With the algorithm updates and the constant goalpost changes that search engines roll out, the world of Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) can be a minefield if you’re new to the whole digital world.
We’ve written previously on how to optimise your web design for search engines and SEO tips for beginners, but this month we’re taking a different approach.
We’re highlighting the SEO mistakes that we’ve seen some companies making in the past in the hope that it’ll help you in the future.
Thinking that content will rank without any optimisation
It’s great that you’ve created exceptional content, but it’s equally important that you optimise this content with keywords and Latent Semantic Indexing (LSI).
Content isn’t going to rank if you don’t take this approach, so it’s important that before you hit publish, you understand how to optimise the content effectively.
This should include:
- (As we’ve already mentioned) a full keyword analysis
- (Again, mentioned already) using LSI phrases that relate to your keywords
- Structuring headings (H1, H2 Tags etc.) and image alt-tags
- Including hyperlinks both internally and externally
Keyword stuffing
Another mistake that we’ve seen some companies make recently is keyword stuffing. This is where keywords are thrown into the content as much as possible and is classed as a “black hat” SEO tactic.
Not only does this fail to help with your SEO efforts, but it also means that your content will put off readers in the future.
When you’re optimising your content, you need to make sure that it flows naturally as it would in an everyday conversation.
Imagine that the paragraph below is a conversation you’re having with a friend about a holiday you’ve been on recently.
“My holiday abroad to Spain was fantastic, honestly I’ve never had a holiday abroad like it. If you want to take a holiday abroad this summer then I’d say you definitely should visit Spain. I booked my holiday abroad online, it was so easy”.
That sounds really clunky doesn’t it? Now apply that to the content on your website.
Not intentionally promoting your new (and old) content
Again, it’s not always as simple as hitting publish and waiting for the site rankings to roll in. Another SEO mistake that we’ve seen in the past is companies not promoting their new and old content.
Regardless of whether this is through a company newsletter or a series of social media posts, promoting your content is a must if you want to drive traffic to your website.
When you’re publishing your content, it’s crucial that you have a promotional plan in place. This should include:
- Email marketing campaigns
- Scheduled social media posts
- Link building exercises
- Paid distribution
Creating content for the sake of content
Have you ever seen blog posts that look like they’ve been thrown together just because a company feels they should be writing about something? Then chances are they’ve made another common SEO mistake, creating content for the sake of it.
It’s not unheard of short-form content (between 400 and 500 words) to rank highly on search engines, but that’s not normally how it works.
As a general rule of thumb, long form content (1,000+ words) will rank well and improve the user experience of your site.
Forgetting title tags and Meta descriptions
Remember, it’s not all just about the content on the page, it’s important that you remember the title tags and Meta descriptions too. This is something that’s largely overlooked, especially when a company doesn’t have a lot of experience optimising a website for SEO.
However, if you’re new to SEO or haven’t even though about these before, then we’ll start from the very beginning.
Title tags are page specific. This means that they carry the company name throughout the rest of the site, but also include a focus keyword based on the individual page.
These need to be different for every single page on your website. You can’t just use the same title on every page. Sorry!
Meta descriptions summarise what the content includes on the page, usually with a Call to Action that entices readers to click through to the site.
If you’re still struggling to understand, then take a look at the example below.
There is a rumour that search engines don’t use title tags and Meta descriptions as a ranking factor, but they do use the click-through-rate (CTR). Having well-written Titles and Meta Descriptions that make searchers want to click your website in the Search Engine Results Pages (SERPs) which, in turn, increase your CTR and help with your ranking.
Ignoring internal linking
Ignoring internal and external linking is another SEO mistake that we’ve seen recently. You might not think that linking to your own content is important, but it helps search engines such as Google crawl the site easier as well as helping to increase the time readers spend on your website, rather than navigating to a competitor.
Time on Site and Page Views are both metrics that search engines take into account when they’re deciding where to rank websites, so linking back to relevant, useful content will always help.
When you’re planning in your internal linking, again it’s important that you use natural, relevant phrases rather than just linking as many keywords as possible. Remember, it’s all about keeping users on your site, so you don’t want to tempt them with interesting blogs and then disappoint.
So there we have it, we hope you’ve managed to take something away from this article and you’re not too worried about your own SEO efforts now.
However, if you think that you need a little bit more help with the content or website SEO, then that’s where we come in. We’ve got over 15 years experience in all things web related, and we’d love to talk to you.
All you have to do is get in touch with a member of our team on 01489 232 312 and ask us about our SEO services.
