Five SEO Mistakes That Can Hurt Search Engine Ranking

There is no doubt that composing and publishing compelling Internet content in the form of blog posts can increase a business’s profitability and brand recognition.  However, many bloggers fail to identify the existence of problems that can hurt SEO efforts, reduce readership and harm the reputation of a business. 

The following five mistakes have been identified as being among the most damaging to maintaining a successful blog and ensuring repeat visitors.  

Failing to Build a Brand

One of the most important aspects of establishing a profitable business is building a brand that is recognizable and trusted by consumers.  It is critical for bloggers to recognize the necessity of developing a brand that will allow Internet users to identify the blog as a source of quality content and valuable information. 

Brand building strategies can include techniques as simple as displaying an easily recognizable logo on every blog post and on the website’s main page.  A catchy, professional slogan and relevant Internet address are simple ways to help make the blog experience memorable to readers. 

Perhaps the most important aspect of brand building is developing a good reputation among the Internet community.  By engaging in honest, ethical online business practices and maintaining transparent communication with readers, the odds of repeat visitors and referrals can be greatly enhanced. 

Overuse of Keywords

The practice of composing Internet content that is blatantly filled with keywords is dangerous and may have a significant negative impact on SEO efforts.  This technique, also known as keyword stuffing, reduces the readability of blog posts and turns readers off to the content. 

While the judicious use of keywords in blog posts is widely recognized as an effective SEO strategy for instant Google exposure, caution must be exercised when placing keywords in blog posts.  It is best to compose content that naturally appeals to the reader rather than stuffing keywords into every sentence.  

Irregular Updates

Failing to frequently update a blog not only reduces the number of regular visitors, it can also cause penalization by major search engines.  SEO experts recommend updating a blog frequently and on a predictable schedule.  This will prevent search engines from overlooking the blog and will compel readers to return to the site more often. 

Failing to Maintain Complete Control of the Blog

Free blog hosting sites are great in terms of reduction of monetary expense.  However, such hosting sites often claim ownership of all content that is posted on a free blog and reserve the right to remove content at any time without warning. 

 

Professionals caution against publishing blog related content to sites that require bloggers to relinquish control over their content.  Doing so can result in content being deleted and the loss of readers and visitors.     

 Inaccurate or Misleading Post Descriptions

Some bloggers make the mistake of writing blog post descriptions for the purpose of attracting readers.  While compelling language should be used in post descriptions, overuse of keywords and intentionally misleading readers will greatly harm a blog’s reputation.  Like with keyword stuffing, search engines will often penalize blogs that appear to blatantly promote content through inaccurate and misleading descriptions.  

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