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From Google search results to AI chatbots, we optimize your website so customers can find you faster — and choose you over competitors.
Do you have a website? Do you want more people to visit it? Then you need to learn about SEO!
SEO stands for “Search Engine Optimization.” Think of it like putting up signs that help people find your store. When someone searches on Google, SEO helps them find your website.
But here’s the problem: many businesses make mistakes with SEO. These mistakes are like putting up the wrong signs or hiding your store behind other buildings. People can’t find you even when they’re looking for exactly what you sell!
The good news? These SEO mistakes are easy to fix once you know about them.
In this guide, I’ll show you the 10 most common SEO mistakes that businesses make. I’ll explain each mistake in simple words. I’ll also tell you exactly how to fix them. By the end, you’ll know how to make your website easier to find on Google.
This is one of the biggest SEO mistakes that businesses make every day.
Here’s what happens: A business owner writes content about what THEY want to talk about. But they forget to think about what their customers actually want to know.
Let me give you an example:
Imagine someone types “how to tie a tie” into Google. What do they want? They want simple, step-by-step instructions with pictures or videos.
But what if your website talks about the history of ties? Or tries to sell ties? The person will leave your site immediately. They didn’t get what they needed.
Google notices when people leave quickly. Google thinks, “This website didn’t help that person.” So Google stops showing your website to other people.
Step 1: Think Like Your Customer
Close your eyes. Imagine you’re your customer. What problems do you have? What questions do you ask? What words do you type into Google?
Write these down. These are the topics you should write about.
Step 2: Look at What Google Shows
Type your topic into Google. Look at the first 5 results. What kind of content do you see?
This tells you what people want. Make your content similar.
Step 3: Answer Questions Completely
Don’t just give short answers. Give complete, helpful answers. If someone asks, “How to bake a cake,” give them:
Step 4: Use Simple, Natural Words
Use words that real people use. Not fancy business words. Not complicated terms. Just simple, everyday language.
For example:
Right now, more than half of all people use phones to search on Google. Maybe even more!
But many websites still look bad on phones. The text is too small. The buttons are tiny. Pictures don’t fit on the screen. It’s hard to use.
This is a huge SEO mistake because Google knows most people use phones. So Google has a rule: if your website doesn’t work on phones, Google won’t show it to people.
It’s that simple. No phone-friendly website = no visitors from Google.
Step 1: Test Your Website on Your Phone
Take out your phone right now. Go to your website. Try to use it. Is it easy? Or is it frustrating?
Try these things:
If any of these are hard, you have a problem.
Step 2: Use Google’s Free Test
Google has a free tool called “Mobile-Friendly Test.” Just type that into Google, and you’ll find it.
Put your website address into the tool. Google will tell you if your site works on phones. It will even tell you what’s wrong!
Step 3: Make These Changes
Here’s what makes a website work well on phones:
Text Size: Make your text big enough to read without zooming. At least 16 pixels.
Buttons: Make buttons big and easy to tap. Leave space between buttons so people don’t tap the wrong one.
Pictures: Make pictures fit the screen. They should get smaller on small screens.
Menu: Use a simple menu. A hamburger menu (three lines) works great on phones.
Forms: Keep forms short. Make the boxes big and easy to tap.
Step 4: Use a responsive design (learn about mobile-first responsive web design)
“Responsive” means your website automatically changes to fit any screen. It looks good on phones, tablets, and computers.
Most modern website builders (like WordPress, Wix, Squarespace) make responsive websites automatically. If your website is old, you might need to update it or rebuild it.
Ask your web designer about making your site responsive. It’s worth the investment!
Imagine this: You’re hungry. You search for “pizza delivery near me” on your phone. You click on a website. The screen is blank. You wait. And wait. And wait.
After 5 seconds, you leave. You go to a faster website. This happens all the time! People have no patience for slow websites. And Google knows this.
Google wants to show fast websites. So if your website is slow, Google pushes it down in the search results. This is one of the most common SEO mistakes, and it hurts your business every single day.
