SEO is a Full Time Job - 7 Common SEO Mistakes (2023)

SEO involves many areas from content writing to technical optimizations and all that falls in-between. It’s a full time gig, not one for just the weekends or as an employee’s third responsibility. If a business website is treated as a part time job…we’ll just say beg you to reconsider, as soon as you can. It can be easy to overlook some items, especially without more advanced tools that allow you, or your employees, to dive deeper into a website. Check out a few common SEO mistakes that can occur without more advanced tools, as well as a few items to keep in mind to routinely check.

1. Content Gaps

BrightEdge is a tool that allows digital marketers to easily identify areas where their content is lacking, or where there is opportunity to rank for a keyword, which can drive visitors to your site. For example, we can input a website URL into Brightedge’s tools and see that site’s ranking keywords and directly compare that to one of our client’s sites. BrightEdge even has a separate tab for opportunity, which makes it beyond simple to generate new ideas for content.

(Video) 7 SEO Mistakes To Avoid

2. Un-Optimized Content

It's easy to enter targeted keywords into the backend of a CMS. However, take it back to basic SEO. Is the keyword in the meta title and description? Is the keyword in a header tag? Is it used in a link from a different page pointing to the one you are trying to target for a keyword? This is painfully simple, but it is also extremely easy to overlook, especially with larger sites. Tools such as ScreamingFrogcan run crawls that will allow a digital marketer to see every keyword, header tag, 404 error, or lack thereof. This is an extremely powerful and useful tool to use to run an initial and continuous audits on a site, especially large ones, to better track down where errors, duplicates or missing content may be.

3. Forgetting about Alerts and Annotations

Working together across digital marketing fields is crucial in order to better fully understand a site and to also avoid common SEO mistakes or other related errors. For example, a search engine optimizer may report on an analytics anomaly that occurred because of a development update. If you’ve got a website that’s being worked on by different people, it can be difficult to keep everyone on the same page, but this can be done using Google Analytics! Four words: Analytics is your friend. Our recommendation is to be sure to use Google Analytics Annotations to clearly mark notable events that may affect the website (and encourage all members of your digital marketing team to do the same). Then, set up a calendar reminder to dive into Google Analytics, set up Google Alerts, or use anomalies detections in tools like BrightEdge to be able to easily track notable change in traffic, conversions and more.

(Video) The 7 Most Common SEO Mistakes (And How to Avoid Them)

4. WWW vs Non-WWW

Choose one. Ensure that the non-www version of site has a 301 redirect to the www version, or vise verse depending on the preference. There are two issues here really, both of which have the same answer. The first is that the non-www URL is not pointing anywhere and returns a 404 ‘page not found’ error. The second issue is that the non-www URL could render the same as the www version – this would effectively create two exact copies of the same website. Either way, you can create plenty of headaches through his inconsistency. You can address this through your hosting provider and then make sure you tell Google which you prefer.

5. Trailing Slashes

It's dupe. Stop your researching now, it is duplicate content. Correcting the issue is pretty simple though and can be fixed with a simple 301 redirect rule for all pages without a trailing slash pointing to the version with a trailing slash.

(Video) 11 Common SEO Mistakes Beginners Make

6. Secure HTTPs pages

This is another duplicate content issue that often gets overlooked. Http and Https pages will render the same exact content. This can occur when relative URLs within the website are used through an automated CMS. In order to correct this, any navigation to non-secured pages should be http. In areas that are not secure, the https version need to be redirected using a 301 to the proper http versions.

7. Not Refreshing Keywords

Do your keywords match what people are searching for? Did you do some advanced keyword research that you thought hit the nail on the head, but then only came to find out that those are not generating traffic to the page, or conversions? Let's take it back a second. As SEOs, it is an awesome feeling when you see a page ranking in position 1-10 for a keyword you targeted. That took work and strategy and is worth feeling good about. However, bottom line, if that keyword is not keeping people on a page, if it is off-topic from what they are really looking for, if it ultimately does not generate more interest or a conversion....what is it good for? Visibility, yes. Visibility worth talking about and attributing to the success of a business, no. Take the time every other quarter or so to revisit keyword targeting on a site. The keywords may be relevant, but they might also need a refresh. Advanced tools can greatly aid in discovering issues with a website as well as helping to explore new opportunities. SEO is vast and things get overlooked on websites every single day, it’s easy to do. If you’re searching for an agency that helps to ensure that less things get overlooked, contact Forthea.

