The digital marketing landscape is fast-paced and constantly evolving. Over the past several years, SEO has changed from algorithm updates to voice search. But, the goal of SEO is still the same - to increase organic online search results to drive more sales and leads to grow your business. Here is a quick round-up of the most common SEO mistakes to avoid.
5 SEO Mistakes to Avoid in 2023
1. Outdated SEO Techniques
Keyword stuffing, buying backlinks, content spinning, or churning out low-quality content will not get you any wins. As SEO evolves, practices need to grow with it. Despite some of these techniques feeling like the norm at some point, outdated SEO practices could now harm your rankings. Staying up-to-date on the latest SEO trends can feel a little overwhelming at times, but there are great resources that break it down in a way that’s easy to digest, including:
2. No SEO Content Strategy
Are you carrying out keyword research or considering local SEO? Are you thinking about user search intent? If the answer is no and you don’t have an SEO content strategy, you’re missing out on some key opportunities. Your content should be helpful and relevant to your target audience. When crafting content, it should be written for humans with emotion and creativity but optimised for search engines.
3. Unclear SEO Goals
SEO is a long game. It takes time to see results, and it requires patience. But if you don’t have a clear SEO goal, how will you know what you want to achieve? Creating an SEO will be challenging without a goal to measure. Think about specific goals that you can measure within a certain timeframe. Examples of SEO goals include:
Boost website traffic by 30% in 6 months
Increase local search visibility by 25% in 7 months
Build 60 quality backlinks in 8 months
4. No Regular Site Audits
It’s essential to check your site regularly and run technical SEO audits. This will tell you about broken links, duplicate content, slow-loading pages, and other elements that impact SEO. A regular site audit might spot a very slow-loading page you missed. Site speed is an important metric for SEO, and having an audit in place can help you keep an eye on your website.
5. Not Using SEO Tools Effectively
Several paid and free SEO tools can help businesses hone in on their SEO strategy or perform tasks like keyword research, competitor research, and data analysis. Find a tool or selection of tools that work for you and your business. Using SEO tools to their full potential can help you to craft and implement a more effective strategy.
If you’re not sure where to start, here are some useful SEO tools to check out:
Ahrefs - complete SEO tool with keyword research, rank tracking, backlinks analysis, and site crawling.
Semrush - features include competitor metric analysis, rank tracking, keyword research, content marketing, and more.
Google Search Console - great for beginners to get started with SEO with user-friendly tools to assess your website’s SEO performance at a glance.
The Importance of Content in SEO
High-quality, informative and compelling content is vital for establishing intent and letting search engines understand how you can help your audience. Sharing fresh and regular content offers link-building opportunities, helps target keywords, and keeps your website active. Videos, podcasts, blogs, web copy - great content comes in all shapes and sizes.
Looking for well-researched quality blogs or articles that resonate with your target audience and drive value?