5 Common SEO Mistakes (and How to Avoid Them!)Aug192024
When you have a fantastic website, it can feel like the hard part is over. You figured out your hosting solution, you’ve got the graphic design just right, and you’re ready to go. But now you need people to find it. Welcome to search engine optimization (SEO). SEO is the art of getting your website to rank high in search results, and getting in front of of your customers when they are searching for terms related to you and your business.
At HostingCT, we understand that navigating the SEO landscape can be tricky, especially for beginners. To help you avoid some common pitfalls, we've identified 5 mistakes that can hinder your website's search engine ranking. And if you want to talk to us directly about your website’s SEO, contact us today!
1. Keyword Stuffing:
Once you have the keywords you want your website to rank for, the initial response might be to work all of them into every page, even if it doesn’t feel natural. But stuffing them into your site in a way that isn’t user-friendly isn’t the answer. This practice, known as keyword stuffing, can hurt your ranking. Search engines want to know that a searcher will have a good experience once they hit your site - and this means writing with the customer in mind.
How to Avoid It: Conduct proper keyword research to identify relevant terms with good search volume. Use your target keywords naturally throughout your content, focusing on providing value to your readers.
2. Not Optimizing for Mobile:
With most searches happening on smartphones, having a mobile-friendly website is essential. If your site isn’t optimized for mobile, users will likely bounce back quickly, hurting your SEO efforts. Since mobile phones are so important, search engines like Google have released updates to prioritize mobile-friendly sites over those that provide a worse experience.
How to Avoid It: When making website decisions, ensure that the user experience is good enough for mobile users and optimized for them. HostingCT can help you with this process, from site design to SEO options featuring mobile strategies.
3. Ignoring On-Page Optimization:
On-page SEO optimization refers to optimizing the individual pages on your website for search engines. This includes page elements like title tags, meta descriptions, image alt text, and internal linking. These are page-specific items that help search engines understand what your page is about, enabling it to communicate that to searchers on the results page.
How to Avoid It: Take the time to audit your site and then work your keywords into these page elements. It’s important to craft clear and concise title tags and meta descriptions that accurately reflect your content and include relevant keywords. Your images should also have alt tags that clearly describe what is in the image, ideally with keywords included. Other elements such as internal linking can also be put into play to build website authority and improve user experience.
Don’t know where to start or overwhelmed? Learn about HostingCT’s SEO offerings today!
4. Forgetting About Content:
Fresh, informative, authoritative content is a way to make search engines happy. Regularly updating your website with high-quality, user-friendly content that provides value to your audience is crucial for SEO success.
How to Avoid It: Develop a content strategy that targets your audience's needs and interests. Research popular topics and keywords within your niche and create engaging content around those themes, utilizing search terms that your customers are using to find more information and products.
5. Building Backlinks the Wrong Way:
Backlinks, or when websites not your own link to you, can be a powerful SEO indicator for search engines. When done correctly. Building low-quality backlinks from irrelevant websites can hurt your ranking, making search engines believe your site is equally scammy.
How to Avoid It: Focus on acquiring backlinks from high-authority websites within your industry. Create link-worthy content that others will want to share naturally. HostingCT offers link-building strategies to help you get started.
By avoiding these common mistakes and implementing best practices, you and your site will be well on your way to increasing your rank in SERP and seeing increased traffic. SEO is a marathon, not a spring. Be patient, focus on creating valuable content consumers are interested in, and keep up on new algorithm updates. And remember, HostingCT is here to partner with you every step of the way by offering a variety of website optimization services to give your SEO efforts a boost. Talk to someone about your website today!
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