Let me show you some numbers:
Every second counts. A slow website means fewer visitors, fewer customers, and less money.
Big Pictures: Pictures that are too large are the #1 reason websites are slow. A picture from your phone might be 5MB (megabytes). That’s way too big for a website!
Too Many Things: Websites with lots of videos, animations, pop-ups, and ads take longer to load.
Bad Hosting: Cheap web hosting is slow. It’s like trying to drive fast in a broken car.
Old Code: Old, messy website code slows everything down.
No Caching: Caching is like remembering things so you don’t have to load them again. Without it, your website reloads everything every time.
Step 1: Test Your Speed
Use Google PageSpeed Insights (it’s free!). This is Google’s free speed test.
Put in your website address. Google will give you a score:
Google also tells you exactly what’s wrong.
Step 2: Make Your Pictures Smaller
This is the easiest and most important fix!
Before you upload a picture to your website:
Use free tools like:
These tools can make pictures 70% smaller with no visible difference!
Step 3: Remove Things You Don’t Need
Go through your website. Look for:
Remove everything that’s not essential. Simple websites are fast websites.
Step 4: Use Better Hosting
If you’re paying $3/month for hosting, that’s why your site is slow. Good hosting costs more, but it’s worth it.
Look for hosting that offers:
Some good options: SiteGround, WP Engine, Kinsta, Cloudways. They cost more but make your website much faster.
Step 5: Turn On Caching
Caching saves copies of your pages. When someone visits, they get the saved copy instead of loading everything from scratch. This makes your website much faster.
Most websites can add caching with a plugin or tool:
Step 6: Use a CDN
CDN stands for “Content Delivery Network.” It’s like having copies of your website all around the world.
When someone in Japan visits your website (which is in America), the CDN sends them the copy from a server in Asia. This is much faster than sending it from America.
Cloudflare offers a free CDN. It’s easy to set up and makes your website faster worldwide.
SEO isn’t just about writing good content. There’s also technical stuff happening behind the scenes. Most businesses forget about this part, and it’s a big SEO mistake.
Think of your website like a car. You can paint it in pretty colors (that’s your content). But if the engine doesn’t work, the car won’t go anywhere. Technical SEO is the engine.
Google uses robots (called “crawlers” or “spiders”) to read websites. If your website has technical problems, these robots get confused. They can’t read your website properly. So Google doesn’t show your website to people.
Let me explain the most common technical SEO mistakes:
Broken Links
A broken link is a link that goes nowhere. When someone clicks it, they see an error page.
Example: You link to a page, but then you delete that page. Now the link is broken.
Why it’s bad:
Missing or Bad Meta Tags
Every page needs two things:
Many websites forget these or do them wrong. This is an easy SEO mistake to fix!
No XML Sitemap
A sitemap is like a map of your website. It lists all your pages. Google uses this map to find and read your pages.
Without a sitemap, Google might miss important pages on your website.
Robots.txt Problems
Robots.txt is a tiny file that tells Google which pages to read and which to ignore.
Sometimes people accidentally tell Google to ignore their whole website! This is a disaster.
No HTTPS
See that little padlock next to website addresses? That means the website uses HTTPS, which is secure.
If your website doesn’t have HTTPS (if it just says HTTP), Google won’t rank it well. People also won’t trust it.
Duplicate Content
This means having the same content on multiple pages. Google gets confused and doesn’t know which page to show people.
Missing Schema Markup
A schema is special code that helps Google understand your content better. It’s not required, but it helps a lot.
For example, a schema can tell Google:
Step 1: Use Google Search Console
This is Google’s free tool for website owners. It shows you technical problems on your website.
Go to search.google.com/search-console and add your website.
Google Search Console will tell you about:
Check it once a week and fix any problems it shows.
Step 2: Fix Broken Links
Use a free tool like “Broken Link Checker” (search for it online). It scans your website and finds all broken links.
