Things That Can Impact Your Website’s Search Engine Ranking
Most people looking for products, services, or businesses online rarely go beyond the first search engine results page. If your website isn’t front and center online, it’s a sign you need to pay attention to some important details. The experts at Saba SEO, a leading SEO agency in San Diego, discuss a few common mistakes that could decrease your search engine ranking.
Being Impatient
Whether you’re just launching a website or you’ve made changes to an existing one, it’s going to take time for Google to properly crawl it. According to some estimates, it can take anywhere from four months to a year after changes to a site are implemented to see results. In the meantime, simply pay attention to how visitors are interacting with your site right now and have some patience.\
Using the Wrong Keywords
Let’s say you run a company that makes high-quality pizza pans and you decide to use “pizza” as your main keyword. In time, you may discover your business isn’t ranking well for that particular keyword. The reason may be that most people searching for “pizza” are looking for places that make pizza, not companies that make pizza pans. Use tools like Google’s Keyword Planner to see what keywords people are using to find what you have to offer, and adjust your keyword list accordingly.
Overlooking Other Website Essentials
A website that looks amazing isn’t necessarily going to rank well. Some of the reasons your site isn’t ranking well include:
- Outdated or duplicate content
- Confusing or insufficient navigation
- A website that isn’t mobile-friendly (a big issue for Google these days)
- Overlooked technical aspects of SEO (e.g. alt tags, schema markup, meta tags)
Ignoring the Quality of Your Links
Relevant links pointing back to your site are generally seen as a sign of authority by Google. However, there are also instances when links to your site may be coming from questionable sources, which is why you should stay away from link schemes and avoid buying links. Also, get into the habit of using backlink checker tools like Ahrefs Backlink Checker to make sure links aren’t affecting your site in the wrong way.
Not Checking Your Site for Suspicious Activity
Some unscrupulous competitors use negative SEO tactics like inserting malicious code onto websites or purposely pointing questionable links back to sites. One way to guard against these unethical tactics is to use website checker tools to assess your site’s overall quality. Some tools go a step further and alert you when something fishy is going on with your website.
Forgetting About the World Outside of Your Website
Getting everything right with on-site SEO may not help you rank well if you’re overlooking the world outside of your website. You’ll have to consider off-site SEO, which includes email campaigns and blog posts with links back to your site. Paid ads and promotional videos can also steer traffic to your site. Don’t forget to keep an eye on what your competitors are doing to attract the attention of the same searchers.
Failing to Correct Google Penalties
Even a single penalty from Google could significantly reduce your online ranking. A good place to check for penalties is in Search Console. Click Search Traffic and Manual Actions to see if anything is listed. Common Google penalties that may affect rankings include:
- User-generated spam (no-follow links can minimize this problem)
- Too little content on various webpages
- Hidden text, keyword stuffing, and other tactics designed to fool crawlers
- Unnatural or questionable links
Even small changes can make a difference with how your website performs. Sometimes all it takes is attracting backlinks from high-quality sources, adjusting keywords, updating content, or correcting some technical SEO issues to make a site more appealing to searchers and search engines. Fortunately, all activities and actions related to your website can be conveniently tracked so you can see what’s working and what needs some tinkering.
If you want to boost your website’s online ranking, turn to Saba SEO. As a leading SEO company in San Diego, we have created winning digital marketing strategies for organizations all over globe. Our experts can create a comprehensive SEO strategy for your business that is sure to result in increased conversion rates and more traffic. We have over ten years of experience in search engine optimization, content development, and paid marketing. To schedule an appointment with one of our knowledgeable SEO Managers, give us a call at 858-277-1717 today.