Your stepping stone to success in the world of internet marketing is all about high conversion rates. That means that for every 100 people who visit your website, you want at least 10-20 of them to commit to purchasing something from you.
If you’re not hitting that number, you’re missing out on something huge from your campaign.
Unfortunately, many businesses struggle to reach this milestone. It is not enough that you know how to crunch long-tail keywords and create tactical landing pages to increase your search engine rankings.
Your real challenge is to learn how to convert people into paying customers. You need conversion. But without knowing SEO mistakes, you are doing yourself a massive disservice to your online business.
Without further ado, here are the five SEO mistakes that will send your conversion rates for a down-spiral:
#1 Not following Google Webmaster guidelines
SEO mistakes happen when you fail to follow the rules and regulations that Google has laid out for webmasters.
You can seriously damage your online business if you ignore the strict guidelines that Google has put forth. Google has a long history of penalizing websites for violating its algorithms, which happen to be the set of rules that govern things like website content and link building.
In fact, Google Chrome itself last 2012 was penalized because of buying links from a link directory? This is one SEO mistake that many businesses make.
While you may think that purchasing links will give you a quick boost for SEO purposes, it can really backfire on you. Not only does Google frown on sites that buy links, but it also penalizes them. So you will see a huge drop in your search engine rankings for sure.
But what’s the main lesson from this? You need to make sure that you are adhering to Google’s rules. Don’t think about how it will benefit you in the short run. Instead, think about what will happen to your business in the long run.
#2 Overlooking search intent
Google MUM update seeks to understand better search intent. The said NLP system aims to enhance the contextual understanding to let Google create and process better content. If it is your first time hearing about search intent, you need to be aware that it is a requested action. It means that if you have specific keywords and phrases in mind, you need to make sure that they are on your page.
You can’t simply rank on Google’s first page if you don’t even have a single keyword in mind.
Search intent is crucial for marketers since it gives them an idea of what their customers are searching for. Once you have cracked the code on utilising search intent to boost your metrics, this will be a huge win for your company.
#3 Producing irrelevant and low-quality content
Substance.
Quality.
Expertise.
These are some of the ingredients you need to produce well-written and insightful content. If you have them in place, you will be well on your way to reaching your conversion goals.
#4 Focusing on the wrong keywords
If you think that all you need to do is create a page that ranks on Google’s first page, you are missing out on the big picture. First, you have to make sure that you have the right keyword in place.
The keywords that you choose should be the ones that your audience is using. Then, you need to follow up with those keywords to absorb the conversations and lead them straight to your product or service.
#5 Failing to create backlinks
You need to make sure that you have a strong link profile to increase your organic rankings.
Your clients are looking for your content, and if you don’t have any strong links to go around, you won’t be able to reach them.
#6 No concrete SEO plan and roadmap
Some people make the mistake of believing that one-off content is enough. But you need to do more than that if you want to stay ahead in the game.
You need to have a concrete plan and schedule of things to do monthly, quarterly, and yearly.
The idea is to know the steps you need to take and make sure that you get to it on time or close to it. You don’t want to be one of these businesses that produce content but cannot translate it into tangible leads.
#7 Publishing duplicate and thin content
Duplicate content refers to the content you produce and publish on different sites.
On the other hand, spun content refers to the content that you write and publish on the same site. Thin content simply does not offer any value to your audience.
This type of content can harm your SEO efforts since Google’s algorithms are well-equipped to detect them. Different apps and software, such as Copyscape, Grammarly etc., can quickly help you find out if you have duplicates or thin content.
#8 Ditching title tags and meta description
Title tags and meta descriptions are two different things. The title tag is what is displayed as the title in search engine results. The meta description is what people see when they look at search results.
These are a crucial part of the optimization process because they are the first thing people see when they search. You need to make sure that your title tag and meta description is attractive and compelling enough to click on.
#9 Not taking advantage of mobile traffic
Mobile traffic has exploded over the past few years, and it continues to grow.
Google has begun rolling out updates that will disrupt mobile web pages. This is especially true if they are not optimized for mobile users. Google’s latest update aims to help mobile users navigate through content easier.
#10 Not knowing which keywords to target
The process of choosing the right keyword is tricky, and it really involves a lot of trial and error. It would help if you weighed the pros and cons of each keyword that you come across.
The process becomes easier once you see what works and what doesn’t.
Knowing which keywords to choose is also important because it significantly impacts your business.
#11 Ignoring broken and dead links
A broken link happens when you link a piece of content to another page on your site, but that page does not exist. A dead link is when a non-existent URL gets indexed by search engines and displayed in search results.
Both of these are toxic for search engine rankings.
It is better to stop linking your pages to broken or dead ones than to continue to create new links.
#12 Afraid to invest in better user experience
Free content is not good enough, especially if you want to make more money.
If you want to attract more people, you need to make sure that they enjoy their experience while they are on your site.
Create an engaging experience for your visitors, and you will be able to convert the majority of them.
#13 Not testing your pages for errors and mistakes
If you have never tried your pages for errors and mistakes, you should start doing it ASAP.
Search engines are well-equipped to detect the ones that you find. However, it is better to catch them right away to fix them and have a cleaner webpage.
#14 Not targeting the right audiences
How can you dangle a carrot to uninterested people? Do you think you can convert them just by placing an ad on your site?
The majority of people don’t even know that there is marketing communication taking place.
But what if you dangle a carrot to people who have been searching for a particular product? That’s where your real prospects are.
#15 Not creating a mobile-friendly website
Mobile phones have overtaken desktops in terms of popularity, and Google has already shown its willingness to put more emphasis on smartphones and tablets.
If you have a mobile website, you are already behind the competition. It is time to get the deed done before it is too late.
Conclusion
Search engine optimization is a game of how well you know the rules in online marketing. Play like a pro, and you will be rewarded accordingly.
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