Avoid the common mistakes with our expert advice.
Are you new to the world of SEO? Wondering why your website isn’t appearing on the first page of Google? There could be a whole range of reasons. Let us take you through the common SEO mistakes most newcomers make. With the help of our expert team, you can fix the issues on your site and get the visibility you need to succeed.
While you’re here, be sure to take a look at our SEO services for more information about how we can help you.
Content Problems
When it comes to SEO, your content is one of the most important ranking factors. There are a number of SEO mistakes content writers make, as well as other issues that occur in the publishing phase of the content strategy. Let’s go through the main offenders.
1. Keyword stuffing
It doesn’t matter how passionate you are about ranking for a keyword, you can’t just shove it into your content over and over and hope that it works.
Keyword stuffing happens when a writer overuses a key phrase in an attempt to trick Google into thinking they are publishing relevant content.
Tip: Keep your keyword density to less than 2% to avoid stuffing
The best way to avoid stuffing is to write genuinely relevant content. If you’re writing valuable content and optimising your page properly, Google will start to notice your good work and reward you.
2. Choosing keywords with no search volume
The whole point of SEO is to connect with people who are searching for your content. But there’s no point ranking for a keyword that no-one is Googling. There are a number of tools you can use to check search volume including Moz, Keywords Everywhere, and SEM rush.
If this all sounds completely foreign to you, please contact us today. We can help you clear up these SEO mistakes and get your pages targeting keywords that count.
3. Meta Information
There are a couple of backend jobs you need to do before you publish your content. You need to include your targeted keywords in your:
- Page title
- Meta Description
- URL
- Meta Keywords
- Alt tags
If you’ve published content before, this section will be pretty easy to find. The data fields will differ depending on your CMS (content management system) so if you’re having trouble, give us a call. We’re more than happy to help you out.
4. External linking
If you’ve created a link to any other websites within your content, you need to make sure they open in a new window or tab. This is important because links that don’t open in a new tab will guide visitors away from your site and affect your bounce rate.
If your page has a high bounce rate (people leaving quickly), Google is more likely to consider your content as less relevant and this will lower your ranking.
Other Common SEO Mistakes
Aside from your content, there are a number of other ranking factors you need to be aware of.
Here are some of the most common issues and how they could be affecting your place in the search results.
5. Website Speed
If your website is too slow, people will get frustrated and leave. We’ve already covered what a high bounce rate will do to your ranking. Google can also observe how long it takes for each page on your website to load. They’ll use this data as a factor in your page ranking.
If you want to know how to make your website load faster, check out our blog. We’re the professionals in fixing SEO issues.
6. Website Design
Make sure your website is easy to use and to navigate. For SEO, your website needs to be:
Responsive – compatible with different screens, mobiles, tablets, desktop computers
User Friendly – easy to navigate, have an effective internal linking structure
If your consumers find it hard to use your website, Google will too. The best way to rank well is to serve your visitor to your best ability. Taking shortcuts will only give you limited, short-term success. The best investment is a long-term, all-inclusive SEO strategy.
How to Fix SEO Issues
Fixing SEO issues is easy with the help of our expert team. Whether you’d like us to take care of a range of concerns or help you problem-solve a few key issues, a tailor-made online strategy is just a phone call away.
You’ll receive ongoing support from our dedicated account managers, client helpline, and custom-made SEO content guides. Contact the experts you can trust. Call us now for a free consultation.
Author: Anna Clark – Copywriter & Digital Marketing Assistant, Digital Animals