There are three common mistakes we often encounter on the websites of our new potential clients. These can significantly disadvantage you in the battle for Google’s top search results, and since they are easily correctable – meaning they don’t require specialised knowledge like technical SEO does – we recommend avoiding them or correcting them if you’ve already made them as soon as possible.
Low-quality content
When discussing SEO, we often focus on technical details: keywords, anchor texts, and link building. But let’s remember the fundamental importance of content quality. Low-quality content not only doesn’t help your website’s ranking but can even harm it.
Why is low-quality content a problem?
Credibility and user experience: First impressions are crucial. If visitors find poor-quality content on your site, it damages your brand’s credibility. Users quickly move on, leading to a high exit rate that negatively affects SEO.
Search engine ranking criteria: Google and other search engines increasingly focus on content quality. Low-quality content that does not meet the user’s search intent can result in lower rankings.
How can we recognise low-quality content?
Lack of originality: Unique and original content is vital. It won’t stand out if you copy your competitors’ content or produce generic, meaningless text.
Inadequate response to user queries: Content must answer users’ questions. Your content must be valuable, informative, and relevant, considering the user’s original search intent to meet user intent.
Grammatical and spelling errors: Poor grammar and spelling undermine the credibility of the content. This undermines the professional appearance and reduces user trust.
Tips for creating high-quality content
Original and relevant content: Ensure your content contains unique and valuable information. This is important not only for SEO but also for building your brand’s credibility.
Focus on user intent: Understand your target audience and the type of content they seek. Content must meet users’ needs and answer their questions. If a user is looking for a product, we should appear with products or product categories; if they are looking for information, then with a blog post or an answer from the frequently asked questions on our website.
Grammatically correct and readable: Content should be easily understandable and well-edited. Avoiding spelling and grammatical errors enhances the professional appearance.
Avoiding low-quality content is essential not only from an SEO perspective but also for preserving your brand’s long-term reputation and credibility. Creating high-quality, valuable, and relevant content is time-consuming, but it’s a long-term investment that pays off on the road to success.
Keyword stuffing
In the world of SEO, keyword stuffing is a practice that must be avoided at all costs. This process involves the artificial and excessive use of keywords in content, hoping to improve the website’s search engine ranking. However, this technique does more harm than good.
What is keyword stuffing, and why should it be avoided?
Manipulative technique: Keyword stuffing aims to manipulate search engine algorithms. However, Google and other search engines have been developing algorithms to recognise and penalise this practice for years.
Negative user experience: Excessive keyword usage deteriorates the readability and meaning of the text, negatively affecting the user experience. Visitors quickly lose interest if the content appears artificial and forced.
How can it be avoided?
Natural language use: Write naturally. Use keywords only when they genuinely add to the content and naturally fit into the text context.
Contextual placement of keywords: Keywords should be relevant and meaningful within the content context. Don’t force keywords into situations where they don’t fit.
Use of LSI keywords: LSI (Latent Semantic Indexing) keywords are expressions related to the main keyword but not identical. They help search engines understand the topic of the content without the need for excessive keyword usage. This includes conjugated forms and synonyms, among others.
The importance of avoiding keyword stuffing
Avoiding keyword stuffing is important not only to comply with the strict guidelines of search engines but also to ensure that the content remains valuable and relevant to the target audience. Natural and meaningful content promotes long-term SEO success and brand loyalty growth.
Over-optimised anchor texts
Over-optimised anchor texts are another SEO trap, very similar to keyword stuffing. This practice occurs when websites excessively use specific, keyword-rich anchor texts for internal and external links, hoping to improve the ranking of those keywords.
Why is over-optimised anchor text a problem?
Detection of search engine manipulation: Search engines like Google use advanced algorithms to identify unnatural and manipulative link-building practices. Over-optimised anchor texts can backfire, leading to a decrease in website ranking.
Deterioration of user experience: Overly optimised anchor texts can appear artificial and forced, which can degrade the user experience. It can be disruptive for visitors if the text context is not natural, thereby reducing the value and credibility of the content.
How can over-optimised anchor texts be avoided?
Natural and varied anchor texts: Use various and natural anchor texts. Avoid overly keyword-rich and one-sided anchor texts. Anchor texts should be relevant and natural within the content context.
Use of brand names and neutral texts: Using the brand name or neutral texts, such as “click here for more information,” can help avoid over-optimisation. This approach helps maintain naturalness and relevance.
Consideration of relevance and context: Anchor texts should reflect the content and context of the targeted page. Anchor texts should be informative and helpful to users, not just search engines.
