At this point, you should be well aware that search engine optimization is a necessity for your business. Nevertheless, it is also important to avoid rushing this process and acting haphazardly. SEO is great, but a lot of newbies will make major mistakes that will cripple their chances of becoming a success. Some mistakes will hinder your progress, while others could get your site penalized by the major search engines. Below, you will discover the biggest SEO mistakes that need to be avoided at all costs.
Major SEO Mistakes
Ignore The Title Tags
First and foremost, you need to realize that some HTML tags are directly linked to search engine optimization. The title tag is beneficial for search engines and your site’s visitors. With this in mind, you will need to find a balance between keywords and readability. A lot of site owners will completely neglect their title tags and this will prove to be a costly mistake. Make sure you place your primary keyword in the title, but also keep the title readable. This ensures that your site works well for consumers and search engines.
Keyword Stuffing
When it comes down to it, keywords are important. Nevertheless, a lot of site owners will overuse their keywords in hopes of getting a better ranking. This could prove to be a very costly mistake very quickly. If your keyword density is too high, Google and other search engines will recognize it immediately. This could result in your site being penalized. With this in mind, it is pertinent to avoid overstuffing your content with keywords. Instead, you should write for the reader and use your keywords sparingly. Proper placement is far more important than density.
Avoiding Broken Links
It is important to realize that the Internet is consistently changing. When you first wrote your content, you may have placed an outbound link to another website. What happens if that website disappears? Your site will be left with a broken link. Too many broken links can irreparably damage your site’s reputation. Your site’s users will be cautious about clicking on your links and Google may downgrade your site for having far too many broken links. With this in mind, you should take the time to carefully research your site’s links regularly and correct those that are broken.
Link Quantity Over Quality
Everyone realizes that links are a necessity for effective search engine optimization. However, it is important to understand that not all backlinks are equal. It is possible to generate 300 to 400 backlinks in a short period of time. Nevertheless, those backlinks will come from websites that are low in quality and spammy. With this in mind, it is absolutely pertinent to focus on quality rather than quantity. A single backlink from an authority website will prove to be far more beneficial than twenty backlinks from spam sites. This is why it is absolutely pertinent to be cautious when looking for SEO link packages.
Always seek out backlinks from authority websites and avoid building too many low-quality links to your site. Too many bad links could get your site penalized by Google and that needs to be avoided at all costs!
Correct Anchor Text
Finally, you should remember that your links need to be absolutely pertinent. This is true for inbound and outbound links. Your links offer a rare opportunity to use keywords and other phrases effectively. A lot of newbies will use simple phrases, such as “click here”. This is a wasted opportunity. Whenever you build a link, it is pertinent to make sure you do so with the proper anchor text. Also, make sure you diversify your anchor text to avoid looking suspicious in Google’s eyes.
