Much like any structure of integrity, your website needs to be built on a solid foundation if it’s going to last. In the digital realm, that foundation is search engine optimization (SEO). Quality SEO makes your business discoverable online and since 93% of online experiences begin with a search engine, it’s important to implement a well-optimized strategy to keep your website at the top of search results. Today, we will explore five common mistakes business owners make that could be tanking your search engine ranking:
Slow Loading Times
Quality SEO goes beyond content and keywords. The speed of your website plays a vital role in how your website ranks amongst your search engine competitors. In order to improve user experience, search engine providers are cracking down on slow, outdated websites. In fact, Google recently announced it will begin labeling slow loading websites on select browsers. If you want to be discoverable, you need to—quite literally—keep up with the times.
Tip: Try keeping load times at two seconds or less. Search engines (and your customers) will thank you.
Not Mobile-Friendly
Where and how your website ranks on search engines is determined by a variety of factors, some carrying more weight than others. Mobile-friendliness is one of the more important ones to take into account. Mobile usage accounts for approximately half of all website traffic in the world. Owning a website that doesn’t offer a smooth mobile experience doesn’t just decrease your search engine rankings, it can also drive prospective customers to your competitors. According to Google, after encountering a website that isn’t mobile-friendly, 40% of users will visit a competitor’s website instead.
Non-Optimized Content
All of the content featured on your website, from the copy to the images used, should serve a purpose. Non-optimized content can cause your search engine rankings to take a serious nosedive. Not sure what constitutes non-optimized content? This can include anything from unoriginal copy, missing tags and meta descriptions, content that lacks keywords—the list goes on. While content optimization can be time consuming, it will pay off in search results.
Missing Links
Another common mistake? Absence of quality links on your website. These links can be implemented using both on-site and off-site SEO and can be sourced from your own website or from other reputable sites. Since there is a direct correlation between the quality and quantity of links to your website, as well as how much search traffic your site receives, including these links is imperative to a good search engine ranking.
Tip: Be purposeful with your links—only add links when they are relevant to the content on the page.
Ignoring your Analytics
Disregarding your website analytics is a grave mistake many businesses owners make. Data and analytics allow you to measure your website performance, track progress, make updates, recognize trends, and much more. When it comes to SEO, your analytics serve as a behind-the-scenes look into the changes your business needs to implement, as well as improvements that can be made to increase your website’s search engine ranking.
A whopping 97% of online users don’t click past the first page of search results. Bottom line: If your website isn’t optimized for search engines, you’re missing out on business. While some of the mistakes we’ve noted are easy fixes, others will require a bit more time, effort, and expertise. Ready to set your website up for success in 2020? Contact Business House today!
