SEO is a complex skill comprising many strategies, and getting started is the hardest part of all. If you are new to SEO, it’s easy to make mistakes. However, while many mistakes will simply waste your time and resources, some of them could have more serious consequences and could hurt your future optimisation efforts.
Here are some of the classic beginner mistakes to avoid when you start out.
Trying to Game the System
There is a huge temptation for anyone new to SEO to try and trick Google. In the past, some businesses have had success at this – but only ever for a short time period. Google always catches up with them, and the penalties can be severe.
Classic tricks include buying backlinks, keyword stuffing, and article spinning, all of which won’t work and will only hurt your efforts in the long term.
Not Researching Your Keywords
There is only one way to start SEO properly: with solid keyword research. This is perhaps where most newbies go wrong. There is a lot involved in good keyword research, which is why it often pays to get it done by a professional.
If you focus on the wrong keywords, you could essentially waste months or years of your time optimising your site for the wrong type of traffic (traffic that does not convert), or focusing on keywords that are too broad and will never generate enough targeted traffic.
Using the Wrong Anchor Text
When you build links, you should use a variety of different words for your anchor text. If you just use the same anchor text each time, it will look odd to your visitors and to the search engines. So use anchor text varieties to mix things up.
Producing Weak Content
Your content should be the backbone of your SEO campaign. It has to be the type of content that people want to link to, which means it has to be worth reading in the first place. This takes time and effort, which is why so many companies try to avoid it altogether by creating content that no one wants to read.
Not Tracking Your Progress
There is no point starting up an SEO campaign and then failing to find out whether it is actually working. You need to set up an analytics account to do this, so start with Google Analytics, which is free and powerful.
You can find out exactly where your visitors are coming from, which search terms they are using to find you, which keywords are converting, and much more, allowing you to optimise your strategy.
Not Creating Unique Titles
There are some very basic things that a lot of companies get wrong with SEO, including not optimising their title tags and meta descriptions.
These should be unique rather than just using your website name. Titles are also used when someone shares your page, and the descriptions appear in the search engine results, so it is always worth making them descriptive and unique.
Don’t Make These SEO Mistakes
These mistakes are simple to make, but they can seriously impact your success. So before you start out with your SEO, plan your strategy and make sure you avoid making any of these mistakes that can prevent you from getting the most from your SEO efforts.
As a specialist digital marketing agency consisting of a number of highly experienced digital consultants that can ensure that none of these mistakes ever occur! Web Results Direct is expertly placed to support its clients with advanced, and strategic, digital marketing consulting services. To learn more contact us – call us now on 01483 429222
