Are you making these 3 SEO mistakes?

SEO is an ever-changing world, with search engines continually making updates to their ranking algorithms, and with the rise of technologies such as voice search, even the way users search can influence the way we optimise a website for SEO.

In such a fast paced environment, it can be easy to fall victim to some common SEO mistakes that could potentially harm your websites ability to rank highly for your target keywords.

Let’s take a look at some of the most common SEO mistakes your business could be making.

Optimising for the wrong keywords

It’s important to understand the keywords your target audience would use to discover your brand. Whilst you might define your products or services one way, your customers may define them differently. If you’re failing to consider this, then you could be optimising for the completely wrong keywords.

It’s also important to think about long tail keywords. These can often be neglected, as businesses set their sights on the high volume (but highly competitive) keywords. However, long tail keywords can actually prove to be a great strategy. Although search volume might be less for these keywords, users tend to be further down the search journey when using long tail keywords, meaning conversion rates are often higher.

Do your research thoroughly before optimising your website. Tools such as Google’s Keyword Planner and SEMRush can help here, but also speaking to your target audience to understand their search habits can be even more valuable.

Neglecting the basics

Two of the most fundamental, basic SEO elements that are often neglected are your websites title tags and meta descriptions. 

Your title tag and meta description help search engines to understand what each page is about, connecting them with users’ search terms and ranking accordingly. They should be unique and tailored to each individual page, include the most appropriate keywords, and must be within the character limit.

Your meta descriptions and title tags are also used in the search engine results pages and so should be enticing to users to encourage a click through to your website. 

Not offering a mobile friendly experience

If you’re not offering your users a fast, smooth mobile experience then despite all your efforts in content and keyword optimisation, your website could be under performing in the search engines.

This year, Google announced that by September 2020, mobile-first will be the default indexing behaviour across all websites. This means that Google will use the mobile version of a site’s content to rank pages from that site. 

Making sure your website is mobile-friendly is now vital. Take a look at Google’s Mobile Friendly Test to see how your website performs on a mobile device. This helpful tool will also suggest ways to improve your score.

SEO is a crucial part of any digital marketing strategy, however, it is easy to make mistakes. Unfortunately, these mistakes can cost you vital organic traffic and conversions. 

At Forever Agency, we make sure we stay up to date with all the latest trends and updates in the fast-moving world of search. Our team of SEO experts can identify any mistakes your website could be making, getting you back on track. For a free site audit or to discuss your SEO needs, get in touch today.