5 things that you should have understood in SEO
SEO - a long-term investment - SEO or rather simple: Search Engine Optimization - is a topic that has already taken a look at every company that has a presence on the Internet in some way. The goal is always the same: to appear in the upper ranking in the organic search with keywords relevant to the target group.
What most companies underestimate is that SEO also means work. A good ranking depends on many factors and rarely happens by chance.
Especially large companies prefer to rely on the supposedly simpler solution and spend huge amounts every year to make it to the top of the ranking with their relevant keywords on Google & Co. No question: The professional use of services such as AdWords or similar is in any case a useful addition to a successful marketing mix, a long-term SEO strategy, however, contributes to long-lasting good rankings and can thus represent the cheaper option in the long run.
Many entrepreneurs are of the opinion that their online presence is sufficiently search engine-optimized, but they still commit avoidable mistakes. We'll show you the solutions to 5 common mistakes you may still have in your SEO strategy.
Mistake # 1: "Good rankings come at some point"
Relevant search engine rankings depend on countless factors. One is your active action! You would like to be found by your target group? Then make it as easy as possible for the search engines right from the start! Many people still believe that good rankings can not be influenced by Google. But that's only half the story.
Solution: If you're active right from the beginning, at least make it easier for Google to deliver your sites as a result. One of your new best tools: The Google Search Console. Put simply, with this tool you are actively telling Google your desire for Google to index your website. Important: Please submit the sitemap of your page here - this is the only way the search engine has a complete overview of your entire website.
You can also use the Search Console to create and manage the look of specific search results (called rich cards). Furthermore, this tool shows you errors that are directly related to your SEO success (eg broken links).
Mistake # 2: You think that your website is fast enough
Hand on heart: How many times have you seriously thought about whether your website is fast enough for Google?
In fact, the load and build speed of your page is a relevant criterion for whether Google places you in the upper ranks as a result. Google has little interest in delivering results users have had a bad experience with. In this day and age, when everything is about to happen, fast loading and setup times are more important than ever.
Helpful tools to find out how fast your website is:
Google PageSpeed Insights
WebPagetest.org
Binding guideline values are difficult to determine here. In general, the faster your page is, the more user-friendly it's rated by Google.
Bug # 3: You are not interested in your URLs
Have you never really paid attention to the URLs of your website? They should change that as soon as possible. A website is dynamic: If at the beginning it usually only consists of the homepage and some subpages, then after a few months it will already have grown many times over. Here it is important to keep track.
Solution: SEO expert Franz Enzenhofer recommends six criteria that your URLs have to fulfill, decreasing their importance from important to less important:
1. A URL must be unique.
Duplicate URLs are not possible, similar URLs can lead to confusion.
2. A URL must be permanent.
Do not lead Google in the wrong path. However, if a URL ever changes, be sure to set up a 301 redirect.
3. URLs must be easy to manage.
Landing Pages, Categories, Forms, Thank You Pages etc. A website can grow strongly over a longer period of time. Therefore, make sure from the beginning that you apply a URL structure that is still clear when your page has grown up.
4. URLs must be scalable.
Who knows how many pages your website will have in three years?
5. URLs must be short and concise.
Nobody can remember cryptic URLs. Google also displays the URL in the search results, so it should be concise and visually appealing.
6. URLs should reflect the content of the page in keywords.
The URL should content to the page pass.
Mistake # 4: You neglect your content
Your target group has a problem, and you have the solution? Then yell (b) out into the world!
A website that shows your target audience beautiful pictures and videos of your corporate headquarters may be a great thing, but rarely does it help your target person find them on Google when they're looking for a solution to their problem is.
Solution: Again, it's the mix that matters! Show on your website that you understand your craft and communicate to your target group, for example in a company blog, that you have solutions to their problems. Ideally, your solutions presented are directly implementable by your target person.
Part of a good content strategy is to keep your content up-to-date, complete and always check to see if any content is still relevant. Content that does not withstand the review should be deleted at regular intervals.
Mistake # 5: SEO is not clearly communicated as a goal
The goal of every company's online presence is to be found by the relevant persona. In the long term, this goal can only be achieved if SEO is a high priority in your company. A graphically sophisticated website will not add much to your success if it is not found by your target audience.
Solution: Communicate clearly in the company what you want to achieve with your online offer. Keep in mind that SEO can only be successful if all relevant departments (IT, Marketing & Communication) pursue the same goal. Ideally, you are responsible to a person for these departments to work hand in hand on all SEO issues.
SEO can only be successful if a website operator has an active influence on the implementation of the most important SEO-relevant criteria.
The most important basis for this is to be aware that search engine rankings can be actively influenced over a long term. If one is aware of this and willing to put the necessary effort into SEO measures, this not only pays off through better rankings, but also shows in the long run through higher user numbers and thus greater organic scope.
Finally, it should be said that this article reflects only a part of important SEO-relevant criteria and above all has the intention to draw attention to a basic problem: The topic of SEO is still a niche existence in many companies.
