When a business owner creates their first website they usually fall into one of two categories: they type who plans things out or the type who jumps in without looking ahead.

Those that jump in and start creating a website without putting much thought into the future could end up repeating the process and starting over from scratch once they find out what search engine optimization is.

Search engine optimization, also known as SEO, is the process of creating websites that are search engine friendly, thus allowing for higher search engine rankings. This is important, as the websites with the highest search engine rankings generally receive much more traffic.

A common mistake made by beginners is not fully using the title tag. For example, a person may title their home page as simply “home.” The search engines read that title tag, as it provides a quick reference to the subject matter of your site. If the only thing listed is “home,” the search engines would have a hard time understanding what the concept of that page is.

By using something more interesting and descriptive, such as “Donna’s Delicious Donuts,” the search engine will understand that the page in question has a lot of information about donuts.

In other cases some people fail to properly research keywords and phrases before building their websites. This may seem like a boring task – especially if you have a great idea for a business that you can’t wait to start work on. However, this is an essential step and shouldn’t be ignored.

There are several keyword tools available. These tools help business owners determine what words and phrases other people are using when they search for the type of product the business owner is offering.

These tools also tell the business owner how many other websites are using that phrase. It will be hard to get a first place ranking for a term that is being used by several other websites. Your best bet will be a term that is searched for frequently, yet has few competitors.

These keywords and phrases can then be used in the meta tags, as well as in the content of the entire page. While some people do not use these keywords and phrases enough, others over use them.

This tactic is known as “keyword stuffing,” and is easily spotted by the search engines. Rather than helping a site to get traffic it can lead to being punished by the search engines.
It is best to use a keyword or phrase around three times on a page. This will allow the search engines to take notice of it but also allow for the content on the page to sound natural and like normal speech.

If you have made some of these mistakes in the past, don’t worry. These are things that can easily be fixed. With a little time and effort you may find your own website at the top of the rankings.

For more information on how to fix mistakes you made, or avoid them in the first place, join us at SEO Power Up!

Tags: business, keywords, rankings, seo, website

Filed under: General