Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is like fishing – it’s a battle of refinement! The veteran fisher knows that the knot, lure, cast, and technique all matter! And as in fishing, it takes time to develop the skills needed to refine your approach. Although your dinghy and kiddie rod might look grim now, you’re in the right place.
It’s true SEO works under many requirements, including technical aspects that may be unfamiliar to you. The rules of SEO make it hard to know where you lack strength. Luckily, we’ve compiled the most common SEO mistakes in this blog for you!
Take a moment to check off this list, fix what you can, and write down unknown words or tips for later. Learning these fundamentals for website & video SEO will jumpstart your journey. Speaking of fundamentals…
What Is SEO?
Search Engine Optimization, commonly known as SEO, is the research and refinement of your online presence using popular keywords for increased search rankings, video content, user experience, and more.
In today’s digital landscape, SEO is crucial for businesses and website owners looking to improve their online presence. However, despite its importance, people still make common SEO mistakes that hinder their success.
To avoid these mistakes, we highly recommend delving into the world of SEO and familiarizing yourself with these common pitfalls.
With a proactive mindset, you’ll be able to navigate the SEO waters and reel in the rewards of improved visibility, increased traffic, and sustained growth. Read on for 16 SEO Mistakes To Avoid.
1. Slow Site Speed
Attention span is everything nowadays, down to the second. A speedy connection yells, “I’ve got it together!” While a slow load time screams, “Time to click off to another site.”
As you can imagine, site speed is a critical factor in SEO and user experience. The ideal load times these days are practically instant! In studies, when the page time load goes from 1s to 5s – the probability of bounce increases by 90%. Count to 5 in your head; boom, 90% of your customers are gone! We suggest staying in the middle. No more than 2.5 seconds will be extremely helpful in ranking!
Tips:
- Measure page speed often by using tools like Google PageSpeed Insights or WebPageTest.
- Reduce unused JavaScript and CSS to minimize unnecessary code, which can slow down page load time.
- Compress large image sizes without compromising quality.
- Eliminate unnecessary redirects, as each redirect adds to the load time.
- Utilize Content Delivery Networks (CDNs) to distribute content and reduce service response times.
2. Lack of Engaging Video Content
If you’re not creating video content to attract and keep viewers engaged, you’re falling behind in the market trends! Time and time again, video proves it will get the job done.
Take advantage of this trend and create compelling videos that showcase your products, services, or expertise. Be sure to optimize them with relevant keywords, though!
Tips:
- Produce high-quality videos that align with your audience. Host your videos on platforms like YouTube or other services and embed them on relevant pages.
- Create engaging thumbnails; it will help improve your video CTR.
- Use video transcripts and closed captions to make your video more accessible and optimized for search engines.
3. Lack of Social Media Integration
We get it; you might not be a natural TikToker who keeps up with trending dances….but the business owners who are might be kicking your butt. A simple social media awareness campaign doesn’t hurt anybody, and it also has the capacity to expand your reach and get real-time feedback from your audience. Isn’t that what you want?
Use social media to connect with your audience and encourage social sharing to expand your online reach.
Tips:
- Identify where your audience lives. Are they mostly on Facebook, Snapchat, or LinkedIn?
- Post daily and engage with your fanbase.
- Incorporate social media sharing buttons on your website so that it’s easier for your readers to share on other social platforms.
- Use social media analytics to identify which type of content resonates most with your audience.
4. Not Optimizing Your Website for Mobile
Most of today’s viewers search on mobile devices, with many using TikTok or Instagram as their main search engine. Now, more than ever, it’s important to optimize your visibility for mobile.
Remember, Google now predominantly uses the mobile version of a site’s content. This means Google is crawling the mobile version of your site for indexing and ranking. If your site is not optimized for mobile, then you’ll have a hard time ranking in search results.
Don’t wait; optimize now for mobile!
Tips:
- Use Google’s Mobile-Friendly Test to identify potential issues.