Then either:
Step 3: Write Title Tags and Meta Descriptions– Learn more about using meta tags for better SEO results.
Every page needs these! Here’s how:
Title Tag Rules:
Example: “How to Bake Chocolate Chip Cookies – Easy Recipe”
Meta Description Rules:
Example: “Learn to bake perfect chocolate chip cookies with this easy recipe. Ready in 30 minutes with simple ingredients you already have!”
Step 4: Create a Sitemap
Most website platforms create sitemaps automatically:
Once you have a sitemap, submit it to Google Search Console.
Step 5: Check Your Robots.txt
Go to: yourwebsite.com/robots.txt
You should see some text. Make sure it doesn’t say “Disallow: /” at the top. That would block Google from reading your whole website!
If you’re not sure, ask your web developer to check it. Following on-page SEO best practices will help you avoid these technical mistakes.
Step 6: Get HTTPS– HTTPS is part of overall website security best practices you should follow.
If your website doesn’t have that padlock (HTTPS), contact your web hosting company. They can usually add it for free or for a small fee.
Most hosting companies now include free SSL certificates (that’s what creates HTTPS).
Step 7: Find and Fix Duplicate Content
Use a tool like Copyscape or Siteliner to find duplicate content on your website.
Then either:
Step 8: Add Schema Markup
This is a bit technical, but there are easy tools:
Start with these simple schemas:
Some websites have pages with just a few sentences. Others copy content from other websites and paste it on their own site. Both are serious SEO mistakes that will hurt your rankings.
Google’s job is to show people the best, most helpful content. If your content is thin (too short) or stolen (copied), Google won’t rank it.
Let me explain why each is a problem:
Thin Content
Thin content means pages that don’t give enough information. They’re too short or too basic.
Examples of thin content:
Why it’s bad: People don’t get their questions answered. They leave. Google sees this and stops showing your page.
Copied Content (Duplicate Content)
This is when you copy text from another website and put it on yours. Some businesses think they’re saving time. But they’re actually hurting themselves badly.
Google is very smart. It knows when content is copied. And Google only wants to show original content.
What happens when you copy:
Step 1: Make Content Longer and Better
Here’s a good rule: most pages should be at least 300-500 words. Blog posts should be 1,000-2,000 words or more.
But don’t just write to hit a word count! Write to be helpful. Here’s our complete guide on how to optimize website content for SEO.
Ask yourself these questions:
If you answer “no” to any of these, make your content better!
How to Make Content More Complete:
Let’s say you have a page about “dog training.”
Don’t just write: “Dog training is important. We offer dog training classes. Call us today!”
Instead, write something helpful like: “Dog training helps your dog behave well and stay safe. Most dogs need training in these areas: sitting, staying, coming when called, walking on a leash, and not jumping on people.
Training works best when you start young, but older dogs can learn, too. The key is to be consistent and use positive rewards like treats and praise.
Our dog training classes teach all these skills in 6 weeks. Classes are small (only 5-8 dogs), so your dog gets personal attention. We’ve helped over 500 dogs in our community learn good behavior.
What makes our training different:
Class schedule: Tuesday and Thursday evenings, 6-7 pm Cost: $200 for a 6-week session Location: 123 Main Street, behind the pet store
Ready to start? Call us at 555-1234 or fill out the form below.”
See the difference? The second version:
Step 2: Write Your Own Original Content
Never copy content from other websites. Always write your own words.
“But what if someone else already wrote about my topic?” you might ask.
That’s okay! You can write about the same topic, just use your own words. Add your own experiences. Share your own examples.
Here’s how to make content original:
Step 3: Add Different Types of Content
Don’t just use text. Add other things to make your content more valuable:
Pictures: Show what you’re talking about. Use real photos from your business when possible.
Videos: Short videos are great! People love them. A 2-minute video explaining something can be worth 1,000 words.
Lists: Break information into lists (like this article does). Lists are easy to read and understand.
Tables: If you’re comparing things, use a table. It makes information clear at a glance.
