Getting your website seen by potential customers is important to business owners. We know that Search engine optimisation (SEO) is required, but with limited time to devote to SEO, you need to know that you are making the most of your time. So this blog will look at the three most common SEO mistakes to avoid.
What is SEO?
SEO is the process of improving the visibility and ranking of a website in search engine results pages (SERPs); I know it sounds hard, but essentially, it’s getting ranked higher on Google and other search engines. Good SEO can help small businesses attract more organic (free / without ads) traffic to their websites, which leads to more sales and leads.
SEO includes making changes to the content and back-end of your website to make it clear, for search engines, what you want to rank for.
The three most common SEO mistakes to avoid.
Not conducting keyword research.
One of the most important steps in SEO is to conduct keyword research. SEO involves identifying the keywords and phrases your target audience is searching for online. Once you know which keywords your target audience uses, you can optimise your website content and structure to include those keywords.
If you don’t conduct keyword research, you’re essentially guessing about which keywords to target, Which can lead to you targeting the wrong keywords and make it difficult for your website to rank in SERPs.
Sometimes, when you choose a keyword that you assume is perfect – but when you look at the actual results, you see that the other pages are more for information rather than somewhere you can promote your services.
Not creating high-quality content.
Another common SEO mistake is not creating high-quality content. Search engines want to provide their users with the best possible results, so they rank websites that offer high-quality content higher in SERPs.
High-quality content is informative, engaging, and relevant to your target audience. The content should also reflect you; after all you are the business, so your personality should shine through the content you add, as well as being well-written and free of errors.
You can add new content onto pages or videos, or more often, a blog like this.
Google also likes new content it shows your website is cared for and is still open for business.
Not optimising your website for mobile.
More and more people are using their smartphones and tablets to access the internet. In fact, mobile devices now account for over half of all web traffic.
If your website is not optimised for mobiles, you’re missing out on a large portion of potential traffic. Search engines also give a ranking boost to websites that are mobile-friendly.
To make your website mobile-friendly, you can use a responsive design. This means your website will automatically adjust its layout to fit any screen size.
Also, how quickly the page loads varies between desktops and laptops. So check your page speed to give your site the best chance.
- Cost: Hiring an SEO agency can be expensive, especially for small businesses. Doing your own SEO can save you a significant amount of money.
- Control: When you do your own SEO, you have complete control over your SEO strategy and execution. This means you can ensure your SEO efforts are aligned with your overall business goals.
- Knowledge: By doing your own SEO, you will learn more about how search engines work and how to optimize your website for search. This knowledge can be valuable for your business, even if you eventually decide to hire an SEO agency.
In conclusion, SEO is an important part of any online business strategy. By avoiding the three common SEO mistakes discussed in this blog post, you can improve your chances of ranking higher in search engine results pages and attracting more organic traffic to your website.
If you’re unsure how to get started with SEO, there are various resources available to help you online. You can hire an SEO agency, or you can use a tool like the Pippas Web DIY SEO Platform. The platform provides you with an actionable monthly list of task to carry out on your website,
help picking your keywords and help you source backlinks for your website.
No matter how you choose to do it, SEO is an investment that can pay off in the long run. By improving your website’s visibility and ranking in search engine results pages, you can attract more customers and grow your business.