There are many strategies to a good SEO plan. While you’re prioritizing a few different points, there are some issues to keep in mind that you don’t want to overlook. Here are seven common mistakes to avoid.
- Slow Site Speed – You know how frustrating it is to wait for a page to load. In the beginning of the internet, we were used to slower reaction times, but that is no longer the case. Pages need to load quickly or your audience will go somewhere else. To make your page load quickly, optimize your images, check any URLs and redirects, and compress JavaScript and CSS codes.
- Duplicate and Outdated Content – Similar or identical information across various pages on your site won’t exactly get you a penalty from Google, but it certainly affects your overall ranking because the algorithm has to decipher which item to show. Likewise, outdated or irrelevant text will be filtered out of a SERP. Ensure you have unique content that is honest, updated, and free of errors.
- Bad Google Reviews – Your business will likely have some positive reviews and some negative ones. You want an overall positive list of reviews, but showing only positive reviews can actually look suspicious, so don’t get rid of every negative review. Rather, show that you are responsive to dissatisfied customers to prove you always try to make it right.
- Bad Links/Faulty Redirects – It is frustrating to see a site on a SERP, click on it, and just get to a 404 error. Plus, if search engines bots start to find multiple broken links, they will move to other sites. You can replace or recreate the content page or divert users to a similar piece of content on your site.
- Not Optimizing Your Site for Mobile Use – We’re living in a mobile-first world as most of us are constantly on the go or we’re scrolling our phones more than sitting at a computer. More than half the searches on Google are done on mobile devices, therefore prioritizing a mobile-friendly site is a good business idea. Mobile-friendly websites automatically reformat themselves to a variety of different devices, making it load quickly and appear user friendly.
- Lack of Location-specific Pages – Google reported that location-specific keywords and uses of “near me” have grown significantly, especially on mobile devices. Create unique, location-specific pages while you’re optimizing your site to improve your ranking on local SERPs, even if you have more than one physical business location.
- Contact Form Doesn’t Convert – Zuko (formerly Formisimo) reported that only about half of people who see a form will fill it out, and only about 15% of those complete the entire process. Usually, it’s because there are too many form fields, too many options or dropdowns, or the functioning is unclear. If you want a form field on your site, it needs to be short, auto-fillable, and the submit button needs to be clearly visible. You also may want to include a discount code for anyone that fills out a form.
If you want assistance optimizing your site, reach out to Utah SEO’s knowledgeable team.
