That focus on content and that SEO “just works” is a myth of the size of a ship. Google crawls more than 20 million pages daily, and more than 100 billion searches are performed monthly.
It is essential that the content of our website is optimized so that Google detect it and offers it in relevant positions in their results.
Statistically speaking:
- 93% of online experiences start with a Google search or similar
- 75% of users never go beyond the first page of the results
- 70% to 80% of users ignore sponsored search results
SEO is absolutely necessary, it is what will help to facilitate communication between the search engine and our page.
Here is a short list of the 5 most common mistakes:
1. Keywords
Using the keyword correctly is essential to obtain good SEO, but abusing the system is terrible and Google will penalize the site by placing it last or simply not showing it in the results. For example:
Our shoe factory is the best shoe factory in the market, if you are looking for a shoe factory, look no further because you have found the best shoe factory, our shoe factory is the best.
Google uses latent semantic indexing (LSI) to analyze page intent and analyze keywords. Therefore, it is better to use naturally derived synonyms or alternative phrases, rather than repeating word for word.
Keep a focus on the keywords, add them in the titles, description, etc., but always with a reason and without forcing it too much.
2. Anchor text
It is about the words that are clickable in a link.
Ideally, the links should link to other content on the same site, although it is not a bad thing to link to external sites. Usually, an exact match was kept with the keywords, covering the address. But it is not recommended.
The correct thing is to go according to the text, and the content, and for that, a healthy mix can be made depending on the case, for example:
- To talk about brands: “At Dool, you will find good advice …”
- In naked links: “dool.agency”
- And in long links: “about copyright in blogs”
3. Image optimization
The images make the content more attractive and influence a lot to get clicks, likes, or shares.
The problem with images is that search engines can’t see them. Google needs a textual explanation to understand what the image represents and how to link it to the content.
To solve this you must include a relevant name to the file, a description of it in the alt-description, a caption, and of course, the title. Some recent studies claim that captions are read 300% more than the body of the content.
And finally, it is worth using a tool to reduce the size of the file and, in turn, the loading time, while maintaining an acceptable quality. SEO is much better if the page loads fast.
4. SEO and link strategy
The backlinks are the links that point from other sites to yours. And that is important because the more relevant pages link to you, the more notoriety your website will gain in Google.
A recent study found that 90% of participants used promoted content and guest authors as part of their linking strategy. And 78% of the participants believe that it is the most effective strategy to improve SEO.
It is still a case of quality versus quantity. You run the risk of being penalized by Google if you use links from banned pages or with domain authorship of less than 20. Domain authorship or DA (Domain Authority) is a value from 1 to 100 that indicates the weight or authority of a website with respect to organic positioning.
Having too many backlinks too fast would have a counterproductive effect.
The same happens with the authors invited to write a post that finally ends up publishing spam. This will damage the reputation of your website. You have to write quality content. Share it with influential people or blogs in your field, and promote it on social media. Establish relationships with influential sites that serve each other, are adjusted to each other’s theme and objective, and offer a real benefit to readers.
5. Fans and followers
Social media is great, but the number of fans is irrelevant.
This has more to do with the level of interaction. How you connect with them and how they interact with you.
The number of followers you have does not have a direct effect on your SEO, while an active community of members who share your content and link your website will help to spread your brand more easily, increasing traffic to your site.
The social activity that your website has, tells Google that people are interested in your site by spreading its content.
Remember that this is not about numbers, but about the activity. The interaction and actions you generate bring your audience closer.
