What were 2018’s Most Common SEO Mistakes and How to Learn from These in 2019
SEO is a marketing discipline that is ever-changing, adapting to algorithm changes, consumer behaviour, and trends in the digital world. Though a great way to increase traffic and achieve revenues, it’s incredibly easy to make mistakes that could penalize your site. These are some of the more common blunders we’ve found analyzing sites across North America. Hopefully, 2019 can learn a lot from 2018’s biggest SEO mistakes. Here they are!
Thinking SEO is only on-site work
The most common SEO mistake by far is believing SEO only refers to what happens on-site. As important as optimizing your website is, off-site strategies can be just as important. Spreading engaging content across other websites, building a social media brand, and incorporating links across all these opportunities that direct back to your site will strengthen your standing.
Ignoring the need for regular website audits
SEO success involves constantly monitoring strategies, ensuring they’re performing up to standard. Even so, many sites will pay attention to analytics but won’t bother delving deeper with an audit. Performing a website audit, you can determine loading speed, eCommerce checkout process, content quality, quality of site navigation, speed of mobile responsiveness, and other factors.
Putting text in images rather than on the page
Google cannot read text placed in images and as far as its SEO algorithm knows, no text exists here. Though it may look exceptionally nice, ensure any optimized text is incorporated direct into the page design so the algorithm sees it and classifies your page accordingly.
Failing to replenish with high quality, relevant content
One of the best things you can do for your website SEO-wise is to build out a blog with a regular schedule of high quality, relevant content replenished on the regular. Don’t fill out your blog with just anything though. Be sure to make everything you release of the highest quality, covering relevant topics for your audience. There’s numerous keyword-rich opportunities out there with a blog to help you achieve your highest SEO goals, including amazing rankings and better conversions.
Failing to properly manage Google My Business listings
Sites that don’t fill out a Google My Business listing put themselves at a disadvantage. Algorithms are placing increased importance on location-based searchers. Thereby, your site needs to identify its location to ensure it is picked up on across any localized queries. Claim your Google My Business listing, input all the info you can, and revise it regularly, answering questions and managing your online reputation.
Failing to full in page titles and meta descriptions properly
When coding your site, ensure all page titles and meta descriptions are properly filled in with accurate, engaging, and keyword-rich text. These are easy fixes and have major consequence on search engine optimization. These are not aspects of website design to overlook.
Removing old URL structures
Removing old URL structures when re-designing a website is common but has a predominantly negative impact on SEO. Using a 301 map, you should be redirecting any traffic from old URLs to new ones. Set up re-directs and ensure Google has somewhere to send its traffic. Doing so, you won’t lose any of those prospective leads funnelling through from old links.
For high quality SEO services in Toronto, visit Unlimited Exposure. We’ve helped hundreds of sites achieve amazing results with diverse keywords, on-page and off-page optimization, and more. Contact a representative today.