Top Five SEO Mistakes
It’s an oversight to not utilise webmaster resources or to not invest time in understanding how search engines like Google operate.
In a recent article on Search Engine Land, Barry Schwartz shared Matt Cutts’ perspective on significant mistakes that webmasters commonly make in terms of SEO.
1. The Absence of a Crawlable Website The most significant oversight, according to Matt Cutts, is either not having a website or having one that search engines can’t crawl. Businesses need to ensure their website is accessible and easily indexed by search engines.
2. Keyword Misjudgement It’s not enough to simply include keywords on your page; they must be phrased in a way that corresponds to the way users typically search. For instance, instead of using a term like “Mt. Everest Height”, it would be more effective to phrase it as “How high is Mt. Everest?” since that’s a more common search query.
3. Content Over Link Building Rather than focusing solely on link building, it’s crucial to concentrate on producing compelling content and effective marketing. Quality content naturally attracts backlinks and is more beneficial in the long run.
4. Overlooking Title and Description The title and description of your key pages play a pivotal role in SEO. They provide a brief overview of the content and can influence click-through rates from search engine results.
5. Ignoring Webmaster Resources It’s a frequent oversight to not utilise webmaster resources or to not invest time in understanding how search engines like Google operate. Familiarising oneself with these tools and resources can provide invaluable insights into SEO best practices.
Additional Points
Many businesses often struggle with website architecture, leading to sites that search engines find challenging to navigate. This can be due to the use of inappropriate technologies or a lack of understanding of website design and user experience. Moreover, some Content Management Systems (CMS) are not SEO-friendly and lack essential tools like metadata configuration. Another common issue is poor link judgement, especially by SEO firms that aren’t up-to-date with Google’s guidelines on link building.
SEO has evolved
Search engine optimisation SEO is no longer just about link building and content creation. It now encompasses multiple factors, including social media marketing, building a strong online profile, and engaging with users through comments on products and services. Blogging can also boost a business’s profile, positioning it as an authority in its field of expertise. Additionally, Pay-Per-Click (PPC) advertising can target keywords that a business doesn’t rank for organically, providing a boost in visibility while climbing the organic rankings.
As with any marketing initiative, it’s always a good idea to consult with professionals to ensure the best results.
You forgot to mention websites that are all one page and not split into multiple url’s. Ever seen those big flashy websites that look rubbish on a mobile phone and just carry the TLD as the URL. They are a designers wet dream and a nightmare to market as there is no page break down to split products etc. They would and should be on this list.
Nils, thanks for your response to this post. Firstly, I agree with you, building websites all on a singular architecture is not the best way to market a website. However, from a design element I have seen some lovely sites recently built this way.
As for adding it to the list – I believe Matt Cutts had simply provided a basic list of the biggest SEO mistakes. If you listen carefully to what he said it is really is rudimentary stuff – this is possibly aimed at webmasters and website owners who don’t understand SEO, and businesses that don’t have websites.
Could it be Mr Cutts creating his own link bait as on SEL it became quite a discussion. :).