Infographics: These are pictures that show information visually. They’re great for explaining processes or showing statistics.
Examples: Give real examples. Don’t just explain concepts—show how they work in real life.
Step 4: Update Old Content
Go back to your old pages. Make them better!
Look for:
Update these pages. Google loves fresh, updated content. You might see these pages start ranking better after you improve them!
Step 5: Check for Copied Content (Even Accidental)
Sometimes other websites copy YOUR content. Or sometimes you might have duplicate content on your own website without realizing it.
Use a free tool like Copyscape or Siteliner. Put in your website address. It will tell you if any of your content appears elsewhere.
If you find your content copied on other websites, you can:
Step 6: Focus on Quality Over Quantity
It’s better to have 10 really good, helpful pages than 100 thin, useless pages.
If you have thin pages on your website, you have three choices:
Google would rather see fewer high-quality pages than lots of low-quality pages.
Internal linking means linking from one page on your website to another page on your website. Many businesses completely forget to do this. This is a common SEO mistake that’s easy to fix!
Why does this matter? Let me explain with a story:
Imagine you visit a library. You find a book about “gardening.” At the end, there’s a note that says, “If you liked this book, you might also like ‘Growing Tomatoes’ on shelf B5, and ‘Organic Fertilizers’ on shelf C2.”
That’s helpful! You can find more information easily.
Now imagine there are no notes, no signs, no help. You have to wander around hoping to find related books. Frustrating, right?
That’s what websites without internal links are like. Visitors can’t find related information. And Google’s robots also can’t find all your pages!
Helps Google Find Your Pages: When Google reads your website, it follows links. If a page has no links pointing to it, Google might never find it!
Shows Google What’s Important: When many pages link to one page, Google thinks, “This page must be important.”
Keeps Visitors on Your Website Longer: When people find helpful links to more information, they stay longer. They read more pages. Google sees this and thinks your website is valuable.
Spreads “Link Power” Around: In SEO, links have power. External links (from other websites) give you power. Internal links spread that power around your whole website.
Step 1: Link From Old Content to New Content
When you write a new page or blog post, go back to your old content. Find places where you can add a link to your new page.
Example: Let’s say you just wrote a new post called “10 Tips for Watering Houseplants.”
Go to your old post about “Best Houseplants for Beginners.” Add a sentence like:
“Once you choose your plant, you’ll need to know how to water it properly. Check out our guide on watering houseplants for detailed tips.”
Make “watering houseplants” a link to your new post!
Step 2: Link From New Content to Old Content
This is even easier! When you’re writing new content, link to your old content whenever it makes sense.
Don’t force it. Only link when it’s truly helpful to the reader.
Example: You’re writing about “How to Repot a Plant.” You mention soil. You have an old article about “Best Soil for Houseplants.” Link to it!
“Choose good quality potting soil (here’s our guide to choosing the best soil) that drains well.”
Step 3: Use Good Anchor Text
“Anchor text” is the words that people click on. Make your anchor text clear and descriptive.
Bad anchor text:
Good anchor text:
The anchor text should tell people what they’ll find when they click.
Step 4: Create a Hub and Spoke Model
This is a smart way to organize your content:
Example:
Each spoke article links to the hub. The hub links to all the spokes. This creates a strong connection between related content.
Step 5: Add “Related Posts” Sections
At the end of each blog post or article, add a section called “Related Posts” or “You Might Also Like.”
List 3-5 related articles with links.
Most website platforms can do this automatically with plugins:
Step 6: Fix Orphan Pages
An “orphan page” is a page that has no links pointing to it. It’s alone and lost on your website!
These pages are bad for SEO because:
To find orphan pages:
When you find orphan pages, add links to them from related pages. Or add them to your menu.
Step 7: Don’t Overdo It
Some websites put links everywhere. Every other sentence has a link. This is too much!
Too many links:
A good rule: 2-5 internal links per 500 words of content. Only link when it’s genuinely helpful.
