SEO can be tricky, it has gone through many changes in recent years, and even experienced digital marketers sometimes fall into hidden traps.
Imagine the frustrating feeling of spending hours writing wonderful content just to find that tiny mistakes are holding back your organic traffic.
The good news? With a few tweaks, you can avoid these sneaky SEO mistakes and start driving the organic traffic you deserve.
I wrote this post to expose the 7 SEO mistakes you may be making without noticing that could be limiting your site’s success.
By the end of this post, you will know how to fix them and improve the SEO ranking of your website.
This post may also interest you: Reviewing the Best SEO Platform
You might have the perfect set of keywords, but if you’re not matching keyword intent, Google might pass over your page.
Keyword intent is about understanding why a user is searching for something. You need to ask yourself whether they are looking for information, comparing options, or ready to make a purchase.
Here’s an example:
Let’s say your keyword is “Best running shoes”, if someone is searching for this term on Google, they’re probably looking to buy shoes and compare options.
And in case you use this term in a blog post about the history of the greatest running shoes, it will probably be irrelevant to 99% of those people.
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2) Not Using an SEO Platform
As SEO is one of the most complicated topics in digital marketing, using an SEO platform can solve most of your problems efficiently and help you boost organic traffic.
Most business owners and digital marketers are not SEO professionals, so trying to figure it out without the right platform can be a huge mistake.
I personally recommend using Semrush because it offers detailed insights that go beyond just keywords. With this tool, you can track organic traffic, see what’s working for competitors, and uncover new opportunities.
This video shows why Semrush stands out:
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3) Overlooking Mobile Optimization
Your website looks great on a desktop? That’s great. But most users browse the internet using their smartphones these days, so ensuring your website looks the best on mobile is crucial.
If your website doesn’t look well or is not functioning on mobile, your SEO ranking is probably going to drop.
The most common mobile SEO mistakes are:
- The text is too small
- Images not responsive
- Difficult navigation
4) Forgetting About Internal Linking
Many people take care only of getting backlinks, which is a big mistake because internal linking is important as well.
Internal linking is all about sending people on your website to another page or a blog post, so their average engaged session time increases, as well as your SEO ranking.
If your target audience finds the website on Google, they will probably be interested in more content rather than just one blog post or page.
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5) Missing Out on Image Optimization
Did you know that images can make or break your SEO?
Images add a lot to your content, but you must avoid putting large image files because they slow down your page load speed, which negatively impacts your SEO.
I recommend converting image file types like JPG/PNG to WEBP, which is a quality, yet low-weight format.
In addition, inserting image alt text is crucial because the search engines can’t “see” images, therefore they rely on alt text to understand what each image represents.
6) Forgetting About Meta Descriptions
Even though meta descriptions don’t directly affect SEO rankings, they are a part of the packaging of your pages that help persuade users to click on your website instead of your competitors.
You can skip adding a meta description so Google will add it for you automatically, but then you don’t have control over what meta description will show in the search results.
7) Ignoring the Power of Fresh Content
Google is smart, and if your website is filled with old content that is not relevant anymore, your organic traffic will significantly decrease over time.
It’s important to upload fresh, up-to-date content, especially in fast-changing industries like digital marketing and tech.
And here’s a pro tip: Updating existing content on your website can give your rankings a boost. You don’t have to rewrite everything, just change the parts in the pages/posts that are not relevant anymore.
If you use Semrush, it has a “Content Analyzer” feature that can help you track content performance and pinpoint which pieces might need a refresh.
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Wrapping Up
Most websites don’t do a lot for their SEO, so if you do it better than them you can beat the competition and win the largest organic traffic.
By fixing what’s mentioned in this article, you’ll see improvements in both your search visibility and overall site performance.
Read next: 29 SEO Tips To Grow Your Organic Traffic
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