Search engine optimization (SEO) is one of the most popular forms of marketing for website owners. However, it can be quite complex with so many elements that factor into SEO, from anchor text and metadata to content quality. As a result, business owners often misunderstand it. Fortunately, website owners can fix common SEO mistakes with just a few tweaks.
Getting to the top of the search engine rankings page can be challenging, but the return on investment is often well worth it, as site owners get the rewards of increased traffic and sales. If this sounds like something you want to happen for your website, here’s what you need to know about avoiding the mistakes business owners commonly make and getting your SEO on the right track.
7 Common SEO Mistakes You Might Be Making With Your Website
Effective SEO doesn’t have to be a mystery. Check out these common mistakes you might be making and the fixes that can help you rank better for your desired keywords.
1. Not Making Your Site Crawlable
Your page won’t even show up on a search page (much less in the top spot) if Google’s bots can’t crawl and index it. There can be a number of causes for this, including broken links, 404 errors, and the infamous “blocked by robots.txt.” error.
The broken link issue is easy to resolve. To fix a 404 error, you might try restoring the deleted page or creating a 301 redirect to the new page. If your robots.txt file is blocking Google bots from crawling a page, you should edit the code in the file to remove any directives that could be blocking access to your site.
2. Not Using Meta Data to Your Advantage
Metadata helps search engine bots understand your page’s content and context. These include:
- Meta tags
- Title tags (or page title)
- Meta descriptions
- Alt text (written image description)
- H1 tags
When creating content, it’s crucial that you properly optimize your title tags and meta descriptions (among other metadata) to ensure that Google knows users will find what they’re looking for when they click on your page. To do this, make sure you don’t have any pages that are missing tags. Then, check for duplicate tags, which can confuse search engine bots and make it hard to differentiate pages.
Also, ensure that your tags contain relevant keywords. Your meta titles should be no more than 50 to 60 characters, and you should stick to around 130 to 160 characters for meta descriptions.
3. Ignoring Your Load Speeds
How fast does your site load when a user clicks on it? If it’s too slow, that can hinder your SEO efforts. Google only wants to deliver quality pages to its users, and the search engine views pages with slow load speeds as lower in quality because the wait time diminishes the user experience.
If you want to fix this issue, you should first ensure that your HTML code is clean and error-free. Additionally, check that any images or files you’re using aren’t too big. Optimizing your site with browser HTTP caching can tamp down on how much data the server transfers to the browser, making the page load faster. Finally, you may need to transfer your site to a new host if your current servers can’t keep up.
4. Neglecting Mobile Optimization
As far back as 2016, Google indicated that over half of all web traffic came from mobile devices. [1] Clearly, Google cares about mobile search because most of its users are looking for content through that medium. As a result, the search algorithm prioritizes mobile-optimized sites and pages.
To optimize your content in this way, you should be using a responsive design that allows each page to automatically change its display based on the device someone is using (such as a smartphone, tablet, or desktop). You might also consider using Google’s Accelerated Mobile Pages, a framework that strips pages down to the bare minimum to increase load speeds.
Your content should be simple, with short paragraphs and bullet points. This allows mobile users to scan it easily. Additionally, avoid crowding the screen with popups and ads, making it difficult to see the main content.
5. Using Keywords the Wrong Way
Your keyword strategy plays a significant role in your on-page SEO efforts. First, it’s important that you conduct keyword research to choose the terms that help your page rank well. Going after short, generalized keyword phrases means you will have a lot of competition for that top spot, and that hurdle may be too difficult to overcome.
Instead, consider trying to rank for long-tail keywords with at least three to five words. These phrases are usually much more specific, which means they are more relevant to the user’s intent and search query and may result in higher conversions. Additionally, they often have less competition, making them easier to rank than shorter keywords.
As you refine your strategy, avoid stuffing those target keywords into your site content. While you may think this makes it easier to rank, Google recognizes that you’re trying to game the system and may keep your rankings low as a result. Keyword stuffing also impedes the quality of your blog posts and other content, which can work against you when it comes to SEO.
6. Not Optimizing Your URLs
URLs are an often-overlooked part of optimizing your website. A good URL tells Google about your page topic and its relevance to a particular keyword. To optimize your URLs, you can try the following:
- Make them short and memorable
- Use relevant keywords
- Use HTTPS vs. HTTP for better security
- Avoid confusing number/letter combinations
Following these URL rules can be beneficial for both your users and search engine rankings.
7. Providing Content of Questionable Quality
Google expects all site owners to create what is known as people-first content. This type of content is crafted with users in mind and designed to help them — not just to climb the SERPs. With that in mind, Google has created quality rater guidelines that spell out what your content needs to be considered high in quality. [2] These include:
- Experience: You can show direct experience with the topic
- Expertise: Your content is accurate and in-depth
- Authoritativeness: Your brand has a good reputation with other sites
- Trustworthiness: You provide clear contact information and content bylines
Adhering to these standards will increase the likelihood of your content resonating with your target audience and may result in higher rankings since Google uses quality as a ranking factor.
Avoiding Common SEO Mistakes Gives Your Site the Best Chance at Success
SEO can be an excellent marketing tool to increase brand awareness and authority and bring traffic and conversions to your website. However, getting it right can be a challenge, especially when you aren’t sure of which site elements will affect your rankings the most.
Fortunately, the team of experts at Full Circle SEM is highly experienced with SEO. We know how to build long-term strategies that establish your brand as an authority and forge trust with both users and search engines. Contact us today to see how we can help you build a strong online presence and gain visibility with a high-quality, high-ranking site.
Sources:
[1] https://www.thinkwithgoogle.com/marketing-strategies/app-and-mobile/mobile-web-traffic-statistics/
[2] https://developers.google.com/search/docs/fundamentals/creating-helpful-content
