SEO can be quite daunting if you are starting out. There are many terms that may sound alien to you, and it is easy to misunderstand what these terms mean. Well fear not, this article will attempt to shed some light on common mistakes made in SEO.
Improper use of keywords: Keywords are the basis of SEO. You should avoid using keywords that are too generic. Instead, you should be thinking of the long-tail keyword. Long-tailed keywords have a higher chance of being found in searches and often relate to a specific product or service. If you want to learn more about long-tailed keywords and how they can help with your website’s SEO, Google’s Matt Cutts has a great video on the subject.
Not using Meta tags properly: Not to be mistaken with keyword stuffing, this is another common mistake made in SEO. The primary purpose of Meta tags is to describe your site and assist search engines in better understanding what your page is about. It is important that you do not forget to complete these, as they are an important part of telling the search engine what your page is about.
Keyword stuffing: Keyword stuffing is a practice that was common in the early days of SEO. This involved writing text solely for the purpose of repeating keywords and phrases as many times as possible to improve ranking. Nowadays, search engines like Google can detect and penalize sites that do this.
Not using the Meta keywords tag: The meta keyword tag was an important part of SEO in the 90s, but due to its spammy nature, it is now obsolete and should not be used. If you absolutely insist on inserting keywords for search engines, you should use the Meta description tags. This is a much better practice, as it lets you provide a short description of what your website is about for search engines.
Not using site maps: If your website is large, with hundreds if not thousands of pages, then it can be quite tricky to keep track of everything that’s available on your site. A site map allows you to describe the website’s structure, so that search engines have a better understanding of your content. If you are using WordPress, then there are plenty of plugins available that can help with this task.
Not having enough links (backlinks): The number of backlinks is an important factor in SEO. Search engines like Google use backlinks as a measure of authority. If your website has links from many high-quality sites, then this is a good indication that you are an expert on the topic and should rank higher than websites with fewer links. This is known as having a “link popularity” and it will affect where your site ranks for different queries.
In conclusion, while avoiding the mistakes mentioned will not guarantee you top ranking, it should help your website’s SEO. Following best practices can also go a long way in creating an outstanding website that provides value to your visitors. Click here if you wish to learn more about this topic.