(Video) These 3 SEO Mistakes will CRIPPLE your Traffic

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FAQs

What are the biggest SEO fails? ›

Here are 10 of the worst SEO mistakes even the old masters can still make.
  • Presenting a Poor Internal Link Structure. ...
  • Creating Content for Content's Sake. ...
  • Not Investing in Link-Worthy Content. ...
  • Failing to Reach Customers with Your Content. ...
  • Optimizing for the Wrong Keywords. ...
  • Not Consulting Paid Media. ...
  • Forgetting About Local.
Oct 8, 2021

Is SEO a full time job? ›

In fact, when it comes to paid advertising, managing Google Ads, Bing Ads and Facebook ads is, just by themselves, a full-time job for someone. Once the time is spent setting up the accounts properly, someone doing paid advertising should be working to optimize the SEO campaigns on a daily basis.

Is SEO a stressful job? ›

Any job can be stressful based on the type of performance required by your company. It is the same with SEO-related jobs.

Why do people fail at SEO? ›

One of the many reasons startups fail at SEO is the use of the wrong keywords. Choosing the best keywords can be an exhausting job especially if you don't know that much about SEO or you are in a highly popular niche. Use a keyword research tool for suggestions. Be careful whether you chose short or long tail keywords.

What makes SEO difficult? ›

One of the things about learning SEO that can be challenging is the amount of information you need to read and process. You need to become familiar with powerful tools like Google Analytics, SEMRush, and Moz, which involves a lot of reading and practice.

What is the most difficult part of SEO? ›

The Four Hardest Parts Of SEO
  • Finding Trusted Information. ...
  • Taking a Comprehensive Approach. ...
  • Convincing Others that SEO Matters. ...
  • Paving the SEO Road. ...
  • The Importance of a Great SEO Strategy.
Dec 10, 2014

Is SEO a dying industry? ›

Well, because SEO ain't actually dead. According to Conductor's 2020 guide to job trends and salaries, SEO jobs nearly doubled in 2019 year-over-year and increased 8 percent in 2020. While 8 percent does not sound very high, content marketing jobs decreased 38 percent in 2020.

Which SEO should be avoided? ›

Keyword Stuffing

Using a high density of keywords in your content can look like you are keyword stuffing, which will likely result in a penalty from Google and a drop in rankings. Instead, choose to use your keywords naturally throughout the article and avoid putting them all together as one massive block of text.

What is high salary for SEO? ›

Highest salary that a SEO can earn is ₹7.3 Lakhs per year (₹60.8k per month). How does SEO Salary in India change with experience? An Entry Level SEO with less than three years of experience earns an average salary of ₹2.5 Lakhs per year.

What is the top salary for SEO? ›

$83,500

What does an SEO get paid? ›

SEO Salary. $44,000 is the 25th percentile. Salaries below this are outliers. $76,000 is the 75th percentile.

Can I make a living doing SEO? ›

SEO can be extremely lucrative—but it does take time, effort, and a bucketload of determination to make the big bucks. It's worth remembering that the people making the most money in SEO are not always the most well-versed technical SEOs. Crucially, however, they know how to leverage their skills to make money.

Is SEO a hard or soft skill? ›

Hard skill: Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

Is it hard to sell SEO? ›

It doesn't matter how good you are at keyword research, ranking sites & building backlinks, if you can't get the clients in the first place. SEO isn't the easiest thing to sell, either. There's often misconceptions about how SEO works, the results it should yield, and how much it should cost.

Is SEO a boring job? ›

You can join a good digital marketing course after any undergraduate degree and you can work in SEO. Last but very interesting one, SEO is a very fast pace industry. You always learn something new and exciting. There won't be any boring day in your career.

Why are people afraid of SEO? ›

Some business owners are reluctant to begin and implement an SEO strategy because they believe doing so would make them look gimmicky. This is usually because they've read about or seen instances in which SEO is used as a questionable strategy to earn and buy traffic.

Why does SEO take so long to work? ›

It takes a lot of observation and data collection as well. Due to competition, SEO takes a while to become higher up in the rankings. It can also be difficult to catch up with competition because of the fact they have been around for longer. If a website is continuing to work at SEO, they are still many steps ahead.

Can I learn SEO in one day? ›

Learning all the intricacies of SEO in a single day is not a realistic goal. SEO is a multifaceted and constantly evolving field that requires significant time and effort to grasp fully.

