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Can you imagine investing in a well-designed website and have no one consume the content you share? That is what happens when you fail to optimize your site. Everyone is practicing SEO, including your competitors, and you should also do the same.
However, you may still be optimizing your website with the best SEO techniques and have the perfect SEO strategy laid out, yet not realize the desired results. Is there something you are doing wrong? Here are seven SEO techniques you are probably doing wrong.
Improper keyword research
Keywords play a vital role in the performance of a website on search engines. Despite the emphasis laid on proper keyword research, most people are still getting it wrong.
The first common problem with webmasters is using keyword research results to come up with niche topics. While this is great in pointing the website owner towards what content to write on, it yields better results to start your keyword research with niche topics already identified. This way, you can remain grounded on your brand's essence and share information from which you are well-conversant with and can show expertise.
Further, determine the use of long-term keywords over single words, which ranges from 3 words and above. Phrases are more descriptive, hence, better in conveying messages that capture the initial intent of the audience. However, stay away from the horrendous act of keyword stuffing. Preferably, have a strategic keyword concentrate in the headers, meta descriptions and within your copy.
Ignoring image optimization
Any website owner by now already knows that images are picking up as a reliable source of information. Integrating images into your copy increases your click-through rates by a significant percentage. Still, ignoring the essence of image optimization might cost you a lot more than you think.
Titles, image descriptions, and captions are all essential aspects of optimizing an image. Specifically, you must be deliberate about adding alt-texts to your pictures which are necessary informants for search engines spiders as well as audiences.
Further, you want to optimize the sizes of your pictures so that you can boost your web page load time. Compress the images you upload without compromising on quality.
Optimizing for search engines first
It is tempting an idea, to rank on top of the first page of search engines, which explains why most webmasters optimize their sites for search engines first. While that might yield some results, there is much more potential in your position on SERP if you optimize for audiences first.
Google has a liking for websites that value their audiences, which justifies their incorporation of user experience in the ranking algorithm. Do what is best for your audience first, and search engines will reward you for it. Consider creating high-quality content, improving the UX of your site, page speed, as well as audience engagement.
Some of the best ways to engage your audience include using infographics in your content, quotes, asking questions, and more importantly, responding to feedback.
Anchor Texts
Anchor texts are vital for link-building in the way they point toward other content on your site and other relevant material off-site. If you misuse anchor texts, you might earn penalties from Google.
Today, it is hard to get away with keyword-rich anchor text. For anchor texts to yield better results for your website, you must resolve for branded text. If you want to play safe, you also want to use long-tail anchor texts like you would for keywords.
Quantity in place of quality
People have mastered the art of generating a lot of content to keep their target audience around, but the problem is, they focus too much on quantity over quality.
It adds no value to be consistent with low-quality content. Instead, you stand to lose your audience, lower your reputation as a source of information, and suffer low rankings on search engines. You want to separate yourself from duplicate content within your web pages and externally. The originality of content receives a reward of high ranking and recoups your credibility.
Create a content generation strategy that allows you the flexibility to research widely and create an intriguing high-quality copy, and since the quality content is paramount for Google, you will realize higher rankings not to mention smooth and increasing traffic.
Automating response messages
As highlighted earlier, audience engagement is crucial for successful SEO. Responding to people's feedback and reviews adds to the value you provide to your target audience.
Most businesses get it wrong when they decide to use automated messages to respond to people. The problem here is that the nature of the audience today is highly social, which makes it justifies the prominence of social media.
Particularly if you are on social media you must determine a personal way to respond to your audience. Keep your posts professional, but your feedback a little personal. People need to know that they can trust you in the way you communicate with them, not to mention that information spreads fast online. Let your brand be known for having a personal touch to it.
Unnatural links
In the realization that links are essential metrics considered in Google's algorithm to rank websites, most site owners resolved to buy links from fraudulent websites and stuffing them on their web pages. To cover this up, they hide links from the audience.
Nonetheless, Google's bots can still crawl and find these links, but unlike before, search engines penalize unnatural links. Earn quality links the right and honest way, including, good PR, guest blogging, among others.
Conclusion
Poorly done SEO can have adverse effects on your website, concerning, rankings on search engines, traffic flow, click-through rates and value proposition to your target audience.
