8 Common SEO Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

Common mistakes in search engine optimization (SEO) for websites, both for Google and users, often stem from partial knowledge or lack of awareness.

The most frequent mistakes include:

• No security certificate
• Slow website load times
• Internal linking without value (the classic "Click here") instead of strengthening internal topics and keywords
• No ALT texts for images
• Using keywords in Google MyBusiness entries
• No linking of Google Maps with the website
• Frequent repetition of keywords in the text ("Your keyword density must be 30%")
• Not regularly reviewing and updating your own entries, regardless of which page they are on

No Security Certificate

Considering data privacy, personal data must be transmitted in an encrypted manner over the internet. Therefore, an installed SSL certificate is mandatory to ensure data protection. A contact form without SSL encryption is also not GDPR-compliant.

The latest versions of Firefox and Chrome browsers explicitly warn users when a site is accessed without a certificate:

Internal Linking

Internal linking serves the purpose of strengthening individual pages and topic areas for specific themes. A link with "click here," where the here is underlined and linked, is certainly less meaningful than a Seybold - Directions to the Agency.

No ALT Texts for Images

Images on the internet are extensively searched: 50% of searches are image searches, especially with the new image search features from Google. Google shows information about images in its image search. In the context of images, there are textual information, including captions that also reveal the title of the website where the image is published.

With Google Lens, products can be specifically searched for through images. Without tagging images appropriately, finding them can be difficult. Also, remember to name the images accordingly before uploading them to your CMS. A "Google-ranking-after-optimization.jpg" is much more meaningful than a "b23423ndsm.jpg".

Using Keywords in Google My Business

It’s quite common to see businesses using keywords in their company name on Google My Business. For example, a business might list itself as "criminal lawyer stuttgart":

This contradicts Google's guidelines for a listing on Google My Business. This could lead to exclusion from Google Maps. Taking such a risk and becoming unfindable on Google Maps is definitely not worth it.

No Linking of Google Maps with the Website

Linking your Google Maps entry with your website sends a clear signal to Google about the connection between your Maps entry and your website. Google recognizes that this business address belongs to you.

Keywords in the Text

Frequently repeating keywords in the text ("Your keyword density must be 30%"). This "urban legend" has persisted since the early days of Google, keywords, and WDF*IDF – so quite a long time. Certain keywords are supposed to be used a specific number of times on a website.

This is nonsense: What’s important is to describe a topic comprehensively, that is, holistically. This includes covering related subjects, which you can explore with helpful tools like Answerthepublic.

Old Blog Posts: Regularly Check Positioning and Update Content

Older posts that may not yet have made it to the front page of Google should be regularly reviewed, summarized, and updated. This not only keeps the content current but also builds the holistic context that your site should have over time. We have put together a checklist (how to make your content more discoverable) for content marketing that includes these exact points.

You can identify which posts need updating through Google Analytics. Here, you can find out which pages are getting few visits but address interesting topics.

Alternatively, you can use the Google Search Console to see the position of individual pages in the search results and specific search queries. To do this, filter the Search Console results to show positions greater than eleven:

After filtering, you can see all search queries where the result appears in the search results list at a position greater than 11. From this list, simply click on the desired topic:

In the example above, the terminology can be found on page 14.9 on average. Only 0.2% click on the entry.

When you switch the Search Console to "Pages," you can see which pages have a corresponding ranking for this search phrase. Optimization can then help the relevant page to be found more easily and even make it into the top 10.