It’s obvious that SEO is vital for every website, but in a field that keeps shifting gears and where most people are self-taught, it’s easy to make mistakes without realizing it. Google is unforgiving, and one of these mistakes could be detrimental to your website. SEO is associated with many do’s and don’ts that must be on your fingertips in order to appear on that first search results page. Whether you are just starting your SEO career or if you are an expert in the field, SEO advances frequently enough to keep you on your toes. You must then use best practices to rank in Google SERPs and maintain your position there. The following three mistakes will, however, re-rank you even before you get to the top.
Overlooking Metadata
When you write content and create pages for your website, you could forget about metadata. After all, it does not seem that important, if it did matter, then why is it automatically generated so commonly? But metadata does matter, so you don’t lose out on ranking potential based on the field you are ignoring. SERP displays metadata immediately after the website’s title and URL. Also, the metadata will determine whether users will visit your site or not because it usually appears on social networks when your site’s URL is shared online.
Currently, metadata does not impact ranking; however, implementing relevant keywords in your tags may increase site visibility. To get the full benefits of using metadata on your site, there are best practices that are highly recommended. First, you should check the length of your meta description. Not so long, not too short. You can also include the meta description as an ad on your site. As Google algorithms search your site for ranking, it will easily pick the keywords hence boosting your visibility.
The meta tags can help your SEO but not at all times. It is important for SEO experts to understand the metadata that is beneficial to their SEO. A title tag is one of the most essential metadata that you cannot afford to ignore on your site. This is where you place the most relevant keywords, products name as well as the name of your website. For maximum SEO yields, your title metatag should be unique and relevant. You also have the image’s alt text. If you have a website that is image-heavy with minimal text, the lack of the right alt text for your website’s images could make it difficult for the search bot to determine the site’s content, and Google does not serve mysterious results pages. Following the best practices of metadata will not win you big rankings, but it is essential.
Not Staying Updated
Google algorithms keep changing, and if you are not up to date with the changes, you could easily hurt your site. The best way to stay informed is to either watch out for Google updates or attend events such as SXSW 2020 meetup for SEOs where the top-rated SEO gurus interact with and teach you SEO principles. You learn which SEO tools to use, and why, technical SEO hacks, how to increase your work efficiency, and content tactics to use while preparing and sharing content. You can also learn about any Google algorithms changes by following SEO blogs, journals, and twitter. There are so many great posts on these online platforms that cover all types of SEO updates. Google does not rank websites by mistake, so take advantage of such events to stay updated on your SEO game.
Most Google updates are much smaller, and such changes can go unnoticed. It is crucial to invest in appropriate tools to keep updated on these small changes that might impact your SEO strategy and tactics. The blogs and journals may miss significant algorithm changes; hence, relying on them might hurt your site. If you are a profession of optimizing websites for ranking, visibility, traffic, revenue, and conversations, tools that can help you hit that target. Most people panic when they learn of an algorithm update. If an update impacts your ranking, do not rush to react but collect information first to gain insight on what Google and other SEO gurus saying about it. Then you can adjust your SEO tactics and strategies.
Google updates it’s algorithm every year, but this is not the only thing you need to watch out for. If you know the update, but you don’t know how to use it to your advantage, you will still get little to no traffic and rank low. Get the basics first, and keep updating your knowledge and incorporating every update Google sends out.
Using a Complicated URL Hierarchy
The average website owners don’t consider URL structures. You might think that everything is appropriately positioned and categorized, only to learn later that you made a mistake, especially when depending on the default settings. Sloppy URL structuring makes it hard for users to understand addresses and damages ranking, thereby lowering visitor’s possibility of coming back through direct entry. Make sure your keyword appears in your URL and that it’s easy for your readers to remember.
It would be best if you keep your site’s URL as simple as possible because it is the most essential SEO building block. The URL is read by the human and so it should be user-friendly. The simpler the ULR structure, the higher the chances of getting ranked higher. Overlooking this practice may lead your site to a dead end. Whether an expert or a beginner, how you structure your URL matters. For easy site navigation by users, a URL should be kept intuitive. If it is simple for users means it is even more straightforward for the search engines to understand quickly, hence boosting your site ranking possibilities.It is easy for experts and beginners alike to miss these three technical SEO mistakes. You should watch your website’s foundation as you expand and develop it. Have the essentials right, and you will benefit more from the higher-level SEO job you do.