Are you struggling to rank on Google? Avoid some of these SEO pitfalls and improve your website’s ranking organically.
Published on March 28, 2019
Finding it difficult to rank near the top of organic search results?
If the answer is yes, you’re not alone!
Considering the sheer volume of content being published each and every second, competition to capture your audience’s attention has grown increasingly fierce.
In fact, it can feel almost impossible!
Worse still, there’s a chance you’re making the already difficult task that much harder for yourself with a few mistakes or missteps that many businesses make when they’re attempting to increase leads, conversions, and revenue.
Remove these roadblocks to make your path to growth easier.
1. You’re choosing the wrong keywords
Optimising for the right keywords is essential for ranking well in search results.
It follows that if you’re not using the right keywords, you’re going to struggle!
Keywords are the terms entered into search engines like Google by users looking for the products or services your business offers. To effectively optimise for these terms, you not only need to understand what your customers are looking for but also the actual words they will type into a search bar when they search for your product or service.
Because here’s the thing:
The terms you use may be completely different from the terms other people are using.
If that’s the case…
…you’re optimising for the wrong search terms.
Keyword research provides the perfect solution for this problem, helping you to find relevant keywords that relate to your exact concept, product, industry, or niche. So conduct some background research before you start optimising – it’ll ensure you’re putting your finger straight on the pulse with appropriate keywords.
2. You’re missing quality linking opportunities
Invest in building quality, relevant links to increase your organic search rankings.
Building links internally within blog articles and content is a great way to keep a captive audience engaged in your content and establish your authority on topics. Increased time spent on pages is also an excellent indicator to search engines for high-quality content.
It pays to always be on the lookout for opportunities to add internal links to keep users on your site exploring your content.
The same goes for external and inbound links. By linking out to – and gaining links from – external, relevant, well-ranking sites with a solid reputation within your niche you’ll supercharge your search visibility and lead generation.
3. You’re guilty of keyword stuffing
Have you heard about Keyword Stuffing?
If you’ve ever attempted to optimise your site in the past, you might be familiar with the concept.
Keyword Stuffing (also known as over-optimisation) is the process of writing content with over loaded with keywords and terms in a way that reads unnaturally and compromises the user’s experience.
And here’s the thing…
…it doesn’t work.
In fact, it could be doing more harm than good!
What do I mean by this?
Let me explain:
Going overboard with keywords is seen as spammy, low-quality content by search engines. This can potentially damage your search rankings, the opposite of what you are trying to achieve. Not only that, it’s difficult to read, often hard to parse, and nonsensical for your potential customers.
Instead?
Aim to subtly use keywords within content that’s readable, interesting and natural.
4. You’ve forgotten about analytics
So you’ve optimised your site, written content, and started promoting it, but…
…how do you know if it’s having any effect?
If you’re not checking your analytics, you’re living in the dark.
Regularly reviewing your analytics is how you track your progress and see what’s working. Most importantly, as you’re working to improve your site’s content, your analytics will help you determine which optimisations, keywords, or promotional efforts are turning visitors into paying customers.
Want to see how your SEO strategy is performing? Google Analytics and Search Console provide valuable insights into your website’s performance before and after all your optimisation efforts.
Neglecting analytics reports and not using the right metrics to measure success can be costly!
Make use of the data available to you, and make informed decisions.
5. You don’t have enough unique content
If you’re copying content, the original creators won’t be the only ones judging you.
So will the search engines!
Thin, spammy, or duplicate content adds no value to your site, and Google knows it. Today’s search engines STILL demote and may even penalise duplicate content, so it is worthwhile taking the time required to create original, meaningful, worthwhile content.
Crafting unique content establishes you as a trusted authority and raises you above your competitors.
6. You keep forgetting about mobile users
More and more people are searching the internet on mobile devices.
In fact, there’s a good chance you are reading this post on your mobile right now.
Understanding SEO goes beyond content and keywords. Businesses must also optimise their online presence for various platforms, from desktops to smartphones.
Is your website mobile-friendly? Is it responsive? Does it load quickly? If you haven’t considered a user-friendly mobile experience, your rankings within search engines could take a hit as search engines start to prioritise user experience when deciding which results to display on that all-important first page.
7. You’re not taking advantage of local SEO
In the world of website optimisation, neglecting local SEO is a common mistake.
You see, Google is placing more and more importance on ‘Near Me’ searches, which is giving businesses like yours an opportunity to take advantage of free visibility within local search engine results.
That is, if you’re managing your Google Business Profile listing.
Local searchers are users who search using local, location-based phrases and keywords. They’re some of the most valuable traffic your website can gain, but many businesses miss out on this search traffic through oversight alone.
Increasing your visibility within local searches can be a lucrative source of traffic for your business and quickly boost your visibility within those all-important local search engine results.
It’s time for your business to take advantage of local SEO.
Improve your SEO the easy way
Removing any Search Engine Optimisation mistakes your business may be making is not hard to do, and is a cost-effective way to improve your leads, sales, and revenue. With these hurdles out of your way, the path to better visibility within search engine results is far more straightforward.
Need a hand with your SEO? Check out our FREE SEO guide. Ready for top rankings? Schedule your free SEO Strategy call to see how you can work with Found.
