Are You Stuck in the Dark Ages of SEO?

However, it’s not always an easy thing to achieve! After all, SEO is changing all of the time, and you need to be able to keep up with it. And if you have not been achieving the results you had hoped for from your SEO campaign, you might be wondering where you are going wrong.

Let’s take a look at some of the signs that your SEO strategy is flawed and how not keeping up-to-date with the latest strategies is hurting you.

Mistake #1 – You take SEO breaks

Do you stop working on SEO? Even if you only do so for a short period of time, it’s a bad, bad move! This can disrupt your website’s organic presence in the search engine result pages. Google is looking for a website that is active and well-optimized. You need to generate new inbound links and post new content on a consistent basis.

Mistake #2 – Your website is slow to load

Another indicator that you are doing something wrong with your SEO campaign is if your website is too slow. If you think that SEO is merely about keywords and links, think again! Those days are long gone.

User experience plays a key role in SEO, and load speed is a huge part of this. If your website is slow to load, people are going to go elsewhere. There are a number of different ways you can speed up your website, from changing your web host to compressing large files.

Mistake #3 – You write content simply for the sake of it

When writing content, you need to have a purpose. Don’t write for search engine bots –write for your target audience. All the content you produce needs to add value.

Mistake #4 – You do not vet link opportunities

Hopefully, you already recognize that inbound links are vital for SEO. It’s not about quantity, though; it is about quality. Inbound links need to be relevant and they must be via high-authority websites. If you sell car parts, an inbound link from a blog on romance novels is going to do more damage than good.

In the past, it was all about quantity, and nothing else. This is a very outdated view, and one that is only going to get you in trouble with Google. Quality is more important today.

Mistake #5 – No data collection

Data? What data? If you do not have a solid plan for capturing and tracking data, you will never achieve SEO success.

You need to spend time evaluating your efforts so that you can build on your achievements and troubleshoot your weak spots. You should put together a strategy that includes A/B testing various versions of pages produced on your website. You will then be able to find a clear loser and a clear winner once this data has been gathered.

Mistake #6 – Your keyword strategy is wrong

There are a number of different ways you can go wrong with keywords. Keyword stuffing is a prime example of an outdated strategy you should not be using anymore. In the past, business owners would produce content and simply stuff it with as many keywords as possible, with little thought for how the content reads. This is all wrong. Instead, the keywords need to be included so naturally that you cannot even tell they are included. 

In addition to this, you should not leave out long-tail keywords. Basic keywords are not enough. Your efforts must be focused on conversion. This means you need to opt for keywords that are long tail, meaning they will be less competitive and more targeted. This will lead you to targeting and capturing consumers that are genuinely interested in your products or services, i.e. those with a purchasing mindset.

Mistake #7 – Copycat content

Last but not least, how do you gather ideas and content for your website? Your content should set you apart. It needs to be unique. When someone lands on your website, you need to give them what they want. You need to inform and delight. If your website reads like every other, what’s going to compel people to choose you?

Is your meta tag copied and pasted from a part of your website like your About page? If so, you need to update this as soon as possible.

So there you have it; some of the clear signs that there is something wrong with your SEO campaign.

If you have noticed any of the indicators that have been mentioned above, there is no need to panic but you do need to act. Take note of the points that have been discussed so that you can rectify your efforts sooner rather than later!