If you find your page struggling to gain exposure online, your website may not be optimized for searching. One of the best ways to ensure your website is properly optimized is through your website content. However, writing content can seem overwhelming when you are unsure about what things search engines take into place for rankings. But you need to make it a priority because 75% of users never scroll past the first page of search results. If Google can’t find you, neither will anyone else. Avoid these common SEO mistakes to increase your chances of being found by prospective buyers.

1. Keyword stuffing:

Including the keywords that your customers will search for is crucial for your content. You have to be careful though of how many times you write those keywords on your website. Stuffing as many SEO keywords on every single page will cause Google to penalize your website. Everything is better in moderation right? Just think of cookie dough or pizza! If you eat too much of it, you will get sick. Instead of using the common keywords for your business, try using synonyms and remember, it’s better to create real value to your customers by providing useful information rather than meaningless information designed to trick search engines. If you’re stuck, a recommended word count for a single page on your website should include a minimum of 500 words and 5-10 keywords.

2. Broken links: 

A broken link is a hyperlink that limits the user from going to its intended page. If your link is broken on the page it will cause you to have a bad reputation with search engines.  A damaged hyperlink will deem your website as unreliable. This causes search engines to lower your ranking when potential customers are searching for you. Make it a weekly task to visit your website every week to make sure everything is operating smoothly on your website, and especially pay close attention to your links to ensure they are working properly.

3. Copied content:  

Remember how shunned you would get in school if you copied another student’s work? Teacher’s would expel you or give you an F on that assignment, same goes for Google. Creating unique content for your website can seem scary, but stealing it from a competitor is not only illegal, but it will also put you at the bottom of rankings. There are many resources out there that can provide content suggestions and helpful information. However, the best advantage you have for your business is what you do differently than your competitors. Highlighting these things on your website ensures you have unique content, so don’t be afraid to talk about yourself and your advantages.

4. Avoiding Analytics:

If you are not measuring your website’s data then you can not achieve any of your business’s goals. How are you going to see what is working well or what you should change? Having ideas and conversations with your employees is a great start but using Google Analytics will show you how visitors interact with your website. For example, you can see where your visitors are located, what people are searching for, where they are clicking the most and which campaign brings the most traffic. If that’s not enough, you can also check out how long customers are staying on your page and which pages are performing the worst.  Unsure about how to get started with Google Analytics, you can always reach out to us at marketing@commercialwebservices.com.

5. Poor Content Quality

Like it or not, consumers are examining the content on your website to decide if they want to do business with you. Did you know that 59% of consumers say they won’t buy from companies if they find bad grammar and spelling mistakes in their website content? Your content is an opportunity to make a good first impression on prospective buyers. Be sure to pick information that is interesting to your target market, yet simple to understand. And double check your website periodically for any spelling or grammar mistakes. Remember, quality is better than quantity and will give your consumer the best experience on your site.   

Follow these 5 tips and watch your website improve overtime. Don’t get frustrated if you don’t see results immediately. Much like your customer relationships, a relationship with search engines won’t happen overnight. So be patient!