Search engine optimization or SEO is a very popular term heard nowadays; it has become a crucial part of any business’s marketing campaign and it contributes to a business’s growth, thereby increasing the leads and generating more revenue. In case you are wondering, it is the process of boosting a website’s ranking in search engine results.
SEO is a vital component of Google and if are unable to optimize your business website for Google, it can be removed from the search results without warning. This might harm your business in the long run and result in a loss of potential customers. Many blunders are made while conducting SEO, but the top 5 are discussed below.
Not Considering Analytics in the SEO Strategy
Majority of times, marketers concentrate their efforts on keywords and phrases which drive the most traffic and they tend to ignore the use of analytics to deduce which phrase or keyword is converting the highest number of visitors.
In order to avoid making this mistake, you should utilize several analytics tools like KISSmetrics, Google Analytics and Bing Webmaster tools to determine the number of conversions taking place from your keywords and phrases. In this manner, you will be able to compare and contrast the different keywords and phrases being used and then optimize your website to give optimal results.
Using the Wrong Keywords
A very common blunder of SEO is the implementation of incorrect keywords. Examples of bad keywords are:
- Keywords catering to people searching for free information
- Keywords which are globally oriented in scenarios where you are catering to the local audience
- Generic keywords
- Broad keywords which face tough competition
Another mistake conducted by marketers is stuffing keywords into the content; this degrades the user experience. Hence, avoid stuffing keywords and implement keywords which are more specific in nature and focused towards your target audience.
Implementing the Same Meta Titles and Meta Descriptions
Marketers often make the mistake of using the same Meta titles and Meta descriptions for each webpage; this is unappealing and it harms your website’s ranking in search engine results. Therefore, avoid this mistake by using unique titles and descriptions for each page of your website with the name of your company or brand at the end. Do not forget to include specific keywords as well.
Anchor Text is Never Included
An anchor text is used to link to other pages in your website; it improves your website’s rankings in search engine results. However, in most cases, it is too often never included. Instead, generic terms like ‘click here’, ‘this post’, etc. are used.
On the flipside, you should use different variations and combinations of anchor text for optimizing keywords in your content and calls-to-action.
Attempting to Acquire More Links
A misconception is present that the use of more links would be beneficial to a website’s rankings, but this is not true; in fact, it harms your rankings. There are alternative and better ways to obtain more links, but you should focus on the quality rather than the quantity.
Even if you do utilize links, they should be specific to your industry or niche and there shouldn’t be any outgoing links towards adult, pharmacy, or gambling websites.
SEO is a strategy that can take your business to newer heights, but it requires patience and hard work. By avoiding the common mistakes while implementing SEO, you will definitely observe a huge difference in the results.