- Take heed of site speed, design, and features on all device types.
- Avoid unnecessary interstitials, as it can lead to poor user experience.
5. Pages Not Indexed
Imagine this: you do all the hard work, and your website is up and running, only for you to realize that your website has not been indexed. This can happen. If search engines can’t index your web pages, they won’t appear in search results.
Now, how could this be, you ask? Well, indexing issues can arise from multiple technical issues like improper use of noindex tag, 404 error, improper use of the robots.txt file, etc.
Tips:
- Use Google Search Console to check the indexing status of your website regularly.
- Regularly update your XML sitemap so Google is aware of the new pages on your site.
- Use the noindex tag on pages you want to keep out of search results.
6. Lack of SSL/HTTPS
Security matters. Ensuring you implement SSL/HTTPS on your website will provide visitors with more confidence in trusting you, will put them at ease when inputting personal information, and making purchases will be a breeze as well.
Tips:
- Implement an SSL certificate and use the HTTPS protocol for website security. Website hosting platforms typically offer these options at an additional and affordable fee.
7. Ignoring Metadata Optimization
When it comes to on-page SEO, metadata optimization is king. Why? Well, meta tags like title tags, meta descriptions, and header tags all contain our primary or secondary keywords.
Title tags and meta descriptions are the first things the user sees when searching in search engines.
When you have no metadata or lackluster descriptions, there is no incentive for the user to click on your link. For example, in the above screenshot, if our title tag only said “IPO,” would the users know what the blog page would be about? Think about these things when optimizing your metadata.
Tips:
- Optimize meta titles and descriptions with relevant keywords that align with your content. This will increase search visibility and trustworthiness.
- Create engaging meta descriptions that provide a concise summary of your content.
- Follow SEO best practices: keep title tags under 60 characters and meta descriptions under 160 characters.
8. Ignoring Local SEO
People near you need to know you exist and that you are close by! Failing to establish a location/medium for your services is like missing the opportunity to bring a welcome gift to your new neighbors.
Make sure you’re official in the eyes of Google! A My Business profile is recommended to take your rankings to the next level, especially from a local level. Not to mention, a Google My Business Profile allows you to display reviews, which also helps with ranking, and you can even provide company/service updates here. It really is a great platform to use, and it’s free.
Additionally, optimize your website for local searches like “near me” and ensure accurate business listings across online directories.
Tips:
- Create, claim, and optimize your Google My Business Profile add location-specific landing pages, and obtain local citations.
- Incorporate location-based keywords into your content and metadata.
- Encourage customers to leave reviews.
9. Neglecting Image/Video Optimization
I know what you’re thinking, “I have to optimize video??” The answer is absolutely. However eye-catching and informative, some video optimization is available and will allow you to be competitive in video rankings. Keep in mind that a well-optimized video enhances click-through rates.
Tips:
- Create engaging thumbnails.
- Optimize your alt attributes carefully.
- Use video transcripts and closed captions to make your video more accessible and optimized for search engines. Check out this article we wrote on how you can optimize videos for search.
10. Poor Internal Linking
You want your website to act like a spider web of sorts, where viewers can fall down the web, always landing somewhere and always bouncing back. That’s exactly what internal linking is. It is the practice of linking to other pages within your website to improve website navigation, user experience, and crawlability.
Take advantage of this SEO tactic and move your users down the funnel. Use blog posts to link to service lines or product pages and see conversions grow.
Tips:
- Identify relevant anchor text opportunities to link other parts of the website.
- Ensure all priority pages internally link to at least one or two other pages and are linked to supporting pages.
11. Inadequate Keyword Research
One of the most common mistakes in SEO is optimizing for the wrong keywords.
Keyword research is the backbone of SEO, and it can either make or break your site. It involves understanding user intent and carefully crafting the content on the page to match the intent. An ineffective keyword strategy will lead to poor website visibility.
