SEO requires precision, and if you are neglecting the basic practices, you could end up damaging your business. To help you avoid such a problem, here is a list of common SEO mistakes that businesses make.
But before we get to that, let’s discuss why SEO matters so much. In the modern day, your business depends on its online visibility. Your prospects are always on the lookout on search engines and social media. If you do not have a strong online presence, you will be missing out on countless opportunities.
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10 Common SEO Mistakes that You Must Avoid
Search engine optimisation (SEO) is the best way to ensure that your brand has a strong online presence. An optimised website is guaranteed to rank high on SERPs while bringing you more traffic that is willing to convert. But it’s not all that simple. Businesses make many mistakes when it comes to SEO and end up losing out on countless opportunities. Here are the 10 common SEO mistakes that they make.
1. Keyword Stuffing
Keyword stuffing occurs when you use excessive keywords in your content. This technique has worked in the past, but now SEO trends show that search engine algorithms will rank you lower for keyword stuffing. Therefore, you must ensure that you are using your keywords naturally.
2. Neglecting Local SEO
Your local SEO matters a lot, especially if you are a local business. It helps your audience know where you are located to boost your local leads. Do not neglect your local SEO. Ensure that your My Business profile is optimised and use long-tail keywords to target your local audience.
3. Duplicate Content
If you are looking to close down your business, then just publish duplicate content. That’s right, your content has the power of making or breaking your business. Publishing content that has already been published leads to keyword canniblisation while publishing other people’s content without permission can shut down your website.
Read our blog on duplicate content.
4. Ignoring On-Page SEO Elements
One of the most common SEO mistakes is ignoring on-page SEO elements such as title tags, meta descriptions, and URL structure. These elements are crucial for each page, as search engines recognise your content using them. Ensure that you always add these SEO elements before publishing your content.
5. Slow Websites
When you are searching for something on Google, what do you do when you come across a slow performing website? You close it and shift to the next, right? This is exactly what happens when your audience is searching for you. Ensure that your website functions smoothly.
Click here for a comprehensive guide on improving website performance.
6. Poor Quality Backlinks
Backlinks define the credibility and the value of your content to search engine algorithms. Do not focus on the quantity of backlinks by earning links from low credibility websites. Instead focus on the quality, earn backlinks from a high quality source, it will enhance your credibility. Search engines see this as a positive signal and rank you higher.
7. Poor Website Navigation
Poor website navigation is also among the common SEO mistakes. A website that is hard to navigate will have a high bounce rate and low conversions. In addition, it could result in orphan pages that are a plague for your online presence. Ensure that your website has a smooth navigation system.
8. Writing for the Search Engines
It has worked in the past but it will not work anymore. If you are writing content that makes the search engine happy with a lot of keywords, that’s not going to work. This is because search engines have started prioritising content that has been written for humans. Therefore, ensure that your content is human friendly.
9. Unoptimised Images
Your images are what grab your audience’s attention. But, if they have not been optimised they will have very large files that slow down your website. Therefore, you must compress and optimise your images so they don’t affect your website speed.
10. Not Updating Content
Last but not least, not updating content is also a common SEO mistake. Search engine algorithms are developing rapidly and you need to update your content with them. If your content is not optimised regularly, it can lead to a decreased SEO ranking.
The Bottom Line
In the end, SEO can be difficult if you are not aware of its complexities, leading to some Common SEO Mistakes that You Must Avoid. These include keyword stuffing, neglecting local SEO, and duplicate content. In addition, ignoring on-page SEO or adding poor-quality backlinks can also lower your search engine ranking. It doesn’t stop there; businesses also often make mistakes such as not updating their content and adding unoptimized images to their websites. Ensure that you are not making these mistakes for a higher SEO ranking and revenue.
We at SEO Syrup provide you with a team of SEO experts to navigate the changing search engine algorithms for optimised content. Reach out now to get an instant quote.