Search engine optimisation offers a better Return on Investment (ROI) than other marketing activities, such as pay-per-click (PPC) advertising, e-mailing, or social media marketing. Despite this, few companies invest in this area. In fact, according to a Nominalia study, only 1 in 3 Spanish companies focuses on SEO. Furthermore, 35% of companies that do invest in SEO make mistakes that compromise its effectiveness and profitability.
To help you avoid these pitfalls, we'll outline the most frequent errors when implementing an SEO strategy. Take note!
1) Not choosing the right keywords
One of the most common mistakes when selecting keywords is overlooking long-tail keywords — longer, more specific search terms — that users enter into search engines.
To avoid this, conduct thorough research before optimising any webpage. Fortunately, numerous keyword research tools are available to help you understand how users search.
2) Over-optimising webpages
With the emergence of the first search engines in the mid-1990s, a page's position in search results was linked to how often the user's typed keyword appeared. However, Google's arrival in 1998 and the adoption of a new algorithm changed the rules, establishing new variables to measure each page's relevance.
Google not only modified the criteria but also decided to penalise websites that continued to overuse keywords in their structure in its search results. Including them too frequently — known as over-optimisation — could worsen a website's ranking on the results page.
Therefore, use keywords in a balanced way to ensure the text sounds natural.
3) Creating content without using keywords
While blogging and generating social media content are fundamental aspects of digital marketing, many companies create content without considering relevant keywords for their target audience. This is a serious error, as SEO is the indispensable tool for users to find and access this content through organic traffic.
Therefore, the keywords included must address the problems and needs of your target audience, using appropriate search terms.
4) Using unoriginal content
Beyond violating intellectual property law, copy-pasting takes its toll on SEO ranking. While using duplicate texts was a common practice in the 1990s, major search engines have penalised this practice for many years.
To achieve good SEO ranking, invest in original, high-quality content that includes keywords relevant to the company's buyer persona — or ideal customer — and is adapted to the tone and format of the medium used for its dissemination.
5) Forgetting to include the title or meta description
Webpage optimisation goes beyond including keywords in the body copy. Title tags and meta descriptions are essential SEO elements that should not be neglected, as search engine robots or bots pay close attention to them.
The same applies to adding tags to images. The HTML Alt attribute — alternative text — is also analysed by search engines to interpret and index website content. Therefore, incorporate it.
6) Not adding quality external links
When it comes to including external links, quality should take precedence over quantity. Ensure you link your website to relevant and reputable websites.
Another counterproductive practice occurs when the anchor text — the words visible in hyperlinks — is inappropriate. This error wastes valuable SEO opportunities, as anchor texts are considered by bots. Therefore, avoid phrases like "click here" and opt for terms that refer to the content of the webpage the link points to.
7) Incorporating irrelevant internal links
While including internal links facilitates navigation within the website itself, it is essential that these align with the piece's topic and focus. Otherwise, the company risks a penalty in search results from Google. Furthermore, if the content and links do not appear natural, the result might not be appealing to users, reducing the chances of them converting into customers. Even worse: search engines might consider this a fraudulent practice, known in marketing as black hat SEO.
8) Not considering mobile marketing
SEO optimisation goes beyond content and keyword usage. When carrying out these actions, also focus on website quality, particularly its performance on mobile devices, which are now the primary traffic channel, superseding desktops. Google and other search engines recognise when a site is not compatible with smartphones or tablets, which has penalised search results since April 2015.
The same applies to loading speed; a website that is too slow has little visibility on Google's search results page (SERP). Currently, online tools like Pingdom or GT Metrix help detect speed issues and analyse their origin to fix them.
9) Ignoring influencers
Optimisation also has a social dimension. When content is shared on social media, one of its main goals is to attract the attention of users with significant online influence: influencers. Therefore, content should not only target the audience and search engines but also major opinion leaders. Thus, build relationships with these influential internet users in the company's sector and leverage them to promote content.
10) Not measuring results
This point is common in many articles we publish on this blog. The only way to know if SEO optimisation actions have delivered the expected results is to track their progress. While many marketers do not dedicate enough time to these tasks, this is a serious error, as web analytics is essential for achieving good search engine ranking.
Google Analytics and Google Webmaster Tools are just two of the main tools you can use to measure and gain an overview of your site's performance. With their help, monitor how optimisation works for the different types of content and strategies the company is testing.
Need help with your SEO strategy?
SEO is an indispensable part of any content marketing strategy. It's not enough to dedicate time and resources to search engine optimisation; these actions must also avoid errors that hinder the company's objectives.
To avoid this, contact us without obligation or call us on 93 532 93 78. At B2 Performance, your digital marketing agency in Barcelona, we have been helping companies worldwide for over 10 years to improve their web visibility and increase their organic traffic, enabling them to achieve their conversion goals. Tell us about your case, and we will show you how to improve your numbers. We look forward to hearing from you!
