Since Google changes its analytics often, it’s common for marketers to fall prey to SEO mistakes. Here are five SEO pitfalls to avoid for optimal performance.
1. No SEO plan.
According to Clutch, only 36% of small businesses have an SEO strategy. To start building your own SEO plan, ask yourself, where is your site now, and where do you want it to be? With a clear target, educate and engage your team, set specific goals, and create the workflows needed to get you there.
2. Overlooking mobile traffic.
Google favors mobile-friendly websites for good reason. More than 50% of web traffic comes from mobile devices. (source) With that stat continuing to grow, here are two important steps you can take for higher rankings. One, ensure your website is responsive, adjusting automatically for various screen sizes. Two, test your site’s load time. Google prefers less than three seconds.
3. Overusing keywords.
Loading your content with repetitive keyword phrases leads to an SEO backfire. Google can detect quality content written for a specific audience over keyword stuffing, and it rewards the former. Try to keep keywords at 2% or less of your content. It’s always best practice to write for your target audience over a search engine.
4. Skipping title tags and meta descriptions.
Targeted writing with the sparing use of keywords is not the only means of optimizing your content. Title tags and meta descriptions tell a search engine what your content is about and with which audience you wish to connect. Overlooking these markup tags equals a lower search ranking and less relevant results. Here are Google’s best practices for creating titles and snippets.
5. Not knowing your audience.
You may think you know your audience, but do you really? The better you can enter their mindset, the more successful you will be in targeting them. It’s helpful to think of SEO as your audience’s language and get fluent. What search terms might they use? What is their goal? The key to a high ranking is matching your target audience’s intent.
SEO is an integral part of any marketing strategy and a crucial skill in today’s job market. Our Digital Marketing program trains you in the latest in real-world SEO technologies. Are you ready to become an SEO expert? If so, click below to get started.