Step 8: Check Your Links Regularly
Links break sometimes. You might delete a page or change its URL. Then all links to that page break.
Once a month, use a broken link checker tool. Fix any broken internal links you find.
Do you have a business that people visit in person? Like a restaurant, store, office, salon, or service business?
Then you need local SEO! This is how people find you when they search things like:
Many businesses completely ignore local SEO. They focus on regular SEO and wonder why they don’t get customers. This is a huge SEO mistake for local businesses!
Small businesses can benefit greatly from local SEO for small businesses strategies. Regular SEO tries to rank your website for everyone everywhere.
Local SEO tries to get your business to show up in local searches. It’s about being found by people nearby who can actually visit you.
When someone does a local search, Google shows:
You want to be on that map and that list of 3! That’s where most people click.
Step 1: Create and Optimize Your Google Business Profile
This is the MOST important thing for local SEO. It’s free and easy! Google Business Profile (used to be called “Google My Business”) is your business listing on Google. When people search for your business or your type of business, this is what they see.
Here’s how to set it up:
Follow our detailed Google My Business strategy for best results.
Once it’s verified, fill out EVERYTHING:
Business name: Your exact business name
Address: Your complete, correct address
Phone number: A local phone number that you actually answer
Website: Your website URL
Hours: Your business hours (keep these updated!)
Categories: Choose the categories that describe your business. Pick the most specific ones!
Description: Write 200-300 words about what you do, what makes you special, and who you serve. Use your keywords naturally!
Photos: Add lots of photos!
Add new photos every month. Google loves active, updated profiles!
Services or Products: List what you offer with prices, if possible
Attributes: Check all that apply (wheelchair accessible, free Wi-Fi, outdoor seating, etc.)
Step 2: Get Reviews
Reviews are SUPER important for local SEO. The more good reviews you have, the higher you rank!
Google looks at:
Here’s how to get more reviews:
Ask happy customers: When someone says they love your service, say, “Would you mind leaving us a review on Google? It really helps our small business!”
Make it easy: Send them a direct link to your Google review page. (Find this link in your Google Business Profile dashboard)
Ask at the right time: Right after they have a good experience. Not weeks later!
Respond to ALL reviews: Thank people for good reviews. Apologize and try to help with bad reviews. This shows you care.
Never, ever:
Google can detect this and will penalize you!
Step 3: Keep Your NAP Consistent
NAP stands for Name, Address, Phone number.
This information needs to be EXACTLY the same everywhere online:
If your address is “123 Main St” on one site and “123 Main Street” on another, that confuses Google.
Pick one way to write everything and use it everywhere.
Step 4: Get Listed in Local Directories
Directories are websites that list businesses. Think of them like online phone books.
Important directories to be in:
For each one:
Step 5: Use Local Keywords on Your Website
Add your city and area names to your website content naturally.
Instead of: “We’re a great bakery.” Write: “We’re a family-owned bakery serving Denver’s Capitol Hill neighborhood since 2010.”
Put your city name in:
But don’t overdo it! Keep it natural.
Step 6: Create Location Pages (If You Have Multiple Locations)
If you have stores or offices in different cities, create a separate page for each location.
Each page should have:
Don’t just copy and paste the same content with different addresses! Make each page unique.
Step 7: Build Local Links
Get other local websites to link to you:
How to get these links:
Step 8: Add Schema Markup for Local Business
Remember the schema from section 4? For local businesses, add the local business schema.
This tells Google important information:
Most local SEO plugins can add this for you automatically.
Step 9: Create Local Content
Write blog posts and pages about local topics:
Example: If you’re a real estate agent in Austin, write about:
This helps you rank for local searches! Want to dive deeper? Read our complete local SEO guide.
Have you searched on Google and seen a box at the top with an answer? That’s a featured snippet.
Have you seen the AI Overview that gives you a quick answer right at the top? That’s new!
These spots are valuable! They’re right at the top of Google, above all other results. Lots of people click on them or read them.