Can I learn SEO in one month? ›

While it's a career-long journey, you can indeed learn SEO in about a month — enough to make a huge impact on your website and thus your business as a whole.

How long will it take to learn SEO? ›

It may take you anywhere from 4-6 weeks up to 5-8 years to learn SEO depending on factors, such as the level you want to achieve, the amount of time you are willing to spend learning SEO, your current experience, how persistent you are, what resources you use, and more.

What are bad SEO practices called? ›

Keyword stuffing

Using the same keywords again and again in an attempt to optimise your writing is a really bad SEO practice.

What are the three most important pieces of SEO? ›

The Three Most Important Components of a Strong SEO Strategy
  • Rankings: Crawling, Indexing, Formatting and Links. ...
  • Quality Content: What Sets Your Website Apart. ...
  • Measure: Integrate your SEO strategy.
Oct 9, 2018

Will SEO exist in 5 years? ›

Will SEO exist in 5 years? Yes, SEO will exist for the foreseeable future. Businesses rely on SEO to ensure their content appears in SERPs, even as algorithms and features adapt to users' needs. This won't change within the next handful of years.

Can SEO make you millionaire? ›

Yes, SEO can make you rich if you earn, save, and invest. But at the end of the day: Wealth is more than money.

Is SEO worth it in 2023? ›

Now, these are enough reasons why SEO is worth the investment in 2023. Not only does it help businesses rank higher in search engine results but it allows them to target users across multiple channels, such as voice search, mobile devices and social media.

What are illegal tactics for SEO? ›

The following SEO tactics are considered black hat and should not be exercised at all if you want to stay above board with Google and other search engines:
  • Content Automation.
  • Doorway Pages.
  • Hidden Text or Links.
  • Keyword Stuffing.
  • Reporting a Competitor (or Negative SEO)
  • Sneaky Redirects.
  • Cloaking.
  • Link Schemes.

What is unethical SEO? ›

Unethical SEO Practices

Making use of automated queries without the permission from search engines. A method of “cloaking” is used whereby content is submitted to search engines in such a way that some text is not clearly obvious or apparent to a targeted audience.

Will SEO become obsolete? ›

Is SEO dead in 2022, forever left in the past with dial-up internet? No, SEO is not dead. If anything, it's stronger than ever before—mostly because there's so much misinformation to sort through before finding good advice around how to do it well.

What is the salary of SEO beginners? ›

Average starting Salary for SEO Specialist in India is around ₹1.8 Lakhs per year (₹15.0k per month).

How much does the average SEO freelance pay? ›

As of Apr 26, 2023, the average annual pay for a Freelance SEO in the United States is $63,781 a year. Just in case you need a simple salary calculator, that works out to be approximately $30.66 an hour. This is the equivalent of $1,226/week or $5,315/month.

How much do SEO freelancers make? ›

SEO Freelancer Salary
Annual SalaryMonthly Pay
Top Earners$99,500$8,291
75th Percentile$75,500$6,291
Average$63,930$5,327
25th Percentile$43,500$3,625

How much is the average SEO per month? ›

While many businesses pay between $1,500 to $5,000 per month for SEO, you could pay as little as $100 per month or upwards of $30,000, depending on several factors. SEO pricing can vary largely depending on the size of your business, the scope of your project, and your SEO provider.

What does a career in SEO look like? ›

An SEO professional is a person who specializes in learning and mastering the algorithms behind search engine results so that they can help their clients and companies appear in search.

What is the monthly income of SEO of Google? ›

The estimated take home salary of a SEO at Google ranges between ₹ 24,510 per month to ₹ 25,956 per month in India.

Do you need a degree for SEO? ›

There are no formal higher education programs specifically tailored to teaching SEO. However, SEO managers often hold a bachelor's degree in marketing or a related field. Keep reading to learn the step-by-step instructions for starting your career as an SEO manager. Earn a bachelor's degree in marketing.

Is working in SEO a good career? ›

It is highly lucrative when you can develop a proven process for acquiring new clients. And the final way to expand your income in the SEO industry is to build websites you own. You can then use your SEO skills to grow organic traffic.

Does SEO pay off? ›

For businesses that do invest in SEO services, they average just under $500/month. In the end, it turns out that SEO is one of those things where you actually do get what you pay for. Businesses spending more than $500/month are 53.3% more likely to be “extremely satisfied.”

