The 7 Most Common SEO Mistakes

As you may know, Google adjusts its ranking algorithm multiple times daily. Although only a few updates have truly significant effects on search results, many professional SEO specialists and concerned website owners are always on the lookout for new Google updates.

Despite this awareness, certain SEO mistakes and misconceptions are still very common. For this reason, we have created an infographic on this topic:

The 7 Most Common SEO Mistakes

(You can download the infographic below the text)

Mistake #1: The more general the target keywords, the better

Solution: The more general the keywords, the higher the competition and the lower the probability of achieving high rankings for these keywords, because competing websites already have (many) relevant backlinks. Choosing the right keywords (especially long tail keywords) is crucial – SEO success depends on keyword research.

Mistake #2: Publishing content regularly is a must

Solution: What matters is not HOW OFTEN, but WHAT is published. The better the quality and relevance of your content, the higher the chances of backlinks from influential websites. With quality content, you can still rank high years after publication.

Mistake #3: Quality content alone is enough to generate backlinks

Solution: In highly competitive niches, quality content alone is not enough to achieve high rankings, because links from influential websites are missing. In reality, backlinks arise very rarely and very slowly on their own, so promoting content – not broadly, but specifically to influential website owners (Linkerati) – is an absolute must.

Mistake #4: Content must be created for potential customers

Solution: Customers will hardly link from their website to your company – simply because they are almost never in the same niche. Why would a solar panel manufacturer link to an SEO agency? Ideally, backlinks should come from thematically related websites. For this reason, you need to create content that appeals to influential website owners (Linkerati) in your niche and/or journalists.

Mistake #5: The more backlinks, the better

Solution: Backlinks – links from other websites to your web presence – are, alongside quality content, the most important Google ranking factor. However, it is primarily the quality of the linking websites that matters, not the number of backlinks (quality over quantity). One backlink from an influential website is far more valuable than hundreds of backlinks from irrelevant social profiles, blogs, web directories, etc.

Mistake #6: Not tracking progress

Solution: You can only find out if SEO and content marketing are working by tracking progress. Google Analytics and Google Search Console are the most important (though not the only) online tools to monitor your website performance.

Mistake #7: Not optimizing for mobile devices

Solution: Almost everyone owns a smartphone and uses it to browse the internet. Furthermore, mobile optimization is an official Google ranking factor. In fact, Google now crawls the mobile version of a website first, not the desktop version. Accordingly, websites must be displayed correctly on mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets. Equally important is the loading time of the website – another Google ranking factor.