But most businesses don’t even try to get in these spots. They don’t format their content in ways that help Google feature it. This is a missed opportunity!
Featured Snippets are short answers Google pulls from websites and displays in a box. Types include:
AI Overviews are new. Google’s AI reads multiple sources and writes a summary answer. It might include your website as a source!
Both appear at position 0 (above position 1). They get tons of visibility.
Step 1: Target Question Keywords
Featured snippets usually answer questions. So write content that answers questions!
Questions often start with:
Example: Instead of writing an article called “Garden Mulch,” Write: “What Is Mulch and Why Do You Need It in Your Garden?”
Step 2: Give Clear, Direct Answers
Google looks for clear answers. Don’t make people hunt for information.
Here’s a good format:
Question as Header: What is mulch?
Direct Answer (40-60 words): Mulch is a layer of material placed on top of soil in gardens. It can be made from wood chips, leaves, straw, or other materials. Mulch helps keep soil moist, prevents weeds from growing, regulates soil temperature, and makes your garden look neat and tidy.
More Details Below: [Then explain more]
That first paragraph is perfect for a featured snippet!
Step 3: Use Lists and Tables
Google loves lists and tables for featured snippets.
If you’re explaining steps, use a numbered list:
How to Plant Tomatoes:
If you’re comparing things, use a table:
| Feature | Product A | Product B |
| Price | $50 | $75 |
| Weight | 2 lbs | 3 lbs |
| Warranty | 1 year | 2 years |
Step 4: Format Your Content Properly
Use proper HTML headers (H1, H2, H3). Most website builders do this automatically when you choose heading styles.
Structure:
Example:
H1: Complete Guide to House Plants
H2: What Are the Best House Plants for Beginners?
H3: Snake Plant
H3: Pothos
H3: Spider Plant
H2: How to Care for House Plants
H3: Watering
H3: Light
H3: Fertilizer
This clear structure helps Google understand and feature your content.
Step 5: Add FAQ Sections
Add a “Frequently Asked Questions” (FAQ) section to your pages.
Format it like this:
Q: How often should I water my snake plant? A: Water your snake plant every 2-3 weeks. Let the soil dry out completely between waterings. In winter, you can water even less frequently—maybe once a month.
Q: Does a snake plant need sunlight? A: Snake plants prefer indirect light but can survive in low light. Avoid direct intense sunlight, which can burn the leaves. A few feet from a window is perfect.
Add FAQ schema markup to these sections. Google loves this and often features FAQs!
Step 6: Target One Featured Snippet Per Page
Don’t try to get multiple featured snippets from one page. Focus on one question or topic per page.
If you want to target multiple questions, write separate pages or blog posts for each one.
Step 7: Look at What’s Already Featured
Search your target question on Google. If there’s already a featured snippet, look at it carefully.
Ask yourself:
Then write something better! You can replace the current featured snippet.
Step 8: Optimize for AI Overviews
AI Overviews are newer. Google’s AI reads multiple sources and creates an answer.
To get included:
The same things that help with featured snippets help with AI Overviews!
Step 9: Be Patient
You won’t get featured snippets immediately. It can take weeks or months.
Keep checking your target keywords. See if your content gets featured. If not, improve it and try again.
Backlinks are links from other websites to your website. Think of them as votes. When another website links to you, it’s like saying, “This website is good!”
Google uses backlinks to judge if your website is trustworthy and important. Websites with more good backlinks rank higher.
But here’s where businesses make SEO mistakes:
Mistake #1: Not trying to get any backlinks at all. Mistake #2: Buying fake backlinks from shady websites. Mistake #3: Getting backlinks from low-quality or spammy websites
All of these hurt your SEO!
Imagine two pizza restaurants:
Restaurant A: 50 people recommend it. Restaurant B: 5 people recommend it
Which one would you try? Probably Restaurant A!
Backlinks work the same way. More recommendations (backlinks) = more trust = higher rankings.
But quality matters too!
