Due to the popularity of the internet in everyday life, it is no wonder an increasing number of companies have begun using online methods for promoting or even conducting business. Irrespective of whether you are part of a large corporation or a small business, it is important to understand the importance of search engine optimization as part of your online presence. Search engine optimization, also known as SEO, is a method whereby the amount of traffic to the website is increased by being ranked highly on different search engines.
Of course, there are various elements as part of SEO that need to be used to reach this overall result; but the final aim is to increase the exposure of your company’s website. The majority of small businesses prefer to complete SEO tasks in-house and avoid the cost of hiring an SEO service. Yes, this can be a successful move; however, there are several common errors that appear on small business websites regularly the efficiency of the SEO applications. This article will point out the top six SEO mistakes.
What Are The Different SEO Errors Made By Small Businesses?
1. Making The Site “Un-crawlable.”
Arguably the most common error conducted by inexperienced small business website designers is making the website “un-crawlable.” Many individuals consider placing large amounts of video content on the website, or at least some video content, to create an exciting presentation; however, this can be more damaging than advantageous. It is often the case that the website requires Flash to play the item and search engines will not be able to read the information. If a search engine cannot read the information, they are not able to crawl the website for SEO content to index the site. Avoid any files that make it difficult for the search engine to read the content.
2. Poor Structure And Design
Creating websites nowadays can be quite simple using free website generation software; however, making the website search engine friendly requires some consideration of the structure and design beyond how pretty it looks. A poor design can negatively affect usability making it difficult to place inbound links from affiliate sites. Also, if the site is full of broken links the users and search engines may find it difficult to read resulting in reduced traffic conversion.
Regarding structure, it is also important to consider the URL structure. Dynamic URLs are difficult for search engines to read as they operate in a database. This error can be avoided by manually changing the URL structure making it more search engine-friendly and increasing the level of “crawlability” of the website.
3. Using Duplicate Content
A great mistake many small business websites have is the issue of duplicate content. To present themselves as having more information on particular topics, websites tend to post several articles that are unoriginal rewrites of content from other websites. Keep the information original and unique! Search engines are not stupid and they can identify plagiarized content. At most, a rewritten copy of the content is acceptable but always keep the information unique to avoid duplication.
4. Overusing Keywords
It is important to place keywords in the website content for a search engine to rank the website; however, it is even more important to place the keywords correctly and use them sparingly. Another common mistake is overusing keywords in articles. Why is this a mistake? The fact is that the article will become unreadable and sound unnatural making it difficult to navigate. An article that is unreadable will annoy visitors and you will lose traffic. It is also possible that overuse will result in banning from Google because of the obvious SEO promotion.
5. Correct Placement Of Keyword Links
As keywords must be placed in a logical, flowing structure within articles; it is necessary for the links to be placed in a logical manner across the website. One error seen on small business websites is the overuse of keywords on the website overall text and poor allocation of links. Be sure to create a strong link building strategy avoiding unreadable and frustrating mismanaged links on the website.
6. Submission Of The URL To Search Engines
Not necessarily a mistake found on the small business website, but an important element of SEO that needs to be addressed. When completing SEO tasks it is vital to remember that you do not need to submit the website’s URL to search engines. This is a complete waste of time and effort as search engines will find the website without a submission.
Final Words On The Matter
SEO is essential to develop a high ranking website for both large and small businesses. By using the information above, you can review your small business website for any potential SEO mistakes that may be evident.
