Common SEO Mistakes to Avoid in the Coming Year(updated 2024)

Search Engine Optimization remains the top priority of every online business module. SEO techniques may be changing a lot over the years from desktop searching to mobile and voice search.

Though new variations of searches are evolved, some basic techniques about SEO should not be overlooked. The main purpose of SEO is to rank website pages higher in the search engines and get more traffic and conversions to your online business.

Let’s review some of the common SEO mistakes that you should avoid.

1. Faulty keyword Research

Keyword Research is the base of Search engine optimization. It should be done carefully as it directly affects site ranking on search engines.

The fact is over 4 billion people are searching on the internet, for their solutions, and it is important to note which words your audience is using When people search on Google, they use a specific word and to find out what people are searching in your niche can be very useful.

You may be using the right keyword phrase, but if your audience is using another phrase to describe the same product, your result will not show up in the Google search.

Keyword Placement

Once you get a perfect keyword, you should place it strategically in your post. You should place your keyword in the title, meta description, and once in the first paragraph of the blog.

It is always better to place your keyword above the scroll. As you are all aware, once you arrived at a website page, the content which is visible before you need to scroll down is called above the scrolling content.

so if you place your keyword in the first paragraph, it will be above the scroll and may appear in meta description also, if you don’t write your meta description manually.

Writing your own meta description is a very healthy habit from the SEO perspective, as it shows up in the Google Snippet in the SERP – Search Engine Result Pages. This little snippet can bring you very targeted traffic to your site having much higher chances of converting.

>>== Read Here 10 Tips on How to Write Good Meta Description ==<<

Another major mistake is keyword stuffing in the article. Many have the tendency and belief that it is necessary to use the keyword as many times as possible in the content, and it is a huge mistake for SEO. Google is likely to see it as keyword stuffing and may negatively affect your ranking.

#1 Tip for Keyword Placement

The keyword should be placed in the Title of the blog, in the first paragraph of the content. A keyword must be placed in the meta title and meta description for optimal results.

Many also believe that the keyword should also be placed in the last paragraph of the blog. It’s enough to place the keywords in the above-mentioned places and write the rest of the article naturally.

Best Free Resource for Keyword Research: Jaaxy

I have used many keyword research tools and many are really good, but one tool that is giving results beyond my expectation is Jaaxy.

Jaaxy can be used also for finding domains
Domain Availability: finding domain availability in a click
Site Rank on SERP: within minutes you can find out your rankings on search engines like Google, Yahoo, and Bing.
Search Affiliate Programs: Using Jaaxy you can find niche-related affiliate programs.

Jaaxy is an integral tool for keyword research exclusively for Wealthy Affiliate members, but you can try out Jaaxy for 30 Free searches.

2. Content Not Focused on Keyword

Once you find a good keyword, focus totally on that keyword. As a rule of thumb, target one keyword per post. Choose a low-hanging keyword, that can help you rank better in search engines and try to write helpful and valuable content. Writing content that is not related to your content or less focused on the chosen keyword, maybe adversely affect your ranking.

Google and all major search engines, only rank content that is relevant, focus, and informative. Google will not rank your content higher in rankings if you don’t provide value to your audience and give relevant and much-targeted content to search engines.

# Tip for writing super Targeted Content

If you find it difficult to write content and keep it focused and targeted, here is what you need to do. Always try to give detailed information about the subject to your audience.

Brainstorm ideas about the keyword.

Try to read the psychology of the audience for a particular keyword.

Try to provide the best solution to their queries and problems, as most of the time every search is related to some query, question or problem, your audience may be facing.

Apply 5 W’s to create your super-targeted content. What, Why, Where, Who, When + KEYWORD, is the easiest technique to create your super-targeted content.

For eg., if you are creating content about Affiliate Marketing, you can create content using 5 W’s

What is affiliate marketing?
When and who started affiliate marketing started?
Why you should try affiliate marketing?
Which is the best platform to learn about Affiliate Marketing?
where to find products relating to affiliate marketing?

Even if you write 200 to 250 words per topic, you can easily create 1000+ words quality and relevant articles.

3. Duplicate Content

Duplicate Content can create havoc for your site’s ranking. Copying and plagiarizing content will do not be good for your reputation, on the contrary, Google may push your site down in the rankings.

Google always loos for fresh and original content which is highly informative and quality content. Creating content using software that spins the content, definitely will be harmful to your brand, business.

# Tips for Creating Quality Content

Creating good and quality content may take a while, but Google rewards your efforts with higher rankings in SERP.

Researching, reading, and brainstorming your keyword and related blogs on the internet can give you immense knowledge about any subject.