If 50 random strangers recommend Restaurant A, but 5 famous food critics recommend Restaurant B, you might choose Restaurant B instead!
In the same way, one backlink from a major, trusted website is worth more than 100 backlinks from small, unknown websites.
Some companies sell backlinks. They promise “1,000 backlinks for $100!” Sounds great, right?
Wrong! These are fake, spammy backlinks. They come from:
Google can tell these are fake. When Google sees these bad backlinks, it punishes your website! Your rankings drop. Sometimes your website disappears from Google entirely.
Never, ever buy backlinks! It’s not worth the risk.
Step 1: Create Content Worth Linking To
The best way to get backlinks is to create amazing content that people naturally want to link to.
Content that gets backlinks:
Example: If you create “The Ultimate Guide to Growing Tomatoes” with detailed instructions, photos, and troubleshooting tips, other gardening websites might link to it!
Step 2: Guest Posting
Guest posting means writing an article for someone else’s website. In that article, you can include a link back to your website.
How to do it:
Learn why guest blogging is important for building authority. Don’t just do this for the link! Write genuinely helpful content for their audience.
Step 3: Get Local Links
For local businesses, get links from:
nderstanding citations vs backlinks will help you build local authority. These are easy to get and valuable for local SEO!
Step 4: Create Linkable Assets
A “linkable asset” is something so valuable that people link to it naturally.
Ideas:
Example: A wedding planner might create a free “Wedding Planning Checklist” PDF. Other wedding websites will link to this helpful resource!
Step 5: Reach Out to People Who Mention You
Sometimes people mention your business but don’t link to your website. Find these mentions and politely ask for a link.
How to find mentions:
When you find a mention without a link, send a friendly email:
“Hi! I noticed you mentioned [Your Business] in your article about [topic]. Thank you! Would you mind adding a link to our website? It would help readers find us. Our URL is [your website]. Thanks so much!”
Most people will add the link!
Step 6: Find Broken Links and Offer Your Content
Other websites have broken links (links that don’t work anymore). You can offer your content as a replacement!
How it works:
“Hi! I was reading your article on [topic] and noticed a broken link in the section about [specific topic]. I actually have a guide on this topic that might be a good replacement: [your URL]. Feel free to use it if you think it fits! Either way, thought you’d want to know about the broken link. Thanks!”
Step 7: Create Partnerships
Partner with related (not competing) businesses:
Exchange links when it makes sense. Link to each other’s resources.
Example: A wedding photographer might partner with a wedding venue. The venue lists the photographer as a “recommended vendor” with a link. The photographer features the venue on their site with a link.
Step 8: Get Featured in Roundup Posts
Many bloggers write “roundup” posts like:
When you see these posts in your industry, email the blogger! Offer to contribute. You’ll get a backlink and exposure.
Step 9: Build Relationships
Don’t just ask for links. Build real relationships with:
Comment on their posts. Share their content. Help them when they ask questions. Need a complete strategy? Check out our proven backlink building strategies.
Then, when you create something great, they’ll naturally want to link to it!
Step 10: Monitor Your Backlinks
Use free tools to see who links to you:
Check monthly. Look for:
If you see backlinks from spammy websites you didn’t create, disavow them in Google Search Console. This tells Google to ignore those bad links.
This might be the biggest SEO mistake of all!
Many businesses spend time and money on their website. They write content. They try to do SEO. But then they never check if it’s working!
It’s like planting a garden and never checking if anything is growing. You might be doing everything wrong and not even know it!
You need to track your SEO results. This tells you:
Without tracking, you’re just guessing.
Traffic: How many people visit your website?
Traffic Sources: Where do visitors come from?
Keywords: What words do people search to find you?
Rankings: Where does your website appear in Google for important keywords?
Pages: Which pages get the most visitors?
Bounce Rate: How many people leave immediately?
Time on Site: How long do people stay?
Conversions: How many people do what you want? (Buy something, fill out a form, call you, etc.)
