We all want to grow our businesses as fast as possible, which is why we can’t help but be enticed by adverts from companies that claim they can get us to the top of Google’s search results instantly. Unfortunately, earning a high rank and maintaining it takes time and effort, but the payoff is well worth it. Provided you know how to avoid the most common SEO and online marketing mistakes, there’s no reason why you can’t leverage the internet to increase your customer base and, in turn, your profits.
If you’re outsourcing your digital marketing efforts to an SEO agency, make sure you read the reviews to find out whether they can really live up to their claims. By understanding how to avoid common SEO mistakes, you’ll know whether the agency you’re dealing with is really worth its salt.
Failing to market your website
If you build it, they won’t necessarily come. There are now well over 1.8 billion websites on the World Wide Web, and the vast majority of them receive few to zero visitors. If you want to make sure your business gets discovered, you need to invest in online marketing. There’s no way around it.
Having unrealistic expectations
Again, we understand that you want your business to grow as quickly as possible, but leveraging the internet to your full advantage takes time. Some people aim to attract 500,000 visitors per year, but what they really want is 500,000 paying customers annually. Don’t assume that just because you’re marketing a website, your company is bound to grow ten-fold. However, if you have realistic expectations and keep on top of online marketing, you will see the rewards sooner or later.
Using dodgy marketing tactics
There are still ways to trick Google into giving you a high rank but only in the short term. Google heavily invests in cracking down on cheaters, and if you get caught, the damage could be irreversible. Concentrate on ethical marketing and addressing the needs of your target market, and your online advertising efforts will be a success.
Concentrating solely on traffic
Some marketers focus their efforts on driving as many visitors to a business’s website as possible, but you should only try to target the ‘right’ visitors. It’s better to convert 3% of 1,000 visitors than 0.5% of 3,000 visitors. So, instead of trying to market your business to all demographics, concentrate on your niche.
Relying on paid advertising
While paid online advertising is a reliable way to produce short-term results, it should be mixed with other forms of digital marketing to maximise your ROI in the long run. Optimise your social media channels, develop an effective blog strategy, audit your website every three months, and your online marketing efforts will soon pay dividends.
Hiring a reputable SEO company is perhaps the easiest way to guarantee the success of your marketing campaigns. However, make sure you choose an agency that understands how to avoid the common SEO mistakes detailed above.