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8 SEO Mistakes that Newbie Website Owners Make

Nowadays, it’s imperative for an entrepreneur to invest in Search Engine Optimization (SEO) for the growth of a company, especially if you have a startup business and you want to gain a wider audience.

Most companies spend a lot on SEO. In 2016, the combined costs for SEO reached $65 billion. For this year, the expected amount is $72.02 billion, growing to $79.27 billion by 2020. Business owners spend at least $5,000 monthly for this.

When you’re still starting with SEO, it’s common to make mistakes. Nobody becomes an expert overnight, right? This truth applies to all things, even during the era where you can enjoy the perks of high technology.

However, given the amount of money that you’ll spend on it, it’s practical to avoid making SEO mistakes. Read on to learn about the common mistakes that newbie owners make, and avoid repeating these mistakes for your site.

1. Using the wrong keywords and practicing keyword stuffing

You need to choose the right keywords. You can achieve this by searching for relevant keywords, meaning that a lot of people commonly use this when searching for something. You can go for long-tail keywords because these are more specific than the usual keywords.

If you’re already using keywords which are doing well, you can keep using that. However, don’t use the same keyword again and again in your content. Overusing your keyword is called keyword stuffing. Google might penalize your site for putting up spammy content if you do this. Doing this can also annoy your readers because they’ll see the same word or phrase repeated in your articles.

2. Your site isn’t mobile-friendly

Most people use their phones on a daily basis for various reasons, such as reading, shopping, playing games, or searching for something. If your site isn’t optimized for mobile use, it will discourage users from going to your site again. It could also be that you have a mobile version, but if it doesn’t run smoothly, this will still discourage potential clients.

If your site has features like content that won’t fit into the phone’s screen or text that’s too small to read, then your website isn’t mobile friendly . The same is true if you haven’t set the viewport and clickable elements are displayed as positioned too closely.

Keeping broken links

Your site loses credibility if it has too many broken links, leaving the impression that your site is poorly maintained and causing visitors to think you do not value their time. People spend time reading your content and click on links for further information. If they see that the links are dead, most probably won’t come back.

Another effect of not cleaning up broken links is a drop in Google rankings. If you don’t fix broken links on your site, your site’s ranking will never improve and don’t expect people or potential clients to find your website easily.

3. Creating irrelevant content and adding the wrong images  for your keywords

Your content is an essential foundation of your website. If you’re trying to save cash by investing in cheap writeups, your content will be subpar, and this will discourage clients from investing in your company. Some writers not even bother to proofread their articles, and this will also lead to a loss of credibility, both for the site and your business.

Some also don’t add relevant images to their articles. Remember that photos are as essential as the content, so make sure that they are relevant and add value to your piece. Go for informative images which will help your readers. You can even create original photos which you can use for your site.

4. Overlooking meta descriptions and title tags

If you fail to add meta descriptions and title tags to your content, you can’t achieve optimization for your site even if you continuously use top keywords and you have informative content. You’ll miss the chance for search engines to crawl your website. A meta description gives a basic overview of what your article contains.

5. Not building a working relationship with social media influencers

Aside from optimizing your site, one way to get people to visit your website is by having social media influencers share your content or endorse it to their followers. Some entrepreneurs overlook the power and influence that these people have on social media. If you don’t let other people recommend your site, chances are nobody will hear of it especially if you are just starting your business.

Some sites also don’t have share buttons. There might be people who like your content but won’t be able to share it with others. There’s a tremendous missed opportunity, if you fail to let people easily share the content on your website.

6. Plagiarizing content from other sites

Some people get sloppy or lazy in creating content and may choose to copy or steal other people’s work for their websites. Remember that it’s not wrong to quote somebody or to use an article for reference. However, never copy somebody’s work because Google will instantly detect plagiarized content.

You’ll also lose credibility if you steal articles. People will notice that you have similar content with other sites and they might think that your site isn’t capable of producing original writeups. Plagiarized material isn’t good for your website or your credibility.

7. Not keeping track of your progress

After publishing articles, some website owners don’t check what happens next. Just because you have posted your articles, it doesn’t mean that it’s over. Failure to keep up with your analytics will blind you to your real progress. Google Webmaster Tools and Google Analytics are some of the tools that you can use for tracking your progress.

If you’re not sure how to check if your progress, you can get a business coach to help you out. These people can give you excellent advice on how to maximize the potential of your site.

Takeaway

It’s normal to make mistakes, but some mistakes will end up costing you money and your credibility. SEO will help you maximize the potential of your website, and failure to optimize your site might lead to failure.

Ronald Pasilang is a Freelance writer. His experience in digital marketing coupled with an interest in tech entrepreneurship makes him a fine contributor in the field of business and internet marketing. Connect with him through https://www.linkedin.com/in/ronald-rae-pasilang-8a43a1145/.

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