There’s no question that businesses of all sizes need to prioritize search engine optimization. After all, the first organic website result that shows up in a Google search receives around 32.5% of the traffic share. If you want to rank on even the first page of search results, you’ll need to devote some effort to improve your SEO. But because these trends and best practices change so rapidly, it’s easy for small businesses to make mistakes — especially if they aren’t working with a reputable internet marketing company. Let’s take a closer look at just three of the most common SEO mistakes you’ll want to avoid.
- Having a Lackluster Website: Some business owners assume that even a less-than-stellar website can be optimized. But what most fail to realize is that having a poor quality site can hurt your SEO tremendously. It’s not necessarily about having a website that’s flashy and trendy; it’s more about having a website that’s attractive, makes sense, and functions well. If your site doesn’t tick those three boxes, any small business marketing efforts you make will likely be for nought. Not only will slow loading pages and bad site navigation bring down your ranking, but your bounce rate will probably be quite high because any visitors who come to your site will quickly abandon it. Don’t assume that you’ll still be able to achieve an enviable ranking with a bad website. The best thing to do is to work with an internet marketing company while you’re designing (or redesigning) your website to ensure that it functions well, looks great, and has SEO baked right in.
- Writing For Search Engines: If you’ve ever heard the phrase “content is king,” you probably already understand how essential it is to have a good about of copy on your website. But what you might not realize is that not all content is created equal. You need to provide relevant and interesting content to readers in order to improve your rankings. It’s not enough to publish low-quality blog posts that are stuffed with poorly researched keywords. In fact, that will probably have a negative effect on your search ranking. Be sure to put effort into your blog posts, product descriptions, and other landing pages to ensure that you’re speaking to your target audience and providing them with information they will actually find helpful. Otherwise, you’re merely trying to game the system — and that’s not going to turn out well for you. While Google’s crawlers will skim your content, you can’t afford to forget that there are real people reading, too. So don’t neglect your local SEO efforts! Make sure that your content is informational, entertaining, and rich with ideas. Then, you can make that content easy for people (and bots) to find.
- Trying to DIY: Small business owners are accustomed to wearing a lot of hats. Some might think that this is just one more task that they can easily take on. Unfortunately, trying to DIY your SEO will probably backfire. It’s simply too big and complicated a job for a business owner to perform, especially when you consider all of the other responsibilities you already have to worry about. That’s why most businesses will hire a marketing agency instead. Your internet marketing company can use their expertise to develop a comprehensive strategy that’s customized for your business. They’ll take care of the research, the implementation, and the upkeep so that you can focus on what really matters. They’ll also be better equipped to keep track of the results and make adjustments to ensure that your business keeps on growing. If you try to DIY, you might end up becoming stagnant or even hurting your business in the process.
As a small business, you need to be careful about the decisions that can impact your bottom line. Ultimately, the best investment you can make is in your SEO. Your internet marketing company can ensure that you avoid these common pitfalls and that your optimization efforts are based on current best practices. To learn more, please contact us today.