Common SEO Mistakes to Avoid In 2023 Posted: May 23, 2023

Content Duplication Can Kill Your SEO

According to professional SEO experts, content duplication is a big no-no! Google can harshly penalize your site and keyword cannibalization can affect your rankings. While you may strategize to use duplicated content to manipulate search ranking to draw more traffic, Google will ultimately decide the ranking order based on multiple factors. This can include quality and domain authority and Google can make appropriate adjustments about indexing and ranking. But don't be fooled; your ranking might not be as high as you think.

Duplication can significantly hurt your ranking in the long run, and worst-case scenario, Google might remove your site from the Google site index altogether. However, if it happens, you must redo your content and SEO optimization and submit it to Google for reconsideration. However, it's not a given that the search engine will add your site back to the Google index. So, strike content duplication off the list for good. It’s not worth the risk or the hassle.

Poor Quality Content Can Cost You Your Audience

If you strategize and incorporate the best SEO practices and hire professional SEO experts but your content is subpar, your website won’t rank higher in Google search results. Therefore, you must avoid writing content that just doesn’t make the cut. Don't write less than 300 words per page, which is a sufficient word count to help Google figure out what your page is all about. If it's less than that, you're telling Google your website page is not good enough to list for a search query.

Moreover, when you're writing, always keep your audience in mind. It's helpful to think about search engines and how they prioritize content, but if your content does not target your audience, you won't be able to reach your potential customers. And even if you reach your customers, the content and the keyword optimization may confuse them, reducing trust in your site authority and business.

Also, avoid copying content from other sites and businesses. According to professional SEO experts, It’s unoriginal and brings zero value to the table, and the worst part is, Google knows that too and will use it against you. So, don't plagiarize!

Lastly, don't put in keywords as you like. Site owners used to stuff keywords to rank higher, and it worked for a while, but Google has changed its guidelines and algorithms and now focuses on content quality. Therefore, stuffing in keywords will backfire as it'll not only impact content quality and text readability but also decrease your search engine rankings.

Not Tracking Your SEO Campaign

What’s the point of integrating SEO and not monitoring your results? No matter how much effort you put into executing your SEO campaign, it’ll go to waste if you don’t use analytics to track your progress and monitor your results. You can use multiple tools like Google Search Console and Google Analytics to keep track of your SEO optimization campaign and check which strategies are working.

Once you have that information, it’ll be easier for you to optimize new content and get desired results.

Not Using Meta Descriptions and Title Tags

When you search for a specific result on Google, you'll see multiple titles in the search results. So, how do we choose which one to open? We look at the meta descriptions below the titles to decide. Meta descriptions are like an elevator pitch about what the webpage, blog, or article is about.

You get approximately 160 characters to explain what your page is about. Use keywords in the meta descriptions; it'll make users more likely to click on your page because it’s relevant to their search query.

Every page on your website must have its own unique title that describes the page's purpose. Many businesses fail to realize the massive opportunity to optimize content for each service page. So, if you have the same title for all your website pages, change it. Because when someone bookmarks your page, the title tag is visible. Bookmark text features title tags when you save a bookmark or share a webpage on digital media.

If you want to keep your company name in the page titles, that’s fine. But include it at the end of the unique page title after using the specific keyword for the page.

Poor Site Structure Can Put Off Visitors

Have you ever visited a site and couldn't find the drop-down menu, Call-To-Action buttons, or contact information? It's all due to a poor site structure.

Site structure is also a part of SEO planning and optimization. If your website is hard to navigate, it may put off visitors and cause them to switch to another webpage. To avoid this, focus on your website structure and content. Treat your website menu like a road map with a sign that helps you reach a specific place. It'll help your users navigate the site and streamline Google's algorithms.

Sometimes, you might come across websites or subpages with a super-easy menu, but the phrasing in the menu doesn't correspond to the right page. In this situation, it'll be difficult for your user to find what they want and will unnecessarily complicate your SEO strategy.

Also, focus on page title tags, meta descriptions, and content. When a user clicks a specific phrase or subpage, they should be able to find what they’re looking for. Otherwise, your users will get frustrated and visit your competitor’s site instead.

Not Using Proper Headings

Using the proper headings can make a huge difference. There are multiple headings in HTML code like h1, h2, h3, h4, etc., which are important to Google because it shows the content's order of importance on the page. Most of the time, designers only focus on how the heading will appear to users, neglecting to consider how Google will rank the content based on the headings.

Therefore, use heading 1 to tell what the page is about and use subsequent heading to add logical flow to the content.

How To Proceed With SEO Optimization?

If you want your website or content to rank higher on Google, here’s what you can do.

Hire professional SEO experts to optimize your website and content. Search Berg is a reputable SEO agency that provides multiple SEO services like business reputation management, social media marketing, paid marketing, and content marketing.

Author : Joseph Dyson