Whether you are trying to rank higher in the search results or drive traffic to your website, SEO is the most critical factor. However, this is easier said than done. While SEO isn\u2019t exactly a science, there is a lot of misinformation and myths surrounding the subject.<\/p>\n
The wrong SEO tactics can be harmful for anyone\u2019s online business, particularly new brands and small business.<\/p>\n
Let\u2019s take a look at some common SEO mistake you should avoid.<\/p>\n
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One of the most common SEO mistakes is focussing on non-strategic keywords. Many brands waste their time and resources creating content around keywords with extremely low search volume or are too competitive to rank for. Sometimes they even target keywords that they think people are searching for.<\/p>\n
Check out our blog on\u00a0Keyword Research for Beginners\u00a0here.<\/p>\n
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SEO practices are divided into White Hat and Black Hat methods. White Hat practices refer to those accepted by search engines. White Hat SEO methods take time to research, but offer excellent longterm results, significantly boost your rankings and improve your user experience.<\/p>\n
Black Hat practices, on the other hand, violate search engine guidelines to influence results. Keyword stuffing, hiding texts and links, spamming the comments section for blogs and so on. While Black Hat methods can give you quick results, they are extremely risky as they can cause your site to be penalised or even blocked.<\/p>\n
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As mentioned earlier, keyword stuffing is a Black Hat SEO method. Keywords help with your position in the SERPs. A good practice is to include targetted keywords wherever possible in your website and as many times as possible in your blogs. However, a common SEO mistake that many companies commit is keyword stuffing. Not only is it ineffective, but it can also hurt your position in the SERPs, as it is a Black Hat method. Instead, opt for creating blogs periodically. This way, you can target specific keywords depending on your blog topic.<\/p>\n
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Another common SEO mistake is assuming that SEO practices are static. In actuality, search engines are continually changing their algorithms to improve the quality of results and to counter malicious or underhand tactics. Concerning Google alone, there have been three major updates in the last five years and some minor changes. You need to keep on top of every new update as they are critical to positively influencing your SERP\u2019s position.<\/p>\n
You can read more in our\u00a0Beginner\u2019s Guide to SEO\u00a0here.<\/p>\n
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The main goal of any search engine is to provide people with relevant, high-quality content and information. One common SEO mistake that many brands commit is either purchasing or creating low-quality content or duplicating content. This severely affects your ranking, particularly if your competitor hosts superior content.<\/p>\n
As a rule of thumb, ensure you have authentic, high-quality content relevant to your audience and optimised for search engines. This is something you need to invest resources in as it can significantly boost your rankings.<\/p>\n
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While quality, SEO optimised content gets your far, another priority for search engines is the User Experience. Many bands ignore UI\/UX and focus only on content. But imagine this \u2013 if your website takes too long to load or is difficult to navigate, a user might bounce off to another website. This indicates to search engines that your website or content does not meet the UI\/UX criteria and thus pushes its ranking to a lower position.<\/p>\n
Here\u2019s a quick breakdown of factors that affect UI\/UX:<\/p>\n
Speed<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013 No one wants to wait for a website to load. Google measures your website\u2019s loading speed, and if it is too slow, it might affect your ranking.<\/p>\n