SEO is a complicated matter even for experienced online marketers. After all, the field combines a large number of factors and is subject to constant change. No wonder that one or the other SEO error creeps in quickly.
So that this doesn’t happen to you, we have put 9 common SEO errors under the magnifying glass for you to take – and offer you simple solutions to avoid them in the future. This is how your website ranks better!
1. Acting without strategy and planning
SEO is not something that you can just do casually can start. It requires planning, research, and analysis. This means that the decision to actively pursue SEO is followed by a longer preparatory phase.
This phase usually includes extensive keyword analysis, possibly a Target group analysis, and general planning of a future content structure. After all, you first need to find out for which relevant keywords there is a search volume, which search intention could be behind it, and how you convert this information into successful content.
Only when Once you have laid a solid foundation, your content can build on it. Otherwise, sooner or later you will reach your limits, tear everything down and start all over again. So take plenty of time beforehand to plan the undertaking seriously. But be careful: Don’t lose yourself in the strategy phase either. At some point, you have to get started!
2. Forget technical factors
You can create the best content strategy ever, awesome Produce content – and yet none of this is of any use if your website cannot keep up technically. A common SEO mistake is to focus too much on the content and lose sight of the technology.
Overall, SEO experts assume that there are over 200 factors that go into your ranking. Many of these are technical in nature. It is therefore important that you do not ignore these aspects either.
These include e.g. B. Topics like:
- Site Speed
- Robots.txt file
- HTTPS implementation
- XML Sitemap
- Functional scope of the CMS
- 4xx error codes
These are just a few of the topics you need to tackle in order to optimize your site technically for search engines and users. There are far more factors involved. So always plan your SEO from a technical perspective.
3. No Mobile Optimization
This is actually primarily a technical SEO error. But since it is particularly important, it deserves its own subheading. Mobile optimization is an absolute must for all websites, at least since Google switched to Mobile First Index.
The switch from Google means that the search engine only uses the mobile version reads from your website. The background to this is that more than half of web use is now mobile – and Google in particular is recording extremely high access numbers via smartphones and the like.
This means for you: Your web design must work smoothly on mobile devices and your content must always be prepared in such a way that it can be easily consumed on mobile devices. This includes factors such as font size, content elements, paragraphs, sentence lengths, image optimization, loading times, responsive design, and much more
Anyone who has not yet optimized their website for mobile in 2022 is making a fatal SEO mistake.
4. Create too little content
Are the most important business areas and thus the main keywords covered? Then we’re done, right? Of course not!
All too often the SEO mistake is to settle for the obvious.
The chances of ranking for generic main keywords are often limited by the competition. The chances of achieving a good placement with so-called niche keywords or long-tail keywords are much greater beyond the obvious and produce lots of content. Of course, that doesn’t mean you should create content just for the sake of content. But a good keyword analysis will already give you a clear view of all the sub-topics that might deserve your attention.
A website that consists of only six main pages, will hardly achieve enough relevance overall to rank well. Instead, you need more content through subpages that go deeper and deeper. A special magazine or guide area also offers you the opportunity to cover SEO-relevant topics.
Make sure that you penetrate the relevant topics in depth and thus build a content structure that goes deeper and deeper from the main topics. This is how you create content that convinces both searchers and search engines through its strength of content.
05. Duplicate Content
If there isn’t enough time, it’ll just be copied. Where from? From your own site, from someone else’s site… the main thing is that it’s quick and done. This major SEO mistake happens sometimes on a small scale and sometimes on a large scale. As always, it is harmful.
Duplicate content means that the same content can be found on several pages of a website or on the pages of different websites. The latter is an infringement of copyright and therefore a criminal offense. Therefore, you should refrain from this plan anyway.
With regard to your own website, however, it often happens that you fall into the trap of duplicate content. It is often individual passages of text that are recycled on other pages for convenience – and thus damage the ranking.
Because the same content confuses Google. This leads to so-called keyword cannibalism because Google does not understand which of the pages should now rank for the specific keyword. Ultimately, this pulls down the rankings of both sides – they “mangle” each other.
For you, this means: Do be clear beforehand about which search terms a certain page should rank. Don’t make the SEO mistake of simply copying content when creating subpages. Instead, you always rewrite texts. And make sure that the pages differ enough in their focus so that they each serve their own keywords and search intention.
