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As a business owner, you probably had a good idea of just how competitive the market was before you entered the entrepreneurial world but knew you had a quality product or service that would truly be beneficial to consumers, therefore, it would stand out amongst your competitors. Unfortunately, many entrepreneurs face the reality of “having a great product or service doesn’t matter if no one knows about it.”

Sure, you can go about marketing your business through traditional methods such as handouts, billboards, print ads, direct mail, etc., but being in the digital landscape and society’s immediate need for information, those methods don’t hold as much weight as they used to, regarding how to promote your business.

A study by Search Engine Watch reveals that 60% of marketing efforts are digital and 13% of marketing firms rely on  traditional marketing methods. The study ultimately states that traditional marketing methods are only successful when combined with digital marketing methods. However, digital marketing methods alone can bring a business success. This is when search engine optimization (SEO) comes into the picture.

SEO is the process of improving or enhancing your site’s visibility when people conduct an internet search for products or services that are related to your business on Google and other search engines. Ideally, you want your business to show up on the first page of search results, as you are more likely to gain attention and attract prospective customers to your business. This reason alone is why SEO is so important to brand visibility and lead generation. And if done right, it can scale your business website traffic significantly, bringing about long-term results.

Unfortunately, most business owners do not get desirable results from their SEO marketing efforts. This is almost always because of SEO marketing mistakes they make on their own. Having a clear understanding of the common mistakes to avoid, as well as the areas of improvement, will be essential to taking your SEO strategy to the next level.

Look at these common SEO mistakes business owners make when it comes to their SEO strategy.

Mistake 1: Expecting Overnight Success

Well, for some of today’s TikTok stars, success can happen overnight apparently. However, in the world of SEO, not so much. Going into SEO expecting results to be achieved overnight just isn’t realistic. Google algorithms take their time to judge your web pages to determine their relevance and quality. Once you create new content, just imagine it as being the new kid entering school; You won’t immediately make friends because people are feeling you out to see if you’re a “cool” person to get to know or not. Google is the same way with new content. It takes its time to check out your latest content to see if it is worthy of a good reputation and stamp of approval.

Mistake 2: Slow Loading Speed of Webpages

One of the fastest ways to get users to leave your site and go to a competitor is with a slow page loading speed. Google’s recommended page load time is under two minutes, and that is just the threshold of what is acceptable for an eCommerce website. Google’s ultimate aim is under a half-second. Some ways to speed up your website’s page load speed include things like removing unnecessary website coding and reducing the size of web images.

Mistake 3: Using the Wrong Keywords

In the world of SEO, keywords are essential. A big part of SEO is to match your website’s relevant keywords with the keywords users search for in search engines. This reason alone is why taking the time to conduct effective SEO keyword research is so important; finding the right keywords is important to improving your rankings.

Unfortunately, many do not put too much focus on the wrong keywords (non-competitive terms). For example, if you own a landscaping business, you may add the keyword “landscaping” to your website instead of “landscaping in Nashville.” This is what you would call local SEO, and it increases your business’s visibility to potential customers who can utilize your services because they’re located in the same or nearby area as your business.

Mistake 4: Using Too Many of the Right Keywords

While using the wrong keywords is obviously not going to be effective for your brand’s visibility, having too much of a good thing is also an ineffective effort. The practice of adding as many keywords to your page to get Google’s attention is known as “keyword stuffing,” and Google frowns upon this.

Google wants you to write content where keywords naturally fit for SEO. Relevance, readability, and value are all considerations that Google looks at.

“Does this content look like it’s written by a robot?”

“Is this content valuable and helpful to readers?”

If the answer to the first question is yes, and the answer to the second question is no, then you are doing your website more harm than good for Google’s search rankings.

Mistake 5: Not Investing in Link Building

Last, but certainly not least, failure to invest in link building is one of the greatest mistakes a business owner can make. All too often, business owners view this area of SEO as an unnecessary investment, when it’s one of the most important investments in the SEO process you can make.

According to MonsterInsights, backlinks and quality content are in a close race between which is most important in Google’s ranking factors. However, content creation and strategically finding and placing quality links is not a quick process; It truly takes time and effort if you want it done right and for your efforts to be effective, but business owners often don’t have the patience to dedicate to the process or they would rather invest in those quick methods to acquire links that Google frowns upon.

Remember, spammy links are a huge no-no, and that it is ALWAYS better to have a few high-quality backlinks than to have several low-quality links; quality over quantity will always be pleasing in Google’s eyes.

Let DevDigital Handle Your SEO Strategy

While there are several more SEO mistakes to avoid, the five listed above will get you headed in the right direction of improving your site’s visibility and the overall experience visitors have when visiting your site. However, getting a good understanding of what positive and negative factors can influence your SEO results can be quite time-consuming and difficult, if you are not familiar with SEO and its processes.

One of the biggest mistakes not listed is approaching SEO without expert help. As mentioned before, SEO is not something that can be learned overnight, nor can it be learned with a few courses. It takes years of skills, knowledge, and hands-on experience, which is why you want to trust SEO and any other digital marketing efforts you may have to the experts here at DevDigital.

We not only provide SEO services but also Google Ads, consulting services, and hosting, all to assist your business with the digital transformation it needs to achieve success among your competitors and drive predictable growth. To learn more about how our services can benefit your business, contact us today!