Distinguished Google Engineer and search optimization expert Matt Cutts is around the web a lot these days, with concerned businesses and marketing strategists asking plenty of questions about the effects of the new Google Penguin algorithm and other updates on their SEO campaigns. The good news? Google’s search engine is better than ever, with fewer spammy results and more sensitivity to naturalistic searches (providing quality results to search phrases that sound the way real people talk, rather than the way computers do).
Recently, he described some of the most common mistakes webmasters are making when it comes to their SEO programs:
1.) Not having a good, navigable website. Did you build your website a decade ago? Unlike fine wines and some spouses, websites do not get better with age. You must ensure your website is easy for consumers to navigate, and without the obvious technical problems that can stop an SEO program in its tracks. The good news? Investing in a fast, intuitive, well designed site pays off not just in terms of good search engine rankings, but in getting more customers, too.
2.) Not including good content. Is your website all pictures? Do you have meaningless strings of keywords or just a video on your homepage? You not only need good, easy to read copy on your pages for the search engine bots, but phrases within them that people might actually use to search for your goods and services. For example, if you’re offering Niagara Falls vacations for your consumers, don’t just write about “Niagara Falls tours.” Add the phrase “trips to Niagara Falls” and “Niagara honeymoons” to your copy. Those are also terms people search for-and need to be on your site.
We found this brief summary very instructive-and helpful for any business wanting to ensure their optimization campaign works as it’s supposed to. See your website in these descriptions? Call us for help in fixing them, and finally get the SEO rankings you deserve.
