SEO refers to search engine optimization, and it seems easier than it really is. In fact, it’s so difficult that even the experts don’t find it easy at all. That means it’s even harder for ordinary business people, who are much more likely to make mistakes along the way. That’s why in cities like Montreal SEO company experts are always in high demand.
Here are some of the more common mistakes that regular small business owners commit for SEO:
Focusing on Website Design for Desktop PCs
Desktop PC website design used to be the standard when you’re building a website. Many websites persist on using this template in spite of the fact that most people aren’t getting online through large home computers. Nowadays, people go online mostly through their smartphones.
This is not a new development. In fact, among smartphone owners in 2015 52.7% of them accessed the Internet using their mobile phone. In 2016, 57% of all website visits were from mobile devices. In 2017, this grew to 63%.
What this means is that you can’t overlook building a website for smartphone users. In fact, you’re probably better off designing your mobile website first before you adapt it to desktop PC users.
Not Prioritizing SEO
In the old days, people built their websites and then tried to figure out how to make it more popular in search engines. Today, most experts realize this as an erroneous approach. It’s a bit like designing and building a house, and then afterwards figuring out where the electrical lines will go.
What you need to do when you launch a new website or redesign your current website is to have your website designers work together with your SEO experts. The SEO components must be built-in within the very foundations of the website. It can’t work as a mere add-on component.
Expecting Quick Returns
Some people seem to think that SEO is simply about doing black hat tricks online and then voila, you’re on top of the Google search results. That’s not quite how it works. Instead of the sudden explosion, you get the gradual erosion of change. Your website pages will appear in Google results very slowly, and only after months of working hard on your SEO.
That’s why you must never trust fake experts who offer quick results. They’re the modern-day versions of the get-rich-quick scammers.
Of course, there are ways to get faster results through SEO. These are methods that “black hat” experts offer. The problem with these efforts is that they’re unethical and that Google doesn’t exactly approve of them. Once you’re caught (and inevitably you will be), you’ll be banned from Google results for some time and that’s terrible for your website traffic.
It’s a One-Time Thing
Other people think this way: they do SEO on their website, get their results, and that’s that. It’s done. There’s no need to do it again.
That’s extremely inaccurate, because SEO isn’t a one-time activity at all. It’s a continuous effort. It’s like running on a treadmill, as you have to exert some effort even to merely keep your place. What you need to understand is that everyone else (including your competition) is trying to improve their standings in search engine results, and so you have to do the same.
Focusing on “Tricks” instead of Quality Content
Google officials had it right when they said that you need to improve your content if you want to succeed in SEO. While SEO experts do have the technical expertise to make your website more visible to search engines, in the end the quality of your website will be determined by the quality of your content.
