The Most Common SEO Mistakes (And How to Fix Them)
It’s no secret that a solid search engine optimization (SEO) strategy can draw more traffic to your site and boost the overall success of your business. Unfortunately, if you’re making any of these common SEO mistakes, you could be sabotaging your efforts.
Keyword Stuffing
Undoubtedly, keywords are important in helping your website and web pages rank higher for certain short- and long-tail keywords and phrases. Having keywords strategically placed in your site content can be beneficial to your SEO, but the last thing you want to do is “stuff” or cram keywords into the content unnaturally. Search engine algorithms are trained to spot this practice, and you could actually have your site de-indexed if you’re caught.
Lack of Keyword Research
Speaking of keywords, make sure the keyword phrases you’re incorporating into your content are actually relevant and useful. This will mean taking the time to conduct some keyword research, which will help you get a better idea of what members of your target audience are searching for online. Make sure your list includes not just short keyword phrases, but long-tail phrases as well.
Generic Content
Publishing content regularly is also great for your SEO, especially if you maintain a website blog or similar page. However, posting generic content on topics that have been covered hundreds of times by other blogs is a waste of time and not likely to get you anywhere. Instead, focus on creating unique content on topics that haven’t been covered but that your target audience will find truly useful.
Neglecting Backlinks
Having your site backlinked and incorporating strategic backlinks into your own content is a great idea, but make sure the backlinks you’re using are authoritative and respected websites. Otherwise, these links can actually harm your SEO.
By avoiding these mistakes as you develop and refine your site’s SEO strategy, you’ll be able to boost your search rankings over time.
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