Having a website is not the same as being found online. Many small business sites are quietly losing potential customers to simple SEO mistakes that are easy to fix once you know what to look for. Here are five of the most common ones.
Missing or Duplicate Title Tags and Meta Descriptions
Every page on your site needs its own unique title and description that tells both search engines and potential customers what that page is about. When these are missing or repeated across multiple pages, it becomes harder for search engines to understand which page to show for a given search.
Slow Page Load Times
If your site takes more than a few seconds to load, visitors are likely to leave before it even finishes, and search engines take note of that behavior too. Large, uncompressed images are one of the most common culprits behind a sluggish website.
A Website That Is Not Fully Mobile-Friendly
The majority of website traffic now comes from phones. If your site is difficult to navigate, read, or click through on a small screen, it will struggle in search rankings and lose visitors regardless of how strong your content is.
Ignoring Local SEO
For most small businesses, local searches like a service paired with a city name make up a significant share of potential customers. Skipping a Google Business Profile, or having inconsistent business information across the web, makes it harder for nearby customers to find you.
Thin or Outdated Content
Search engines favor websites that clearly and thoroughly answer the questions people are searching for. A handful of thin pages with little useful information, or content that has not been updated in years, gives search engines little reason to rank your site highly.
Turning These Mistakes Into Opportunities
The good news is that every one of these issues can be corrected. A website built with SEO in mind from the start, and maintained with fresh content over time, gives your business a far better chance of being found by the people already searching for what you offer. Contact us today to continue the conversation.