Search Engine Optimization or SEO can play a meaningful role in helping your website, and therefore, your small business to be discovered. In Episodes 072, 073, and 074 of the Brand It, Build It Podcast, we share the Small Business Owner’s Guide to SEO and break down what Search Engine Optimization is, how to enhance your SEO, and more. 

For today’s episode, though, we’d like to focus on common SEO mistakes you can avoid. That way, as you examine your SEO practices, you can assess your approach and ensure you are successfully and properly equipping your website to be discovered. 

5 Common SEO Mistakes to Avoid

First, what is Search Engine Optimization or SEO? Search Engine Optimization is made up of a variety of approaches for increasing your website’s ranking and discoverability for searchers who use major search engines like Google. Having strong SEO is made up of a variety of factors, and your goal is to be listed at or near the top of Google’s search results when someone searches for keywords related to your business. Strong SEO should help grow the quantity of quality visits to your website.

So, once you’ve listened to Episodes 072, 073, and 074 and you’ve got your SEO in place, what are some common mistakes you can look for and avoid as you move forward? In no particular order or level of priority, here are 5 common SEO mistakes to avoid:

1. Not using Google Analytics and Google Search Console. If you are a Showit user, under your Showit Dashboard, Site Settings, and Third Party, you’ll see a space for seamlessly connecting your Showit website to Google Analytics. Google Analytics is a free platform from Google, connected to your Google account, which equips you to better understand your visitors and how your website is working on behalf of your business. By using Google Analytics, you can use Google Search Console — a free resource from Google which helps you to measure your website’s performance on search engines and help your website to succeed within Google Search. So, why do we recommend using Google Analytics and Google Search Console? Because these resources provide you with data, analytics, and detail about how your website is performing. As you create goals for your Search Engine Optimization, it’s essential to be able to understand how your website is performing so you can measure your success or adjust your goals accordingly.
2. Focusing on quantity over quality. Search Engine Optimization is about so much more than keywords, but about creating an online space your visitors will find dependable, trustworthy, and credible — a place where they can dependably discover quality static content and blog content they will connect with, thoroughly explore, and share. Focusing on creating high-quality, curated, thoughtful blog content can be extremely beneficial — whereas creating a large quantity of lower-quality content can have negative consequences for Search Engine Optimization. 
3. Not adding new, high-quality blog content regularly. We think of the core pages of your website — Home, About, Services, Portfolio, and Contact — as the trunk of the tree, and we think of blog content as the branches of the tree… the way your website will expand its reach, serve more people, and enhance your SEO. Creating new, high-quality blog content regularly and consistently helps to boost your Search Engine Optimization, especially if your blog content helps to answer the questions your prospective clients or customers have. Within your blog posts, you can include internal links, calls-to-action, or other features to help your visitors engage with your website further — all of which can be beneficial for SEO, too. 
4. Not promoting content regularly via social media marketing, newsletter marketing, or elsewhere. The more high-quality visits your website receives, the more search engines recognize your website as a credible, dependable place. Using social media marketing and newsletter marketing to bring visitors to your website and encourage your visitors to engage with various parts of your website helps to enhance your Search Engine Optimization.Sharing your content consistently and regularly on social media and through your newsletter also helps you to build brand awareness, build credibility, and grow key areas of your business with purpose. 
5. Overlooking the benefits of backlinks. Backlinks are links from a credible website to your website. For small business owners, having your business listed and linked to in a credible business directory or having your business linked to from a blog or podcast interview are just a couple of ways small businesses can try having backlinks boost their SEO. Just like content creation, it’s essential to prioritize quality over quantity when approaching backlinks. So, search for credible business directories and seek out credible, dependable places you’d like to have your website linked to. 

Today, we shared five common Search Engine Optimization mistakes you can look for and avoid as you continue marketing and promoting your website — and we are so hopeful these suggestions equip you for success! Thanks for tuning in!

About Brand It, Build It Podcast, Hosted by Kelly Zugay

Hosted by Kelly Zugay, co-founder of With Grace and Gold, The Brand It, Build It Podcast is a leading small business marketing podcast for small business owners, creatives, and founders. Weekly, brief, actionable episodes will equip you to build a successful, sustainable small business. Since 2014, With Grace and Gold has provided award-winning custom brand and Showit web design and completely customizable Showit website templates for small businesses worldwide.