Another easy way is to create a FAQ about a keyword, for which you want to create content. Ask and write down any questions that your reader may have.

Writing content using 5W is another easy way to create quality content.

4. Skipping Meta Title, Meta Description, and Meta Tags for Images

Meta Title, Meta description is a must if you need good rankings in SERP. You need to manually fill the meta title and meta description, which you will find at the bottom of your content if the AIO or Yoast plugin is installed.

If you don’t fill the data, Google randomly chooses the snippet from your content, which may not be relevant to your heading, Generally, people tend to read the little snippets to know about your content, if that does not interest them, they unlikely to click on the click. A good meta description is a good way to drive traffic to your site.

Alt Tags for images are another factor that will lead to higher rankings in Google. After Google introduced the search by Image, an image on your blog post can give you a good amount of traffic and CTR.

Alt Tag is basically the information about the image, as Google can’t read the image, in a way you are providing information about the image through Alt Tag.

These Alt Tags are important for screen readers and people who can not see and read the blog. By providing image information, you are helping Google to make the content more relevant to differently able people.

# Tips for Meta title, meta description, and alt tags

1. Your blog post name can be different from the meta title. Meta Title is for the search engines and it is limited to 60 characters. Always try to write your meta title within these character limits.

2. always try to make meta description catchy and enticing, Provide your readers the solution they are trying to find in the meta description. If your meta description is relevant to the keyword, chances are you get a good click-through rate.

3. Place your keyword in the meta description at the starting of the description. When people search for that particular keyword, your content will show up in the search engine rankings.

4. Never neglect alt tags for images, with visual platforms like Pinterest and Instagram emerging as strong traffic pullers, focus on optimizing your images also. It can boost the traffic to your site.

5. No Linking Strategy

Internal Links, External Links, Anchor Links, and Backlinks are the pillars of a good SEO technique. If you do not have any proper technique or do not fully utilize these links, it’s very unlikely to get higher rankings in search engines.

You need to have a minimum of one internal and external link in each of your blog posts. Internal linking not only helps to retain the reader on your blog for more time, but it also helps the audience to easily navigate through your website. Internal linking also helps to build you as an authority in your niche. When each blog post is internal links to a relevant and quality post, it is a good sign for your website ranking.

External Linking must be of a quality site. You must link your post to other reputed sites in your niche, it may help to get you a backlink. A backlink from an established site to your blog definitely helps you in ranking.

Buying and Acquiring Backlinks must be avoided at all costs, and can be harmful to your site. Instead of having more low-quality backlinks, it’s always better to have a good authoritative backlink.

Anchor Links should be created using relevant keywords, instead of “Click Here”. You should use descriptive words to explain where your link leads to your readers. The more accurate and relevant it is, the better your rankings.

#Tips for Linking

1. Always create at least one Internal Link within your blog post, it also helps to better navigation and hierarchy of your website.

2. When You create External links, you are directing your readers to one more useful resource, and this is a good sign from Google’s point of view.

3. Try to comment on the authoritative and establish blogs in your niche, as it gives you a quality backlink to your site. When you leave a comment on other sites, almost every time you need to fill in the name of your site and Url Of your site. It serves as getting a backlink to your site.

Apart from these major factors, there are other factors which you need to focus on good ranking in search engines like:

Site speed
Mobile Friendly
Social Media Engagement
Ignoring Analytics

Final Thoughts

Search Engine Optimization has many dimensions and it is not only limited to keywords. there are many factors that can contribute to giving a good ranking to your content.

Besides the above-mentioned factors, the most important factor is quality and useful content. If your content is useful and solves the reader’s specific problem, surely it has a better chance to rank in the Search Engines.

SEO is an ongoing process and every piece of content should be optimized for the search engines. Try to follow the simple tips mentioned and try to avoid common mistakes.

Content Creation and Content Marketing is a huge industry today, but it requires quality SEO skills and techniques to get noticed and ranked by search engines.

In recent times, some SEO trends have changed, like voice search and it may give rise to some other search engines like Amazon and so on beyond Google, but the core of the SEO techniques going to remain the same.

Content Creation is a huge industry today and so the requirement for good quality optimized content will always produce good results.

Hey Friends,

These are some tips on the common mistakes we make while optimizing our content. Besides these tips, do you have any tips and techniques which can be applied to content, which helps in the better ranking?

Pl let me know in the comments below, and if you have any questions, or suggestions leave them in the comments below, I will be happy to answer them. If you find this article useful, pl share it with your friends and family

Common SEO Mistakes to Avoid in the Coming Year