Search Engine Optimization, or SEO, has been around for more than a decade and is continuously evolving.
Optimized content is important for all companies for a variety of reasons and many managers and business owners don’t often take the time to understand how and why SEO is done. Often, poor SEO can hinder you and this costs your company money, which every business owner would like to avoid.
For business owners looking to optimize their website in order to rank better, we’ve compiled a list of SEO tactics that you should avoid.
Let’s take a brief look at how SEO functions and why it’s important.
SEO Functions and Importance
Search engine optimization (SEO) refers to a variety of factors that determine how well your website ranks in search engines. SEO is important for businesses on the web because well-maintained websites that are optimized for search engines are more likely to be discovered by users looking for the products and/or services your business provides.
Google and other search engines look for relevant keywords on your website’s pages and incorporate a variety of other factors that they consider important, such as relevance to users’ search queries, the site’s usability, the expertise of sources linked on your pages, relevant content, and date published.
Some SEO writers and companies use a variety of sites to help them check the content and see if it has a chance of ranking, like Yoast. Others go with creating timely, organic content that is relevant and genuine by using a happy medium of organic content backed up by research.
SEO Tactics to Avoid in 2022
Understanding what good, relevant search engine friendly content looks like is one of the most important factors in SEO, but there are also mistakes that you should avoid.
Focusing Exclusively on Ranking for Keywords – An issue for many large sites as creators keep making pages just to rank for certain similar keywords, creating repetitive, confusing, and boring content for their sites.
Search engines understand similarities, so there’s no need to create multiple pages for the same topics. Instead, focus on answering questions and creating original content using your brand’s particular expertise.
Relying on Spam Tactics – Many SEO practitioners rely on black hat techniques, which means paying other sites to link back to your site, keyword stuffing, bad redirects, cloaking, spamming links on forums, and other shady tactics.
Google catches on, and the days of black hat SEO success are long gone. Algorithms are built to detect websites using such tactics and as a result, will lower the site in rankings.
Underestimating brand building – At the end of the day, your brand’s name and reputation will do the work SEO can’t. Ranking well in search engines is just part of the battle, and having an established brand with a clear message will help you convert the visitors generated by well-ranked pages into prospective customers.
It’s a matter of getting your brand to be recognized, which is not always easy, but it is a worthwhile goal.
If you’re not sure of how to proceed but know your website needs an expert SEO update, call Advanté-BCS at (804) 788-0048 and let us know what your needs are. Through website optimization and creating relevant, new content, our SEO services will help drive traffic to your website, grow your business, and reach your target buyers.
