5 SEO Mistakes Most Bloggers Make

Whether you blog to share a passion or interest or are looking to drive traffic to your company’s website, there are certain things that most bloggers do that can hurt their chances of ranking highly in search results. The following are some of the most common blogging mistakes that we see here at Saba SEO:

1. Writing for the search engines first

   Perhaps the most detrimental SEO strategy is to create content with the sole purpose of gaining a better position in the SERPS (search engine results pages). Great content is content that is shared by many. Content written to engage the reader and to offer helpful and interesting information always stands a much better chance of finding its way around social circles, increasing it’s relevance and
   popularity. The more content that is shared, the higher the site will rise in the SERPS.

2. Weak or irrelevant headlines

   If the headlines or titles of a site’s posts don’t grab a visitor’s attention, they will likely find another website. Relevancy and a reason to read further are the driving force behind magnetic headlines. If the headline compels a visitor to read further as if they can’t get enough, the headline has accomplished its purpose.

3. Failing to perform proper keyword research

   Search engines look for the proper use of relevant keywords and keyword phrases within content. In order to rank highly in organic search, great content with a few specific keywords and more importantly, related words, are critical.

4. Creating a crowded website

   A big turn-off for website users is to spend more than a few seconds to find the content they’re looking for. They don’t have time or want to sort through ads or a large number of images. In fact, this causes the dreaded bounce rate to skyrocket. Additionally, San Diego web designers also note that not having the correct amount of white space around content and images creates an unfriendly crowded appearance that can frustrate visitors.

5. Omission of a sitemap

   Forgetting to create a sitemap for visitors and one for the search engines makes it difficult to navigate a site and once again, frustrates visitors. The same is true for the search engine robots. If the search engines can’t index a website, it prevents otherwise great content from being found. Assuming a site is built with simple, effective, and easy navigation, visitors will enjoy the ease of finding the information they’re searching for and the robots will successfully index the site.

Have other questions about search engine optimization? Perhaps you’re looking to drive more traffic to your website or increase your leads? Call 858-277-1717 and schedule a free website audit with one of our San Diego SEO specialists and see if a new online marketing strategy is right for you.