There have never been more resources available to market a business without breaking the bank. Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) is one of those techniques that allow you to have a presence on the internet, but unlike any other medium where you can display your products or services directly to your customer base, on the internet you struggle to make your way to your audience by having to “fight” with your competitors for their attention.
The main issue comes from the fact that the very essence of SEO sounds quite easy: you have a product or a service to offer. You build a website, create content that is related to your niche and your offerings using some keywords, and the rest should be a flow of online traffic driving profits to your business. Unfortunately, the reality is that the ever-changing SEO and Search Engines algorithmic changes keep things from ever being easy.
On the following lines, we’ll get a glimpse at some of the most common mistakes new businesses and emerging brands make that can negatively impact their search engine performance, especially if they don’t have a clear idea about how SEO really works.
Performing poor keyword planning
The first cause on the list affects a lot of local businesses that are looking to build some sort of presence online. Learning about the right keywords that bring forward your offering on search engines needs time, study, and dedication, so doing proper keyword research should not be something to be neglected.
Only targeting the generic big volume kws in your niche is also a mistake. The “big kws” related to your niche will usually have a higher volume of searches but will also have more top competition with many more businesses trying to rank for these terms.
Local searches in Ireland are in an all-time high, so the more specific and geo-targeted your keywords are, the greater the likelihood of your website ranking high for them.
Ignoring content best practices
You can spend a lot of time thinking of and testing the right keywords related to your business, but all the hard work will be for naught if you don’t have a well-laid marketing strategy in place. The content you create should be compelling enough, as well as the visuals of your website. Posting routine quality content and updating the existing one, will keep search engines and also new and returning visitors interested on your website.
Also interlinking your topic related articles will create a notion of backtracking, and it’s an invitation to new customers to learn more about your website, your product, and explore past content. This can actually increase your chances of converting a lead into a sale, especially if the content is well structured and not repetitive.
Not aligning the broader brand marketing strategy with SEO
For your business’s Search Engine Optimisation efforts to bring you the results you desire, it is essential to align them with the larger vision and marketing strategy you have for your company.
The clearer the overall goals and marketing objectives are, the smarter its SEO execution will be.
A correct SEO alignment with the bigger strategy will direct kw research and subsequent content creation. It will also determine the aesthetics of the site as well as its brand messaging.
Expecting immediate results
SEO is a continuing practice, and you need to work with someone who knows exactly what he’s doing. You cannot hire someone just to maximise your website’s content for the search engines and forget about it.
Quality and well thought SEO strategies take time to implement and obtain long-lasting results so, if you are looking for quick returns on your investment in Digital Marketing, you should also look into PPC Advertising.
As you can see, SEO is now an integral part of any business and a process that can surprise you at every turn. The few titbits we just showed to you are just a tiny fraction of the challenges faced by SEO experts around the world.
However, when performed correctly by a professional digital marketing agency, it can really pay off and give a very positive ROI.
Author: Paulo
