10 Most common SEO mistakes

SEO, for a large part, is the backbone of content marketing. In fact, it is now more prominent than ever. Many of you know this already and would plan accordingly. You optimize your content to get ahead in the SERPS and get the desired traffic. With SEO Content Marketing, you are aiming for the top Google ranking. But is your web traffic low? It could be because you fell into the trap of some common SEO mistakes.

Here are a few mistakes that you should avoid:

1. Not investing in content

Content is key for SEO and you’ve got to get it right. Besides being SEO optimized, your content needs to be original and creative. It should be presented in the most consumable way for your readers to get value from it. So, investing in content is essential. Be it hiring a professional content writer or investing in content generation tools.

2. Common keywords mistakes

• Using generic keywords–If you are a specialist in “Ayurveda Spa.” You won’t get relevant traffic by using only “Spa” as your keyword. Target the people who are searching for, notably “Ayurveda Spa.”
• Stuffing keywords – Too many keywords may make your content look more like spam and Google will penalize it. It may also disrupt the natural flow of the article.
• Overusing high-ranking keywords– Maximum people are concentrating on high-ranking keywords. Thus it becomes difficult to acquire the top position for your website in Google search using high-ranking keywords only. Instead create a mix of high, low, and medium ranking keywords in your blog. This will help you to rank higher on Google.
• Misjudging user intent – There are different results when someone searches for the best laptops or best deals on laptops. The first one wants only information on laptops. But the second is looking for deals. So use long-tail keywords wisely.

3. Underestimating image alt tag

Your good friend Googlebot will not be able to spot an image by just looking at it. It will index your article’s image only when you will use the alt tag for your image. So if you don’t want to be left out of the image search, use alt tag every time with your image.

4. Neglecting website structuring & search feature

It is vital that data is adequately structured according to the stream you are catering to. It becomes more evident if your website is ranking well. Optimize your internal search engine as well to make the navigation easy for visitors.

5. Not adding branded anchor text

Keywords are there to optimize the website, but your website’s authority increases with branded anchor text. More website authority means more brand value. So concentrate on branded anchor text along with keyword optimization for the best results.

6. Forgetting mobile users

Websites are developed on the desktop, showcasing it on a bigger screen. One crucial factor that is forgotten in all this process is that 50% of traffic comes to your website through mobiles. So if your website is not mobile-friendly, it will lose ranking in Google. There is a considerable weightage that Google puts on the website’s speed and its mobile-friendliness.

7. Not optimizing conversion

Imagine you own a shop. One day 100 people visit it, but only 2 of them buy something. The next day only 50 people visited, but 15 of them became your customers. Which is a better day for you?

Therefore we urge you to take some time and analyse your conversions. Analyst programmes will show you what the most searched keywords are working for you. By doing this, you can find people who are actually looking for the services or products you offer.

8. Forgetting local business

Suppose you are a dentist in Florida. It will be challenging to get a patient’s inquiry using “dentist” only as a keyword. You will get barely any visitors to your website. However, if you put “dentist in Florida” as a keyword, you will get traffic + local clientele.

9. Not getting creative with title & meta description

Your website’s title can’t just be your company name. Add your speciality to it to make it more SEO friendly. When anyone bookmarks your website, they should know what services they are bookmarking, rather than your company name only.

Also, the 160 words Meta description you prepare should be no less than a killer sales pitch. Be creative with title & Meta description to earn brownie points from Google. A bonus tip will be that you can also use a content optimization tool for better results.

10. Only CTA & no anchor text

Any experienced SEO professional will agree that you can’t rely solely on CTA to get links to your website. A properly tailored anchor text will get you better results. For example, instead of just writing “visit us for HR services,” you should include terms like “absolute HR solutions for corporate” somewhere in your text.

Continue Reading: 10 Fatal SEO mistakes you need to avoid

About the Author

Sofia David is a digital content marketer at Contenteum where she heads and executes the content creation strategies. Contenteum is a holistic platform that helps SEO agencies and content teams in planning, researching, creating, optimizing, and publishing content to help with rankings. Sofia believes that good content is what offers true value to the reader and that is why she creates content with a reader-first mindset. When she’s not working on new content, she finds pleasure in gardening and loves to play Scrabble every chance she gets.