Are You Making These 5 SEO Mistakes?
Search engine optimization (SEO) is tricky, time-consuming, and even frustrating at times. From search engine optimized content creation to backlink building, there are a lot of ways to improve your SEO, but who can get to them all? Be more strategic about your SEO and work smarter, not harder. Here are five common SEO mistakes to avoid making that will save you time and get you ahead.
SEO mistake #1: You aren’t focusing on local search.
Local search plays a vital role in marketing, especially if you have a physical storefront. When customers make on-the-go searches on their mobile devices, they are usually looking for businesses near them. It is these few crucial moments that you should utilize to your benefit and grab customers in their decision-making moment.
Google also plays up local search results by showing Google Places and Google Maps at the top of the results. Users can then click on your Google Places then directly visit your website and get instant information like your phone number, hours, and ratings. You should always make sure to claim your business on Google Places and that it’s always updated with the correct information. (As you should with all local listings).
SEO mistake #2: You are keyword stuffing your content.
Content is the ultimate form of search engine marketing, which is why you will often find blog posts and web pages that are stuffed with keywords. Before thinking about keywords, you should be thinking about how to create useful information for your readers first.
Keyword-stuffed content is often uncomfortable to read and doesn’t sound natural, which only gets your website visitors to leave your site quickly. This results in a higher bounce rate for your website, which only hurts your overall ranking in the long run.
With that said, using the right keywords and implementing them strategically throughout your website and content is good for your SEO. Just don’t overdo it!
SEO mistake #3: You forget to use meta tags.
Meta tags come from the beginnings of SEO. While not all meta tags can help you in 2020, don’t underestimate the power meta tags when paired with high-quality content. The meta tags that are still important include the title tag, meta content type, meta description attribute, and meta keywords attribute. What you enter in your meta tags will affect how your website and web pages display on search engines.
SEO mistake #4: You’re ditching schema markup.
It is no longer a suggestion but now a necessity to use structured data (schema markup) for your website. Schema markup tells search engines what your website is about and what to do with the content on your site. You can use different markups to make your website stand out on the search results page such as adding images, customer ratings, or even creating rich snippets.
SEO mistake #5: Not having unique headlines or titles.
Headlines are the ultimate deciding factor for if someone will or won’t visit your page. 8 out of 10 people will actually read a headline. Meanwhile only 2 out of 10 people will click through and read beyond the headline. Generally speaking, the rule of thumb for headlines is that they should:
- Be less than 70 characters total
- Convey a sense of urgency
- Avoid using buzz words
- Incorporate your main keyword as one of the first words
If you have any questions or need assistance in your SEO implementation, call us at 515-232-2024 or send us a message below!