will view and access content. In 2016, for the first time, internet access via mobile phone overtook that of desktop computers. If your site fails to perform well on mobile devices, not only will it impact upon user experience, but it could also have an effect on SEO. Many search engines can recognize compatible websites, so make sure to invest in making yours streamline, to boost your SEO efforts.
In an increasingly digital and online world, SEO is becoming an essential part of marketing for many small and large businesses across the globe. To improve SEO and drive the right kind of traffic, avoid common mistakes by choosing the right types and numbers of keywords, use original content, allow adequate time for progress, review analytics and make sure that your website is compatible.
