Imagine your website is like a shop. You want lots of customers (visitors) to find it easily. SEO audits by highly valued SEO companies are like checking your shop to make sure everything’s organized and inviting. But sometimes, even grownups who know a lot about SEO make mistakes. Let’s see what they are, and how to fix them!
Mistake 1: Forgetting the Tech Stuff
Think of the techy stuff about your website as being akin to the foundation and walls of a shop. If these are shaky, the shop could all fall apart!
Slow Website: Nobody likes a slow shop. If your website loads like molasses, people will leave.
Not MobileFriendly: Many people use phones to shop. Your website needs to look good on a small screen too.
No Sitemap: A sitemap is like a shop’s map. It helps search engines find all your pages.
Messy robots.txt: This file tells search engines where to go and where not to go. A messy one confuses them.
No HTTPS: This is like a shop’s security guard. It keeps customer information safe.
How to Fix:
Use tools to check your website’s speed and make it faster.
Make sure your website looks good on phones and tablets.
Create a sitemap and tell Google about it.
Check your robots.txt file to make sure it’s correct.
Get HTTPS for your website.
Mistake 2: Only Focusing on the Inside
Next, on page optimization is like making your shop look pretty inside. But don’t forget what’s happening outside!
Ignoring Backlinks: Backlinks are like other shops recommending yours. They’re important!
Not Checking Competitors: See who’s recommending your competitors. You might learn something.
Forgetting Social Media: Talking to people on social media can help bring them to your shop.
How to Fix:
Check who’s linking to your website and try to get more good links.
See who’s linking to your competitors and try to get those links too.
Be active on social media and talk to your customers.
Mistake 3: Not Choosing the Right Words
Keywords are the words people use to search. It’s like knowing what your customers want to buy!
Only Using Popular Words: Everyone wants to sell the popular stuff, but it’s hard to compete.
Ignoring Long Phrases: Sometimes people search for very specific things. Those are easier to rank for.
Not Knowing What People Want: Know if they want to learn, buy, or just find something.
How to Fix:
Use tools to find the right keywords for your website.
Use a mix of popular and specific keywords.
Think about what people want when they search those words.
Mistake 4: Bad Content
Your website’s content is like the products in your shop. They need to be good quality!
Thin Content: It is like having an empty shop. People will not stay.
Copied Content: Don’t copy others! It is like selling fake products.
Keyword Stuffing: It is like having too many signs in your shop. It’s annoying.
How to Fix:
Write helpful and interesting articles.
Make sure your content is original.
Use keywords naturally, like you are talking to a friend.
Mistake 5: Not Checking Your Shop’s Performance
Analytics is checking how many people come to your shop and what they buy.
No Google Analytics: It’s like having no cash register. You will not know what works.
Ignoring Search Console: This is like ignoring customer feedback. Google tells you how to improve.
Not Tracking Keywords: This is like not knowing which products are popular.
How to Fix:
Set up Google Analytics and Search Console.
Keyword ranking tracking with tools.
Mistake 6: Bad Customer Experience
A good user experience is like a neat shop. People will enjoy it!
Unnavigable Navigation: Similar to a mess in the store layout. People cannot find what they are looking for.
Accessibility Ignored: Ensure your website is accessible to everyone including people with disabilities.
Slow and Glitchy Pages: This is like a shop with broken shelves and flickering lights.
How to Fix:
Make your website easy to navigate.
Follow accessibility guidelines.
Make your website fast and smooth.
Mistake 7: Not Keeping Up with Changes
Search engines always change their rules. You need to keep up!
Ignoring Updates: This is like ignoring new trends. Your shop might become outdated.
Applying Old Tricks: Whatever might have worked previously, it may not work now.
How to Correct:
Read the latest news and updates about SEO.
Follow rules and adopt good SEO practices.
Mistake 8: No Clear Goals
You must have a clear direction of what you want to achieve with your SEO.
No Clearly So, No Specific Targets: This is like not knowing what one wants to sell.
Not Aligning with Business Objectives: Your SEO should serve your business interests.
Solution:
Set specific, achievable objectives.
Ensure your SEO serves your business.
Error 9: Wasting Crawl Budget
A Crawl budget is like the time a customer spends in your shop. Use it well!
Too Many Junk Pages: That’s like filling your shop with trash.
Dead Links: Dead links are like broken shelves. They are pesky.
How to Fix:
Remove useless pages
Fix your broken links on your website.
Mistake 10: Not Checking Regularly
SEO is like cleaning your shop. You have to do it regularly!
Rare SEO Audits: It’s as if you are only cleaning up your shop once a year.
Not following Trends: Customers change their needs. You also have to.
How to Fix:
Do SEO audits regularly.
Follow the trend of what people are searching for.
Time and effort are always needed to maintain good SEO. However, if you avoid these, your website will be less visible and have less visitors!
