People often get confused when they first start their SEO journey; either they receive very bad advice or they don’t quite understand what they’re reading when self-educating. This is also the reason why most choose to let the experts take care it. Whatever the reason might be, a lot of people make mistakes when first trying their hand at SEO tactics. Here are five of these deadly mistakes that you should avoid at all cost:
1.Learn from the best
The internet is a very vast plain of knowledge with a lot of so-called and self-proclaimed experts handing out advice like everyday is Christmas. Almost all these individuals have some kind of impressive website with a lot of free advice, even more expensive programs, workshops and workbooks you can buy and they always have a comforting slogan such as “learn from the best”. If it sounds too good to be true; it is. No-one can guarantee you that #1 ranking. There are a lot of SEO advice out there, but ensure that it’s good and sound advice. And if all else fails remember that there is no shame in admitting you’re in above your head. Sometimes it’s a smart move to use SEO services instead of wasting valuable time you could be focused on your business.
2.You only need to learn everything about SEO ONCE
Just like the fashion industry (although not quite as sexy), SEO is driven by trends. You wouldn’t be seen dead walking down the street in a true 1980’s get-up, and neither do you want to be using 1990 SEO strategies in 2016. Neither of these scenarios will have a happy ending. Tactics that had amazing SEO results a few years ago might not be quite as relevant today. A very good example is how everything around keywords has changed. Once, they were one of the most important factors impacting your search engine ranking. Now they are more or less useless unless well researched and not overcrowding your content. Once again, it’s not a bad idea to get the help of a content writing agency if you don’t have the time to stay up to date with trends, or you simply find the constant changes too complicated.
3.Using a little bit of underhanded black hat tricks will get you faster and more positive results.
Uhm, not quite. Google is not stupid. They have created bots and algorithms especially targeting any sites, posts or pages using these unethical tactics. You will not get rewarded like some would have you believe; you are much more likely to get penalized and hurt your site’s ranking. No matter how hard it seems, rather navigate your SEO within the boundaries of Google’s rules and regulations – it might take you a little longer, but you will reap the rewards.
As with many things in life, it’s never easy when starting to learn and trying to understand a new concept. But be patient with yourself. If you follow these guidelines, you are already miles ahead of the rest who will have to learn the hard way.
Picture by SQKitchenQueen