Many websites fall foul to certain Search Engine Optimisation mistakes, whether intentional or not. Developing a website without first considering search engine optimisation can make the process of SEO much more difficult in the long run even though the new site owner may not even be aware of what SEO actually is at that stage. Search Engine Optimisation isn’t just about following the right guidelines of what should be done, but avoiding the pitfalls of those things that shouldn’t.

No Search Engine Friendly Content

One of the most common mistakes is a website that has no indexable content. Images can be indexed and ranked by search engines, but sites with very little or no textual content will be very difficult to gain good Rankings and drive reasonable levels of search engine traffic. Happily, this is also one aspect that can be corrected. Add textual content to existing pages or add new pages with search engine friendly content. You don’t need to delete images or substitute good design, both can be included in search engine friendly content.

Improper Keyword Research

Keywords are an integral part of Search Engine Optimisation and should be thoroughly and properly researched in order to generate the best possible results. Some websites, even those with a lot of high Quality Content, make the mistake of guessing or assuming the keywords they use are the most beneficial ones. Good keyword research can indicate less competitive but well searched keywords while keywords used with no research may be prohibitively competitive or have no searches conducted.

Failing To Update A Site And Its SEO

Search Engine Optimisation should be an ongoing, almost fluid process. Keywords and trends change regularly. Seasonality, new products, and the latest news can all have an impact on the keywords used. Some of these changes may be short lived while others can indicate a permanent change. It is vital that data is tracked and changes are acted upon, and new keyword research should be conducted in order to identify any new keywords that may surface.

Poor Navigation

Poor navigation is one of the biggest reasons that web pages don’t get indexed. Image based and flash based navigation can cause problems for search engine spiders, which are deployed in order to crawl web pages. Again, there’s no reason not to use these methods of navigation but a text based alternative should be provided in these cases. It’s become common practice to include a text based sitemap that is compliant with standards set by the search engines and then linking to the sitemap with a text link in the footer of the home page. The sitemap can also help human visitors quickly find their way around more complicated websites.

Search Engine Optimisation

Search engine optimisation should combine the practice of good SEO and the avoidance of bad SEO techniques. While none of the above will get your site banned or delisted, they will prevent the search engine spiders from accessing, indexing, or ranking your site. Alternatively, they may also mean that you target poor, non profitable keywords.

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