Is your business site not yielding the expected results? While many businesses invest their best efforts to achieve sky-high rankings for their websites, they usually end up causing a multitude of mistakes.
Some mistakes are so serious that a complete breakdown of technical SEO has to be performed, while others make simpler mistakes, which might cause severe consequences as well. The most recurring mistakes include avoiding audits, using the wrong keywords, paying no attention to user intent, not knowing your target audience, using low-quality content, ignoring analytics, etc.
Learn about each mistake in detail.
Avoiding audits
The primary SEO mistake for Chicago businesses to avoid is not conducting a site health audit. As the name explains, these audits are a review of all SEO-related elements on a website to determine its health. A number of observations are made to check the health of the aspects that influence keyword ranking and overall performance.
Moreover, a site health audit is an initial step to take for identifying the areas where SEO can be improved. These areas include technical health, content, user experience, and conversion rates. There is no benefit from having high-quality content if the search engine cannot find it. SEO professionals check the site’s crawl errors, backlink profile, and schema. Check this article for an explanation of user experience design.
User experience and conversion rates are closely related, as the former affects the latter. The more user-friendly a site is, the easier it is to navigate and convert. These audits might be time-consuming, but they are definitely worth the investment.
Using the wrong keywords
Another recurring SEO mistake made by Chicago businesses is using the wrong keywords. The problem lies in ranking for generic keywords that plenty of other businesses use. For instance, a bakery ranking for the keyword “chocolate donut” cannot hope for fantastic results, as most of the bakeries worldwide make such donuts.
More specific and longer keywords increase the chances of users coming across your site. Instead of using “chocolate donuts,” try using “Chicago chocolate donuts” or “chocolate donuts near Chicago.” Although fewer people will be searching for these keywords, those who do are likelier to become your new customers. The people in your local area are those worth targeting.
Not paying attention to user intent
Another common SEO mistake made by businesses in Chicago is ignoring user content. For example, there is a difference between searching for “window replacement services” and “DIY window replacement.” The first search will provide you with an endless list of window installers in your local area, whereas the latter will result in a lengthy list of DIY blogs and videos.
The difference lies in user intent, referring to the leading reason for somebody searching for some product, service, or DIY tips. Keep in mind that user intent is considered by search engines when ranking sites. Hence, a do-it-yourself blog targeting “window replacement services” would face difficulties to rank, as visitors would immediately realize the site isn’t for hiring professionals but a DIY blog.
DIY blogs should focus on specific keywords or phrases, such as “how to replace your home windows.” You must understand the reasons behind the searches of your audience to use the right phrases and create worthy content. See this webpage for the best picks of DIY blogs.
Not knowing your target audience
A crucial SEO mistake for businesses in Chicago to avoid is not knowing their target audience. Since SEO is the voice of the customer, knowing your audience is a must. Although most companies think they know their customers, they actually don’t understand the behavior of consumers in the market. When defining products and services in a particular way, businesses should try and understand how customers would describe them.
SEO enables companies to understand the macro trends in the market. These specialists use both real-time and historical data to grasp the change in behavior of consumers. There are specific tools that they have at their disposal and use them for planning new strategies.
Using low-quality content
Writing low-quality content is another recurring mistake made by Chicago businesses. The creation of high-quality content isn’t a straightforward process, as it requires detailed research and plenty of time to shape the content to fit the needs of the audience. Despite its importance, some businesses still decide to outsource the creation of content to low-paid writers, which results in rushed work.
Visitors can easily distinguish carefully written content from sloppy content, as the latter neither answers their questions nor builds trust. SEO experts, such as chicagoseoscholar.com, help clients get valuable content. Once your audience loses trust, you will face many difficulties in regaining it. Not only audiences but search engines as well dislike this type of content.
Google and other search engines always look for content that offers valuable information to users by checking its construction and keyword optimization. If you have no other alternative but to outsource content, make sure it’s outsourced to reputable writers known for creating custom, original content.
Ignoring analytics
The sole purpose of SEO isn’t just driving organic traffic. Another purpose is converting this traffic into sales. In most cases, businesses only focus on high-traffic keywords without paying too much attention to low-traffic keywords whose conversion rates might be better because of being specific. Anyhow, there is no way to determine the effectiveness of content marketing unless you track the numbers.
No decision should be made without checking the numbers. Analytics is vital for knowing how to utilize your resources. Therefore, it should be tracked and reviewed regularly with automated tools. For example, Google Analytics is an excellent tool for gauging the performance of a site. Therefore, hiring professional assistance is recommended, as experienced SEO teams have all the necessary tool kits to build and develop an SEO campaign.
To sum up
All these mistakes can be avoided by using professional assistance from reputable specialists.
Businesses should not forget that SEO is time-consuming, challenging, and costly to handle on their own!