When describing your products or services, it is essential to understand the language or search terms your potential customers may use. Understanding the term will allow you to optimize the content.
Tips:
- Utilize keyword research tools like Keyword Planner, Moz Keyword Explorer, or Ubersuggest to identify keywords relevant to your content.
- Create a keyword strategy. Invest time to identify relevant keywords for your content.
- Use long-tail keywords to capture more qualified traffic.
12. Keyword Stuffing
In the early days of SEO, keyword stuffing—excessively loading a page with keywords—was a common practice.
However, search engines have evolved and become more sophisticated. Overusing keywords can now result in penalties from search engines.
Tips:
- Focus on employing keywords naturally and relevantly, enhancing the readability and overall quality of your content.
- Emphasize quality content. Focus on SEO-optimized videos while avoiding the forced insertion of keywords.
13. Improper Website Structure and Navigation
Imagine a library where books are scattered randomly, and there’s no coherent catalog. A well-organized and easy-to-navigate website is like a well-structured library—it’s not only user-friendly but also favorable to search engines.
An improper website structure can make it difficult for search engine crawlers to index your pages efficiently. It’s vital to ensure a clear, logical website structure with intuitive navigation to enhance both user experience and SEO, allowing users and search engines to explore the vast knowledge contained within seamlessly.
Tips:
- Create a logical top-down structure for organized content. Focus on categories and subcategories. Check out how Bottle Rocket Media has organized its service line pages and its folder structure.
- Ensure URLs are descriptive and reflect the page’s content. For example, take a look at this page’s URL (bottlerocketmedia.net/common-seo-mistakes-to-avoid). Notice how you can immediately understand what the page is about just from the URL?
- Focus on internal linking by using descriptive anchor texts.
14. Broken Links
Just like a broken fishing line, broken links on your site are bad for business! Imagine going to a restaurant, and the menu is blank except for the title page!
Tips:
- Replace, delete, or redirect broken links to relevant content to continue your conversion stream. SEO requires maintenance and troubleshooting, so platforms like Moz or SemRush monitor your website. These platforms will flag any broken links that need fixing.
15. Bad Reviews on Google
This one could be tough! If you’re listed on Google, check your reviews. If people have bad experiences with your company and leave negative reviews, your search rankings will undoubtedly be impacted.
Tips:
- Use negative reviews to build relationships with customers. Reply and offer an opportunity to fix the problem if possible.
- Encourage and request reviews on industry-specific sites and social media platforms because why not? Getting your clients/customers to share their experiences provides an instant boost of credibility with your new prospects.
16. Failing to Monitor and Analyze Performance
One of the most common SEO mistakes to avoid is the lack of regular monitoring and analysis of your website’s performance. Without tracking your efforts and meticulously analyzing the data, you won’t know what’s working and needs improvement.
Tips:
- Utilize robust analytical tools like Google Analytics to measure traffic, user behavior, and the success of your SEO strategies. Armed with this valuable data, you can make informed decisions and continuously optimize your website, ensuring a trajectory of growth and success.
Conclusion
As you can see, many common SEO mistakes are easy to ignore but even easier to fix! Now that you are aware of some of the common SEO mistakes to avoid, whether it be on-page, off-page, social media, or diving into keyword research, remember SEO requires ongoing effort and continuous optimization. It’s important to regularly assess your website for any of these mistakes and apply the provided solutions to refine your SEO strategy and achieve long-term success.
You can wait around all day for a fish to bite, or you can chase them down!
Remaining competitive in search engine rankings can truly make a significant impact on your business. It’s imperative you stay up to date on the latest SEO best practices. As the digital landscape changes, you can stay ahead of the curve by signing up for our blog! We only post articles we think might help you!
We’d love to help you develop the perfect video project for your brand and the SEO strategy that increases its visibility. To learn more about Bottle Rocket Media’s video production services and other services like motion graphics services, connect with us to start your video project.