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A strong online presence is crucial for any businesses these days. Therefore, Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) plays a crucial role in making sure your website is easily visible, accessible, and relevant to your potential customers.
Many website owners however unknowingly make mistakes that can severely undermine their SEO efforts, costing them valuable traffic and revenue.
James Dooley, an investor and partner at Searcharoo, explores six common mistakes that could be killing your website's SEO value and provides actionable solutions to help you get back on track.
With a huge chunk of internet traffic coming from mobile devices, failing to optimize your website for mobile can be detrimental to your SEO.
Why it's a mistake: Google prioritises mobile-friendly websites in its search results, as it aims to provide the best user experience.
A website that is not optimised for mobile devices will likely rank lower, resulting in fewer visitors and potential customers.
Mobile users also often have different browsing behaviours and expectations compared to desktop users, making it crucial to cater to their needs.
James’ advice on how to fix it:
On-page optimization refers to the practice of optimising individual web pages to rank higher in search engine results.
This includes elements such as title tags, meta descriptions, header tags, and keyword-optimised content.
Why it's a mistake: Search engines rely heavily on on-page elements to understand the content and relevance of a web page.
Neglecting on-page optimization can make it difficult for search engines to accurately index and rank your pages, resulting in lower visibility and traffic.
Without proper optimization, your pages may not appear in relevant search results, even if your content is of high quality.
James’ advice how to fix it:
“User experience is the new SEO,” James says. “A poor user experience can lead to high bounce rates, low engagement, and ultimately, lower search engine rankings.”
Why it's a mistake: Search engines prioritise websites that provide a positive user experience, as this aligns with their goal of delivering the most relevant and useful results to users.
A website with a poor user experience is likely to have high bounce rates, low time on site, and low engagement metrics, which are all signals to search engines that the website is not providing value to users.
James’ advice how to fix it:
For businesses with a physical location or those targeting a specific geographic area, local SEO is crucial.
Why it's a mistake: Failing to optimize for local search can make it difficult for potential customers in your area to find your business online, resulting in missed opportunities and lost revenue.
Local search results are often the first point of contact for consumers looking for products or services in their vicinity, making it essential to have a strong local SEO presence.
James’ advice how to fix it:
Technical SEO refers to the behind-the-scenes elements that ensure search engines can crawl, index, and understand your website's content.
This includes factors such as site architecture, URL structure, XML sitemaps, and robot.txt files.
Why it's a mistake: Ignoring technical SEO can make it difficult for search engines to properly crawl and index your website, resulting in lower rankings and visibility.
Even if your content is high-quality and optimized, technical issues can prevent search engines from fully understanding and ranking your pages accurately.
James’ advice how to fix it:
“Links are the lifeblood of the web,” James says. “Inbound links from reputable, relevant websites signal to search engines that your content is valuable and authoritative.”
Why it's a mistake: Neglecting link building can make it difficult for your website to gain authority and credibility in the eyes of search engines, ultimately impacting your rankings.
Search engines use links as a way to determine the quality and relevance of a website, with more high-quality links generally indicating a more authoritative and trustworthy site.
James’ advice how to fix it:
Avoid these common mistakes and always implement the best SEO practices. You can unlock the full potential of your website's SEO value and drive sustainable, long-term growth in no time at all.
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