How do I get my first SEO job? ›

Here are the most common ways that people become SEO specialists:
  1. Take an SEO course (or several SEO courses)
  2. Learn SEO by optimizing their own website.
  3. Work at a marketing agency.
  4. Take on SEO clients.
  5. Get an online SEO certification or degree.
  6. Work as an “in house” SEO professional.

How to make passive income with SEO? ›

10 Best Ways to Make Money With SEO
  1. Start an SEO Business.
  2. Become an SEO Freelancer (Side Hustle)
  3. Set up a Blog and Make Money From Ads.
  4. Set up a Blog and Make Money from Affiliate Sales.
  5. Build an eCommerce Store and Sell Physical Products.
  6. Build an eCommerce Store and Sell Digital Products.
Jan 17, 2023

How can I work as SEO at home? ›

Become a freelance SEO in 7 steps
  1. Brush up on your SEO skills. ...
  2. Create a personal website. ...
  3. Update your resume and portfolio. ...
  4. Dedicate time to thought leadership. ...
  5. Reach out to your existing network, while also making new connections. ...
  6. Consider your pricing strategy. ...
  7. Build your SEO toolkit.
Mar 15, 2022

How do I become a SEO expert with no experience? ›

Steps to Become an SEO Expert
  1. Learn the basics of how search engines work.
  2. Understand SEO strategies and concepts.
  3. Participate in SEO training.
  4. Keep up with industry trends and news.
  5. Get familiar with SEO tools.
  6. Experiment with SEO tactics on your website or blog.
  7. Show employers your efforts and results.
Apr 17, 2023

How hard is it to learn SEO from scratch? ›

SEO is not that hard to learn, but it can be confusing and overwhelming to get started. Learning SEO means learning about a long list of individual digital marketing strategies, which can feel a bit like adding new weapons to your arsenal as you learn how to wield them.

Is paying someone to do SEO worth it? ›

While investing in SEO services isn't cheap, it can be a worthwhile investment if you want to generate more traffic to your site and raise conversions. If you're interested in hiring an SEO consultant, make sure you have the budget to do so.

Is it hard to become an SEO expert? ›

Becoming an SEO Expert is not easy, but it's not difficult. The process includes a lot of reading, practicing, and testing. If you are starting out now, the best way is to take a good SEO course to have all the information in one place, use the right SEO tools, and above all, start practicing SEO.

What are some bad SEO practices that should be avoided? ›

  • Misusing Keywords. Keywords are essential to any SEO strategy. ...
  • Writing for Search Engines, Not People. Most search engines have clear SEO guidelines. ...
  • Spinning Content. ...
  • Over-Optimizing Anchor Text. ...
  • Focusing Only on Google. ...
  • Ignoring Mobile SEO. ...
  • Targeting Multiple Keywords and Their Variations. ...
  • Focusing Only on Domain Authority.
Mar 17, 2023

What words should I avoid for SEO? ›

The most common SEO stop words are pronouns, articles, prepositions, and conjunctions. This includes words like a, an, the, and, it, for, or, but, in, my, your, our, and their.

Is SEO an easy job? ›

SEO is not that hard to learn, but it can be confusing and overwhelming to get started. Learning SEO means learning about a long list of individual digital marketing strategies, which can feel a bit like adding new weapons to your arsenal as you learn how to wield them.

Which of the following is false for SEO? ›

" It not an organic way of attracting traffic is a false statement about SEO".

What is a bad SEO difficulty? ›

A bad keyword is one that has a very high difficulty, that is over-saturated, or short-tail. If you're just getting started with an SEO strategy, you should consider low-difficulty keywords. Track yours with an automated report.

What words does Google ignore? ›

There are certain words that search engines may ignore, both in search queries and search results. Words like the, in, or a. These are known as stop words and they are typically articles, prepositions, conjunctions, or pronouns.

What are SEO phrases? ›

Your SEO keywords are the keywords and phrases in your web content that make it possible for people to find your site via search engines. A website that is well optimized for search engines “speaks the same language” as its potential visitor base with keywords for SEO that help connect searchers to your site.

How do I stand out with SEO? ›

Here are some proven link building tactics to boost your SEO:
  1. Publish quality content: The better your content, the more likely people are to link to it.
  2. Guest post: Share your insights on relevant blogs and websites.
  3. Do your competitive research: Assess your competitors' links to see how you can rank higher than them.
Mar 22, 2021

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