Step 1: Set Up Google Analytics
Google Analytics is a free tool that tracks all your website visitors.
How to set it up:
If you use WordPress, use a plugin like “MonsterInsights” or “GA Google Analytics” to add the code easily.
Once installed, wait a few days. Then you can see:
Check this at least once a week!
Important Reports to Look At:
Acquisition > All Traffic > Channels Shows where your visitors come from. You want to see “Organic Search” growing!
Behavior > Site Content > All Pages shows which pages get the most visits. These are your star pages!
Audience > Overview: Shows total visitors, how long they stay, and bounce rate.
Step 2: Set Up Google Search Console
Google Search Console is different from Analytics. It shows you:
Set it up:
Once verified, check the following reports:
Performance Report: This shows:
This is gold! You can see exactly which keywords work and which don’t.
Coverage Report: Shows if Google can read all your pages. Alerts you to problems.
Mobile Usability: Shows if your website works well on mobile phones.
Check Google Search Console once a week.
Step 3: Track Your Rankings
Use a rank tracking tool to see where you rank for important keywords.
Free tools:
Paid tools:
Pick 10-20 important keywords. Track them monthly. Are you going up or down?
Don’t obsess over rankings daily; they bounce around. Look at the monthly trend.
Step 4: Set Goals in Google Analytics
Goals track when people do what you want.
Examples of goals:
Set up goals in Google Analytics:
Now you can see how many people complete your goals!
Step 5: Create a Simple Dashboard
You don’t need fancy software. Use a simple spreadsheet.
Track these monthly:
Put all this in a spreadsheet. Update it monthly. You’ll see trends over time.
Step 6: Do Monthly SEO Check-Ups
Once a month, spend an hour reviewing:
What’s improved:
What’s gotten worse:
What needs attention:
Make a list of 3-5 things to work on next month.
Step 7: Compare Month to Month and Year to Year
Don’t just look at this month’s numbers. Compare:
This shows real trends. Traffic naturally goes up and down with seasons. Comparing year-to-year shows real growth.
Step 8: Learn From Your Data
Your analytics tell stories. Look for patterns:
If organic traffic is growing: Great! Keep doing what you’re doing. Do more of it.
If a specific page gets lots of traffic, figure out why. Write more content like that.
If people leave a page quickly (high bounce rate): Something’s wrong. Maybe:
Fix these pages!
If certain keywords bring traffic but no conversions, these might be the wrong keywords. Focus on different keywords.
Step 9: Track Your Competitors
Use tools like:
Enter your competitor’s website. See:
Learn from them! Don’t copy, but get ideas.
Step 10: Celebrate Wins!
SEO takes time. When you see improvements, celebrate!
These small wins add up to big success over time.
Wow, that was a lot! Let’s review quickly.
The 10 biggest SEO mistakes are:
Don’t try to fix everything at once! That’s overwhelming.
This Week:
This Month:
Every Month:
SEO takes time. You won’t see results overnight. Be patient. Keep working at it.
Quality beats quantity. One great page is better than ten bad pages. One good backlink is better than 100 spam links.
Think about people first. Google’s job is to help people. If you help people, you help yourself. Write for humans, not robots.
Keep learning. SEO changes over time. Stay curious. Read blogs. Try new things.
Don’t give up! Many businesses quit after a few months. If you keep going, you’ll succeed.
SEO can feel complicated. But anyone can learn it! Take it step by step.
Start with the basics:
Then build from there.
If you have questions, ask someone who knows SEO. Or hire an SEO expert. It’s worth the investment!
You now know the 10 biggest SEO mistakes businesses make. More importantly, you know how to fix them!
Avoiding these SEO mistakes will help your website rank higher on Google. More people will find you. You’ll get more customers.
But remember: your website is just one part of your business. SEO should support your business goals, not replace them.
Focus on:
Do these things, avoid the SEO mistakes in this guide, and your business will grow!
Now it’s time to take action. Pick one mistake from this list. Fix it this week. Then move on to the next one.
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