{"id":862,"date":"2019-09-10T08:36:20","date_gmt":"2019-09-10T08:36:20","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.marketerscenter.com\/blog\/?p=862"},"modified":"2023-04-17T04:30:25","modified_gmt":"2023-04-17T04:30:25","slug":"8-common-seo-issues-avoid-2019-beyond","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.marketerscenter.com\/blog\/8-common-seo-issues-avoid-2019-beyond\/","title":{"rendered":"8 Common SEO Issues to Avoid in 2019 & Beyond"},"content":{"rendered":"

If you feel that your SEO strategy is failing, it might have absolutely nothing to do with Google penalizing you<\/a> and everything to do with your approach.<\/p>\n

While some SEO strategies do fail for reasons outside of a marketer\u2019s control, there are loads of little things that can end up affecting your efforts. SEO is made up of hundreds of different factors, so it\u2019s only natural to get it wrong every now and then. However, being aware of some of the more common mistakes does help.<\/p>\n

\"SEO<\/a><\/p>\n

Top SEO issues to be aware of as a marketer<\/h2>\n

Here are a few of the SEO mistakes you might not realize you\u2019re making.<\/p>\n

1. Practicing keyword cannibalization<\/h3>\n

Too many websites have several pages competing for the same keywords, despite there being countless resources that can help prevent keyword cannibalization. \u00a0The bottom line is Google is not a fan of this, which is why it\u2019s important to identify the pages that could be creating an SEO block.<\/p>\n

The best way to look into the keywords that a site is ranking for is to use a keyword tracking tool<\/a>. Not only can you track a site\u2019s overall keyword performance, but you can track the performance of individual keywords too. SEMRush<\/a> and Agency Analytics<\/a> are two examples of tools that can be used to avoid keyword cannibalization.<\/p>\n

2. Using targeted keywords with low search volumes<\/h3>\n

While it\u2019s not always easy to accurately measure keyword search volume, it\u2019s still important to consider it during your keyword research. Basically, it doesn\u2019t matter if you have 100 amazing blogs on a specific topic \u2013 if people aren\u2019t searching for it, it\u2019s not going to do much.<\/p>\n

You would absolutely still be able to rank for these search terms, but the point is to drive more traffic to your site, which won\u2019t happen if users aren\u2019t searching for what you\u2019re delivering. Before you start using keywords to optimize and create content, it\u2019s important to make sure that the search volumes are in line with your website goals. If the keyword has high search volumes, it probably is more difficult to rank for too, which means your content needs to be good.<\/p>\n

Just because some keywords are more difficult to rank for doesn\u2019t mean you shouldn\u2019t attempt it though. Create great content, check back in a few months, and see what keywords and content performed well, so that you can do more of the same.<\/p>\n

3. Creating content just for the sake of it<\/h3>\n

Yes, content is great for SEO but your content needs to be informative, valuable, or entertaining in order for it to have the effect you\u2019re hoping for. Spending time creating subpar content means you will have a lot of other generic content to compete with.<\/p>\n

Taking the time to create unique content that will stand out and that your audience will find valuable will offer a much better return on investment in the long run.<\/p>\n

4. Using poor linking strategies<\/h3>\n

A linking strategy is essential to SEO success,<\/a>\u00a0but only if it\u2019s implemented correctly. To begin with, if you\u2019re going to start generating backlinks, make sure that they\u2019re high-value backlinks<\/a>. This means that the links are coming from pages with a high SEO trust score. Basically, you want Google to know that your site produces valuable content because high-authority sites are linking to yours.<\/p>\n

In terms of internal linking, it\u2019s essential that you don\u2019t over-optimize anchor text. It\u2019s recommended that you don\u2019t use keywords in more than half of your anchor text \u2013 keywords should also ideally vary to avoid penalization. For example, We sell the best Italian women\u2019s shoes at great prices<\/em> <\/strong>should not link to www.example.com\/best-italian-womens-shoes<\/strong><\/em>. This URL should rather link to a sentence like We are passionate about sourcing top-quality women\u2019s shoes directly from Italy<\/em><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

5. Having too many internal redirects<\/h3>\n

While it\u2019s perfectly fine to have 301 redirects in place, many marketers tend to forget that they do affect a user\u2019s experience. When a user hits a 301 redirect, there is a brief pause in the connection while they are redirected to another page. Website speed is still exceptionally important and should be tested on a regular basis.<\/p>\n

Remove any 301 redirects that aren\u2019t absolutely necessary if you want to increase your website speed and improve user experience.<\/p>\n

6. Failing to understand your target audience<\/h3>\n

You might be ticking all of the technical SEO boxes, but if you aren\u2019t delivering on what your target audience needs, your SEO efforts won\u2019t generate the kind of success you\u2019re hoping for. Any good SEO strategy starts with a thorough understanding of who your target audience is and what they\u2019re looking for online.<\/p>\n

Along with creating detailed buyer personas, there are a number of analytics platforms that can provide you with in-depth information on how users spend their time online<\/a>. Keep researching and gathering data on your target audience if you want to take your SEO strategy to the next level.<\/p>\n

7. Offering a poor user experience<\/h3>\n

The more a customer loves your website, the more Google is going to love it too. For example, if the average user is spending 10 minutes on your website, you\u2019re going to rank a lot higher than a competitor that\u2019s only generating an average time on site of 1 minute.<\/p>\n

There are a number of ways that you can improve user experience. We have already mentioned how improving site speed can enhance the user experience. Other tactics that you can use include improving website navigation, optimizing your site for mobile, including more eye-catching and engaging media on your site, and optimizing your headlines<\/a>.<\/p>\n

8. Lacking patience<\/h3>\n

It would be great if SEO tactics produced results overnight, but this isn\u2019t the case. Many marketers need to put in weeks or even months of work before they see any results, so patience really is essential.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s also no real way to predict whether your efforts will pay off, but it\u2019s important to give your efforts time to take effect.<\/p>\n

Overall, SEO is an ongoing project and one that will look different for every client. Be open to trying new tactics and adjusting your strategies based on a client\u2019s objectives and specific target audience.<\/p>\n