Just like social media, search engine practices tend to change over time. If you’ve been struggling with search engine results, or you are planning on launching a new website, there may be some common mistakes you may be forgetting about. Here are the top 5 SEO mistakes to avoid in the new year:
Not writing enough quality content
The length of content is an important factor when it comes to optimization and has been correlated with SERP rankings. Search Engine Results Pages (or “SERP”) are Google’s response to a user’s search query. SERPs tend to include organic search results, paid Google Ads results, Featured Snippets, Knowledge Graphs and video results. More words equals more results. So if your content is too short (less than 300 words), then you may need to revisit those pages.
You don’t have an optimized image on each page
One of the biggest items people forget to optimize on their website are their images. Image optimization is the process of creating and delivering high-quality images in the ideal format, size, and resolution to increase user engagement. First, they give search engines important contextual information. Second, optimized images speed up page loading, which increases user engagement and search engine rankings. When design elements are common somewhere else, don’t reinvent them by creating new UI patterns. UI (User interface) design is the process designers use to build interfaces in software or computerized devices, focusing on looks or style. Designers aim to create interfaces which users find easy to use and pleasurable. Making users think hard to learn how to navigate through each page is not what you want.
You have duplicate content
Duplicate content is a big red flag when it comes to search engine optimization and can result in a penalty from Google. Duplicate content confuses Google and forces the search engine to choose which of the identical pages it should rank in the top results, regardless of who produced the content. There is a high possibility that the original page will not be the one chosen for the top search results. All of the content on your content should be completely original.
Your content is not optimized for your target keywords
Keywords are are important to show search engines that they content you created is relevant to the search query. Targeted keywords are the phrases that your target audience and visitors use in search engines when they are searching for a solution or information related to your business. Targeted keywords are usually phrases, not individual words. Including your keyword in your title and in the first 100 words of the page are ways you can start utilizing your target keywords.
Your page load speed is too slow
Page speed has been a ranking factor for a couple of years now. What’s more, each year, its importance to your site’s SERP positions is only growing. Whether it’s desktop or mobile, many users leave websites if the it takes too long for the pages to load. The average page load time is 8.66 seconds, although the recommended speed time is 3 seconds. In the summer of 2021, Google rolled out the Page Experience update to enhance its algorithm. Pages that load faster deliver content quicker, and in that, satisfy the user’s needs quicker. If a page takes longer than 3 seconds to load, over a quarter of users will click away and choose a different search result. Increasing bounce rate is not what SEOs are looking to do!
Search Engine Optimization should be a focal point in your 2022 marketing strategy. Have questions on the article or interested in learning more about our Website Audits? Contact us today.