If you’ve just launched your blog or website, the next thing on your mind would be how to get traffic to your blog. In order for that to happen, you need it to come out on top over other websites whenever anyone enters a query on Google. How would that be possible? Through search engine optimization (SEO).
It is the foundation for the ranking system on Google. Many bloggers think that by just inputting keywords in their content their website is optimized. SEO is more than that and while people jump on it and want to learn as they go, the result is often disastrous causing their website to be de-indexed by Google, costing them traffic, and revenue.
Search engine optimization is an effective tool to get your website on the radar. As such, there are certain errors that you must not make especially if you’re just starting out. Here are some of them.
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Keyword Stuffing
Stuffing keywords is the practice of constantly adding the same keyword to your content with the hope of tricking Google into thinking that your content should be ranked higher for using that keyword.
It used to be a viable SEO technique used to boost content ranking on blogs but it has been classified as malicious by Google. Anyone still found using this optimization method would be penalized and it can also negatively affect their rankings.
Rather than keyword stuffing, it is better to write your content in the most natural and comfortable way. If perhaps, you still think you need specific keywords, feel free to return to the content to input them in a more natural way. Try using LSI keywords to help you out with any keyword stuffing challenges.
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Ignoring SEO for Mobiles
Irrespective of the type of SEO techniques you’re using or intend to use, avoiding the mobile SEO to your website would probably the most expensive mistake or harm you could cause to the website.
It’s not something to take for granted if you want results. People who are closely following the changing SEO trends and style of engagement practices wouldn’t wait for anyone to tell them to implement mobile SEO on their website. According to research, over 50% of all traffic to websites globally stems from mobile phones.
The trend of mobile usage is increasing at an exponential rate and is only going to keep increasing as time goes on. As a matter of fact, more people are using their mobile devices than desktop PCs to access websites. The marketing team at Excite Media would provide you with consultation services if you’re confused about where to get started. It would be a grave mistake to ignore SEO for your mobile users.
No Meta Description
Every SEO expert knows not to take meta description for granted. It is what provides Google with information on what your content really is. Not placing emphasis on meta descriptions can be dangerous to your website ranking. It is a great way to interact with your visitors and get them to click your link.
Most beginners often leave this space blank when uploading content to their website. What happens when you do that is Google culls up the first few sentences of your content to fill in for the missing meta description. The outcome is that those few sentences may not be as engaging enough or may have multiple keywords embedded in them which might lead to sanctions related to keyword stuffing.
Quality Content
There’s a high number of cut/paste content on websites which is something you as a newbie should avoid. You might want to be smart and rewrite content from other sources instead. In doing so, there is a high chance that you end up publishing similar titles or keywords.
A better way to approach your content is to make it fresh and original. There is nothing wrong with reading other content when researching. Just ensure you don’t cut and paste to your website. Apart from avoiding plagiarism, you also want unique keywords that suit your content and would help your website rank higher.
Non Sharable Content
SEO is being done to make sure your blog gets to the top of search results as such, your content needs to be shared for Google to know people are interested in it. For that to happen, you should make sharing easy. Include social media sharing buttons so the engagement with your content can increase and be shared.
The share buttons make sharing your content more convenient for visitors. Including it would increase the chances of shares and subsequently better SEO.
There are a lot more mistakes you should avoid when starting out but these are the most common ones that can cause damage to your website’s ranking and search result. Avoid them and you would encounter fewer challenges and increase your chance of success.