Ten Search Engine Optimization Mistakes

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is not something performed as a blanket approach to website development, it is an individual set of actions performed page by page to suit that page’s particular goals and SEO needs. I like to break up a website into specific and essential pages based on the keyword terms we have identified through research and then write the first few pages to suit those terms. We associate page titles, page file names (buy-blue-widgets.html), H1 tags, description, and keyword Meta tags, and on the page, content to tell the story that matches those identified keywords. It is also essential to ensure your pages are W3 compliant and have no errors.

I have compiled a list of some of some standard Search Engine Optimization (SEO) mistakes.

1. Bad Titles. Titles are the most important thing about a webpage. Search engine spiders see the title on your page first, and they make a general assessment about it based upon this. They scan the page and make sure the page’s content matches the title and then assign rankings based upon these matches and how they best fit. The title tag is the best way to inform the search engine what your page is about, and they play an essential part in ranking if appropriately used. Placing your main identified keywords in the title and ensuring to obey the rule of leftward and stemming is vital – leftward rule, the closer the word to the left of the sentence the more critical it is, stemming is where words can be associated but with words in-between, i.e., Great Blue Widgets when checked, would allow Great Widgets. It is essential to ensure your title matches your page content, description, and Meta keywords and is unique for your website. Every page title and content should be individual otherwise, it will be ranked supplemental
2. Filename of the page. It is important to use dynamic websites like Joomla or other content management systems that a search engine friendly URL translator is installed. Because I use Joomla every day, I will describe what I mean relating to Joomla. In Joomla (and most other dynamic websites) URL’s like the normal Joomla URL “index.php?option=com_mtree&task=listcats&cat_id=1766&Itemid=35” drive the website. The problem with these URL’s is that they are unintelligible by humans and also by search engines. Installing a search engine friendly URL component will change these pages to something more meaningful, and also including your keywords in these page names can help with SEO. The newly transformed search engine friendly URL would look like this “buy-blue-widgets.html.” If you do not have a dynamic website, then ensuring your page name is short, to the point, and contains your main keywords for that page, maybe with a call to action like “buy” and “blue widgets.”
3. Duplicate or Bad content. Ensuring your content is unique and relevant is vital in SEO success. Often websites duplicate content or bring in plagiarized content from other websites. It is my experience that these websites fail dismally in search engine rankings. Write some decent and unique content or maybe search online and find someone who can write you decent unique content for a fee. Make it good, friendly, and memorable content that people will want to link to. If you are listed in the supplemental index of Google, then making sure your titles, descriptions, Meta keywords, and on-page content is unique is the only way to drag them out of the supplemental index.

1. No Links. Having covered a few of the on-page most essential SEO tips, we now look at links and off-page SEO concepts. For each person or website that links to your website, it is a vote for your site. If the website that links to yours has a high page rank itself, it carries more weight. Merely having the right keywords, titles, and text on your page is only part of SEO. Just because you created a unique and perfectly optimized webpage does not mean you will automatically gain a decent Pagerank for that page. To ensure SEO success, you have to create incoming links – this is probably the most challenging part of search engine optimization because you are effectively selling your pages all over the Internet. One way to gain instant (within a few weeks) links is to pay for text advertising – A search on Google will uncover some of the best text linking services. Link exchanges are bad because you are giving one away for every vote you get, and if you happen to link to a “blacklisted” site, then Google will penalize you significantly. One way links are the ultimate in SEO link campaigns, so seek out directories (either paid or free, you need to evaluate), post in forums, write articles and submit them and ask other friendly webmasters if they can help you out with a link. The best way to gain links is to have unique content that other people actually want to link to.
2. Incoming link anchor text. Having pointed out how important it is to gain incoming links, it is now essential to point out that the text those links are anchored to is critical. The text should be targeted at your main keywords, and the page they point to should have those keywords as relevant and prominent also. The website you link from should apply to your website. For example, I own a web design company in Melbourne, Australia, so I gain links from web hosting providers and open-source Joomla sites in or around my region. Getting 1000 links from a casino related website will serve no benefit to my website and will not make it rank higher for “web design” keyword search terms. Use professional common sense when gaining links.
3. Bad Internal Page Links. We return to on-page factors that you can work on within your website. It is crucial to ensure that the anchor text linking to your website’s pages is relevant to the target page. Make sure the title tag is filled in also for each link. You have the greatest control over links from within your own web site, so make sure they are relevant, and that link title and the on-page copy match the main keywords of the target page.
4. Live links. You are using some external tools like the link checker that W3 Org offers is reasonable. I suggest harnessing as many devices as possible to ensure all of the links on your website are live, working, and not sending people to 404 error pages. It is also essential to check and make sure your page markup, or Html, XHTML, is valid, so W3 also offers a tool to prevent this. Make use of both of these freely available tools.
5. Impatience. Search Engine Optimization is not a short-term task. It is one of ongoing refinement after refinement and hour after hour of working on your website. Producing unique content, checking it, validating, listing, and checking the search engines and making sure they have it listed correctly. Do not think for one second that you can optimize your site thoroughly ever and do not ever think that just because you are number one for a search term that it will indefinitely stay that way. Search Engine Companies are always changing their ranking and rating systems and coupled with this, and there are still other people out there gunning for your top spot. Keep looking to improve and learn more and don’t sit back and wait for others to take your top place, be proactive, seek out new content, links, and keep ahead of the curve.
6. Keyword selection. This is proving to be a widespread mistake among beginners to SEO. Often people base their own keyword selection on what they think is right but is this what people actually search for when they are looking for your product or service? Often the answer to this question is no. It is crucial to do the proper keyword research and ensure you have the right keyword list before optimizing any pages with them. Using Overture, Google Adwords, and some other paid keyword tools like WordTracker (the default standard in Keyword Finding) are vital to finding good keywords. It is essential to localize your target market and figure out what they are actually searching for when looking for products or services you offer. Do the research and be as specific as possible while still being broad enough to capture some high keyword traffic.
7. Keyword Spamming and Stuffing. If you sell “Blue Widgets,” then every page of your site does not need to have “Blue Widgets” in the title, description, and Meta tags. Try and be objective, and analyze your website. Focus pages on a specific group of keywords you have identified from the keyword list. Sometimes finding niche markets locally first can be best. So, as an example, “Buy Blue Widgets Australia” or “Buy Blue Widgets Melbourne.” These would be examples of suitable second or even third-tier search keyword phrases, but you can make some good sales with these niche terms because the searcher is targeting buying these items.

These are not the be-all and end-all of Search Engine Optimization mistakes, but I have found these to be my clients’ main mistakes before Kanga Internet being involved. Good luck, and I wish you all the best with your SEO efforts.