subject: 3 Major SEO Mistakes [print this page] Many new SEO marketers make the mistake of ignoring the on page optimization of their site. SEO is not only about building links but it's also about having various elements in place so that you are able to rank better than others. For example, if you want to get ranked for certain keywords, then these must appear prominently in your site's content. The things you have to be aware of include your title and description tags, keyword density, and having enough original content.
When it comes to your site's on page SEO, quite a few elements come into play. The point is, search engine optimization can only be effective when you have the right balance between your on page and off page factors. Good content and keywords by themselves aren't enough either, as you also need a certain number of relevant backlinks to your site. To get SEO right, it's necessary to include all of the essential elements. Last but not least, keep in mind that successful optimization is a result of constant testing and tweaking. SEO is a constantly evolving field, as the search engines themselves always change, so your approach has to change with the circumstances.
One way to get an advantage over your competitors is to be ready to experiment with something new, no matter what area of SEO it involves. You also should be aware of the mistake of thinking only about outbound links and failing to make use of internal linking on your site. Making optimal use of internal linking can help your site a lot, as this is something the search engines favor, as on sites such as Wikipedia.
You want to show the search engines that you have a site that is helpful to people who visit, giving them the ability to locate what they need in an efficient manner by the way your internal links are arranged. It isn't complicated to accomplish this, as you simply have to decide which pages you want to link together and put your keywords in anchor text. For this to work, though, you can't just add links wherever you feel like it. Your internal linking network has to make sense to both the search engines and the people who visit your site.
You should avoid the temptation of hiring SEO services that promise you a huge number of backlinks or top rankings very quickly. Such services almost always use underhanded techniques to get short term results for you. The search engines, however, have the ability to figure out what you are doing, and you may end up with a lower rank than you started out with, perhaps even de-indexed. You want to carefully consider the reputation of an SEO individual or company before you hire them, so look for recommendations and do your research. After you've checked them out, you can feel safe using them.
Search engine optimization isn't too hard, but you have to learn the ropes to start.
