I am telling you the truth when I began my first blog several years ago and I really did not know what SEO was. I believed that it was sufficient to write good material and Google will rank it automatically. However, in months of no traffic, I realised that I was committing very familiar SEO errors- errors nearly all beginners commit.
You are not an experienced blogger or digital marketer, and there is nothing to be concerned about. You’re not alone. This guide will teach you the largest SEO mistakes that amateurs make and how to prevent them without having to work hard. Imagine it is a time to have a conversation, not to have a lesson.
Writing Without Knowing What People Search For.
Among the most basic and painful errors, one can distinguish writing what no one is looking up. A large number of new bloggers simply pick up any topic and write what they feel to write.
How to avoid this:
- Conduct a basic keyword research with the help of free tools such as Google Keyword Planner, Ubersuggest or AnswerThePublic.
- Identify good volume and low competition search terms.
- Select the issues that the people are interested in knowing.
When I wrote my first post on the recipe, I named it My Favourite Sunday Dish. Nobody searched for it. However, when I later renamed it to Easy South Indian Sunday Lunch Recipe, there was actually a flow of traffic.
Failure to use appropriate title and headings.
Most of the beginners have excellent content and poor or baffling titles. Graphs Google interprets your titles and headings to get an idea about what the page is about.
How to avoid this:
- Write obvious headings to depict the subject.
- Naturally add your key word in the title.
- Divide the contents with use of H2 and H3 headings.
Everyone should remember that a good title works not only in terms of SEO, but it also clicks.
The Overloading of Keywords (Keywords Stuffing)
Many of the new bloggers believe that they can rank high by using 20 times of the same keyword. Actually, Google hates this.
It renders your content to appear unnatural and spammy. Even readers get irritated.
How to avoid this:
- Naturally natural Use the keyword 2-3 times.
- Instead use related words (such as synonyms).
- Write to man, Google to woman.
Google gets to know about what you are saying better when you speak naturally.
Not taking into consideration Mobile-Friendly Design.
Mobile-first country is India. Majority of your traffic will be through mobile users. However, most amateurs create a blog on desktop only.
How to avoid this:
- Choose a responsive theme.
- Test your site on mobile.
- font should be readable and buttons should be clickable.
A mobile friendly site is not only well ranked but also retains visitors.
Slow Website Speed
Slow websites kill SEO. I once opened my own site on the 4G network and it required almost 8 seconds to open. It is understandable that people were bouncing.
How to avoid this:
- Compress images.
- Do not use heavy themes and excessive number of plugins.
- Apply caching extensions on WordPress.
- It is possible to consider using a CDN.
Minor technical adjustments could count.
Not Using Internal Links
The internal links also assist Google to know the structure of your site. However, a lot of beginners do not have the habit of connecting old posts with new ones and the other way around.
How to avoid this:
- Insert 2-3 internal links on the article.
- Link to relevant posts only.
- It is best to avoid over-linking a page.
This is beneficial to the SEO as well as user experience.
Forgetting About Meta Descriptions.
The small lines that you find below the URL of Google results are called meta descriptions. Most of the beginners do not even bother to do them and Google selects random lines out of the article.
How to avoid this:
- Make a brief description of 140-160 characters.
- Incidentally, add the main key word.
- Make it interesting to make them follow your link.
An effective meta description will boost your click through rate (CTR).
Not Using Alt Text for Images
Google cannot “see” images. It reads the alt text in order to know the picture. Novice users usually post photos with such titles as IMG_12345.jpg.
How to avoid this:
- Name your photos according to basic keywords.
- Insert a small alt text such as homemade biryani recipe or SEO settings screenshot.
- Keep it natural, not stuffed.
This enhances the search engine optimization and e-access.
Failure to Focus on Content Quality.
SEO is, however, not only about the key words. Google gives more preference to useful content. A lot of novice writers write short and shallow articles in the hope that they would rank. However, now Google lays emphasis on in-depth, useful postings.
How to avoid this:
- Write text which addresses a practical issue.
- Give examples, personal experience, and steps.
- Use simple sentences in making your content easy to read.
Quality content will also retain customers on your site, and Google takes notice of that.
No Updates: Publishing and Forgetting.
Most of the novices write a post and do not see it again. However, the trends in search vary annually.
How to avoid this:
- Revise your articles on a regular basis (after several months).
- Incorporate new information, new clues or better clarifications.
- Keep the information fresh.
Google adores modernized material.
Conclusion: You Do Not Have to Be an Expert.
SEO is a daunting task initially but believe me it is easy when you get the ropes. These are some of the pitfalls that you will be saving months of agony by avoiding. Above all, be patient, SEO is a long time process, but the payoff in the end is worth the means.
At the time when I made such errors on my own blog, my traffic increased without having to spend a single rupee. A gradual effort will also bring the same results.
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Let’s grow together. Happy blogging!