5 Mistakes in SEO to Avoid for Small Businesses

mistakes in seo to avoid small businesses search engine optimization

Statistics show Google, the largest search engine, receives more than 85,000 searches per minute. Of those, 67% of clicks go to the first five search engine results. 

That’s a staggering statistic for small businesses who want to grow their audience with Search Engine Optimization. Unfortunately, it’s common for small businesses to make many mistakes in SEO and decreases their chances of being found via search. 

The good news is, by implementing a few tips and avoiding common SEO mistakes, you can improve your SEO, and increase your chances of being found via search. If you are a business owner who wants to use SEO to expand your reach, here are several mistakes to avoid. 


1. Not Having a Plan

There are many benefits of SEO but you will not experience any of them without a plan. SEO can be a complicated marketing method so it’s important to know what you are doing and have a step-by-step plan to follow. One of the best things you can do for your business is to develop an SEO strategy.


2. Publishing Duplicate Content

While it’s important to publish regular blog posts, it’s also important to avoid publishing duplicate content. When you publish duplicate content, the Google web crawler will flag your account for trying to manipulate the system and drop your ranking or remove your content from search altogether. Your post or both posts may not be indexed or deindexed from Google's search engines, or at least rank lower. 

If you have to use duplicate content, make sure to notify Google or use canonical tags. 


3. Using the Wrong Keywords

A common mistake many small businesses make is to use the wrong keywords for their SEO campaign. Choosing strong keywords is important but you want to make sure they are relevant to your content. You need to rank for content that will attract your ideal readers, customers, and clients.


4. Not Optimizing Your Website for Mobile

Last year an estimated 62% of users accessed the internet by using their mobile device. Regardless of this, many small businesses still do not optimize their websites for mobile browsing. This is a huge mistake that can be offputting for viewers and make communicating with customers difficult. 


5. Not Optimizing Your Landing Pages

Landing pages increase conversions, improve brand awareness, and give you access to valuable data and insights on your traffic. Many small businesses miss out on the benefits by not optimizing their landing pages. Make sure to optimize your landing page by having clear calls to action and using a simple design.

These Are the Mistakes in SEO to Avoid

If you want to grow your business, there are many mistakes in SEO to avoid

Start with a plan for your SEO campaigns so you have a clear path to move forward. Avoid publishing duplicate content and using the wrong keywords. Optimize your website for mobile and landing pages for the best results. 

By avoiding these mistakes, you can have a successful SEO campaign that will grow your business. Start strengthening your search engine optimization now to avoid errors!

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