6. Losing sight of the searchers
With all the keyword lists, technical optimizations, and texts, it’s easy to forget what it’s actually about. The focus is never on the search engine. Instead, it is always about the target group.
SEO texts should offer searchers appropriate content. It doesn’t matter whether it’s a guide, a product text, or a description of services. The main thing is that you make your target group an offer that leaves nothing to be desired.
With all the optimization and planning, you should never make the SEO mistake and the Losing sight of the people you actually produce the content for. It’s always about people.
7. Forgetting the Basics of SEO
Never lose sight of the basics. Because successful content always includes basic optimizations such as E.g.:
- Optimized metadata (Title & Description) containing main keywords and targeting searchers
- Images with metadata (alt tag & title tag) supporting what is shown by using appropriate keywords
- A clear URL name with the main keyword
- Internal as well as, if necessary, external links for navigation and for embedding in a larger content structure
- Main heading (H1) with clear topic reference and main keyword
All these basics form something like the basics of content creation. And as is so often the case, at some point we humans give little effort to the simple routine tasks. This is a fatal SEO mistake. For example, metadata is your first impression of searchers. You should dedicate a lot of time to these basics.
8. Ignoring Versatility
SEO content is often associated with tons of text. After all, Google can read this without any problems. So you provide long passages of text and even longer explanations about things that might be easier to explain with a graphic or a video. This is how pages are created that are one thing above all else – boring. And boring pages cause users to jump off and look elsewhere. A fatal signal to Google that damages your ranking!
Always consider the topic of the diversity of content. Create content that is diverse and always offers readers something refreshing to look at. It is true that Google cannot always read such content elements. However, due to the positive user signals, they still have a positive effect on your ranking.
When designing content, make sure that it is implemented in an appealing way and that you use different content Elements. Of course, they should not be an end in themselves, but should always support the content as best as possible. This is how you create a diverse site that is informative and interesting.
9. SEO not continuously reviewed
Keyword analysis? Check! Understand search intent? Check! Website optimized? Check! Content produced and put online? Check! Then everything is finished and we can finally tick off the topic of SEO, right? Unfortunately, no! Because considering it as a completed project is one last, far-reaching SEO mistake.
SEO is an ongoing process.
There are three main reasons why you need to do SEO continuously:
- The competition: Your content is constantly in competition. Competitors create new content and make offers to Google. As a result, a text that was well-ranked three years ago may continue to decline. So you always have to keep an eye on your rankings and take countermeasures if you notice that the competition is suddenly producing better content.
- The updates: The search engine algorithms are constantly changing. Google always aims to offer searchers the best possible search experience. Smaller and larger updates are therefore the order of the day – and can mess up your rankings. What is right or wrong when it comes to SEO can change in a year. So keep an eye on innovations and react accordingly.
- The searchers: With all the planning and all the detailed preparatory work, there is always one variable – your target group. Because even with really good preparatory work, it can happen that content does not work as it was originally intended. After all, despite all the analysis and planning, we can never know exactly how users will interact with the site. Accordingly, it is important to keep an eye on the relevant key figures such as clicks, impressions or conversions. In this way you can observe which pages are working well and where there are problems. This allows you to keep optimizing the content.
So always consider SEO as a process and use this as an opportunity to continuously optimize your content and enrich your website with content extensions. So you can hold your own in the long term!
Conclusion: SEO mistakes are human but avoidable
Did you spot your own errors in the list? Do not worry! Because mistakes happen to all of us and in the end, we can only learn from them. It’s never too late to tackle SEO properly and eliminate potential problem areas. Our 9 SEO mistakes result in a list that you can easily work through:
- Take time for planning and strategy.
- Consider the technical requirements.
- Optimize your site for mobile use.
- Produce lots of valuable content that goes deep.
- Avoid duplicate content.
- Always keep an eye on your target group.
- Invest effort in SEO basics.
Create Your pages according to the principle of diversity of content.
Understand SEO as a permanent process of Evaluation and optimization.
Of course, there are in addition, other factors that determine successful rankings. If you work through this checklist, you are basically in a very good position. We wish you good rankings!
