Search engine optimization (SEO) might seem arcane or bothersome if you’re new to the process. Done incorrectly, SEO can waste time, deplete your ad budget and even alienate your audience. However, approaching SEO strategically can boost revenue, enhance lead conversions, and grow your business’s profitability.
Get the most out of your SEO campaigns. At Peppermonkey Media, our Search Engine Optimization experts in New Jersey wants you to avoid common SEO mistakes. Launch your next digital marketing campaign confidently by working with us to ensure it has everything you need to help your business grow.
Mistake #1: Trying To Game the System
Some SEO companies use tricks to take advantage of the Google algorithm and boost their rank on Google and other search engines. They try to boost page views without creating a website that people want to read and visit.
Some marketers use techniques such as:
- Keyword stuffing
- Hidden links
- Repeated content
Search engines depend on their ability to deliver relevant, helpful content to their users, so marketers looking for quick fixes often find themselves at cross purposes with the developers of search engine algorithms.
These strategies might have worked in the past, but they are SEO mistakes for two reasons. First, search engines penalize sites that use them. Second, they do not provide anything of value to your audience.
Mistake #2: Neglecting Your Website
Just because web content is SEO optimized does not mean it is relevant or useful. If you don’t update your website frequently and cull old material, your web pages might bore readers or give them the impression that your company does not keep pace with the times. Worse, a page with the wrong phone number or address could waste the time of potential customers.
Top search results are usually recently updated pages, but web content from a few years ago can sometimes rise to the top of search results, especially if the content is an old post with a recent update. Customers don’t always check the date on web content.
Avoid letting old content drag down your website by:
- Posting evergreen content.
- Reviewing your old posts and pages to make sure they are still relevant.
- Removing or replacing outdated pages.
Mistake #3: Using a One-Size-Fits-All Message
Some companies commit SEO mistakes because they treat digital marketing like fishing. The content is just an incidental piece of bait they dangle in front of customers.
Customers aren’t fish. They chose their search terms carefully because they need information or assistance.
Search engine keywords are more than just triggers for ad deployment. They are vital pieces of information about your potential customers’ wants, needs, expectations, and priorities. By optimizing ads for specific consumer searches, you can use the search algorithms to more effectively provide your audience with exactly what they need.
Would you rather your customer think, “This company is trying to sell me something,” or “Finally, a company that can solve my problem” when they visit your site?
Mistake #4: Failing To Connect Your SEO-Optimized Content to Action
If you make it to the top of search engine rankings and people flock to your site, it won’t matter unless your site motivates your audience to act. Keep potential customers engaged until they encounter a compelling call to action.
The specifics of your call to action will vary depending on the nature of your sales funnel and your interaction with your consumer. Your site could prompt customers to:
- Buy a product
- Choose a product to learn more about (leading to an opportunity to purchase)
- Answer questions (which could prompt tailored calls to action).
- Review a product or write a testimonial
- Refer a friend
- Subscribe to a newsletter
- Donate to a cause
- Sign a petition
- Participate in a contest
The options are limitless, but your audience should do something. Ideally, create adaptive messaging that leads each potential customer through a chain or network of actions that maintain engagement and reward participation.
Mistake #5: Ignoring the Customer for the Sake of SEO
Your website should benefit you and your customer. No matter how high a page might score on a search engine ranking, its layout, design, and content should always serve the customer in a way that helps your bottom line. SEO is necessary for getting your message out, but it is not your end goal.
If a change to your site misleads, confuses, or irritates your customer, find another way to boost your site ranking. Consider using keywords in new, more natural ways.
Mistake #6: Failing To Coordinate Your Marketing
Your SEO-optimized web content, from the headlines to the calls to action, should reinforce one another and be “on brand.” One of the most prevalent SEO mistakes is to overlook how optimizing content for search engines affects other facets of your campaign.
A cohesive marketing message does not mean repetitive ads or content, although some subtle forms of repetition can make your message memorable. Your message should be part of a larger strategy to build loyalty and engagement in an environment that subtly encourages your customers to buy more and contributes to your brand awareness strategy.
Mistake #7: Optimizing Content for the Wrong Customer Segment
If an internet user is not a good fit for your product or service, getting your website to the top of their Google search results won’t benefit you or your business.
When you optimize website content, always consider who you are optimizing it for. Choose your keywords carefully and match the keywords to the content and marketing aims for each web page.
Don’t Create Your Next Ad Campaign On Your Own. Choose Peppermonkey Media
At the Peppermonkey Media SEO agency, we keep pace with the latest developments in SEO optimization. We know the recent trends in digital marketing and prevent our clients from unwittingly making SEO mistakes.
Trust us to create a streamlined, cohesive, and customized digital marketing campaign for your business. Call 1 (888) 231-9764 to request a digital marketing consultation or learn more about search engine optimization.
