Five Common Mistakes Small Business Owners Make When Using SEO

Search engine optimization, or SEO, is a critical component of any digital marketing strategy, but according to a recent survey by The Manifest, only 49% of small business owners have an SEO plan in place. 

The main problem with SEO is that it is, unfortunately, expensive and time-consuming to implement correctly. Not only does this mean that few business owners even want to try SEO, but those that do are likely to make costly mistakes. One solution is to consider a third-party SEO service by Peppermonkey Media, as we have a deep understanding of how to integrate SEO into your existing marketing strategy.

But if you prefer a DIY approach, here are some of the most common mistakes we’ve seen small business owners make when using SEO—and how to avoid making them. 

1. Building Your Website Before Implementing an SEO Strategy

Designing and developing a website is an exciting prospect for any new business, which means that many owners rush the process to launch their site as soon as possible. The problem with this approach is that most web designers aren’t SEO experts and will neglect several key components of search engine optimization during the site’s development. The result is a site that looks great but fails to get the visibility it deserves due to a poor search engine ranking. 

Redesigning and relaunching a website is an expensive proposition, and getting it right the first time is much easier. Involving an SEO professional during the website design ensures that your site will hit all of the important ranking factors from its launch. 

2. Seeing SEO as a Short-Term Investment

Most marketing strategies rely on running an intervention, like an ad, and seeing an immediate result. SEO functions differently because it doesn’t directly affect customers — it affects how Google and other search engines evaluate your site’s value. This indirect action means that most SEO interventions can take up to a year to produce results, which can be frustrating to business owners who expect to see rapid changes in organic traffic. 

However, while SEO is slow, it has one of the best returns on investment in digital marketing. According to a Search Engine Journal poll, 49% of marketers believe that organic search traffic is the best-performing digital marketing channel once it starts producing results. 

SEO is a long-term investment, so if you’re planning to implement an SEO strategy, be sure you have the resources and tenacity to stick with it. Using tools such as Google Analytics will also help you keep track of your site’s performance, allowing you to see how your SEO plan affects organic site traffic and conversion rates and to make adjustments as necessary.

3. Neglecting Keyword Research

Keywords are what customers use when they start a Google search for a particular product or service, and they are a fundamental component of any SEO strategy. A common mistake small business owners make when using SEO is to randomly select keywords based on what they think customers search for, which leads to issues such as keyword cannibalization and wasting time optimizing content for extremely competitive keywords. 

As keywords form the foundation of most SEO strategies, it’s worthwhile spending time and effort to find the best ones for your situation. Keyword research has become a very specialized field within SEO, and working with a professional keyword researcher may be the best way to set you on the right track. 

4. Falling for “Too Good To Be True” SEO Scams

As we’ve mentioned previously, SEO takes time to produce results. Some strategies, such as generating high-quality backlinks and content, can take months to accomplish, and then you need to wait several months to see their impact. 

Unscrupulous companies prey on impatient businesses who want to see results sooner. However, while these companies promise amazing results, they are unlikely to deliver on their promises. Google’s algorithm has many preventative measures in place to identify these “quick and dirty” tactics and heavily penalizes any websites that use them. Working with agencies that use “black hat techniques” to speed up the process will often do significant harm to your reputation and search engine ranking, as well as cost you a fortune that you won’t get back. 

As with most things in life, if it sounds too good to be true, it most likely is. Instead, stick with reputable digital marketing companies that have established track records of satisfied customers.

5. Writing for Search Engines Instead of People

One of the pitfalls of SEO is that it’s very easy to get lost in metrics and algorithms and forget the main goal of your website — to provide useful information to customers and persuade them to buy your products. 

Keyword stuffing is a common problem that can be devastating to your customer engagement. It makes sense to try and use your keywords in as much content as possible. The problem arises when you use the same keywords too much, and your website feels like a computer wrote it. Not only is this a huge turn-off for most customers, but it’s also something that Google heavily penalizes, and it may cost you severely in your search ranking.

Creating high-quality content isn’t easy, but it’s essential to a successful website. Your content quality dictates how people feel about your site — whether you’re providing genuine information or simply trying to game the Google algorithm — and influences your authority and brand image. 

As with most aspects of SEO, content creation requires attention to detail and a willingness to put in the effort to create a high-quality product. 

Work with the Pros

One of the most common mistakes small business owners make when using SEO is taking a DIY approach instead of working with professionals. 

At Peppermonkey Media, we’re an experienced digital marketing agency that can help you take your first steps into the world of SEO. From helping you implement the basics to learning about advanced topics, such as how content marketing helps SEO, we’re here for you. Call us at 1(888) 231-9764 or visit our website to schedule a digital strategy session today!

The post Five Common Mistakes Small Business Owners Make When Using SEO appeared first on Peppermonkey Media.



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