5 Common Mistakes Made When Doing Your own SEO Work

As an SEO specialist at Tier Level Digital Marketing, I know how overwhelming the SEO landscape can feel. Between optimizing keywords, worrying about backlinks and climbing the Search Engine Results Page (SERP), it’s easy to misstep. In fact, there are five common mistakes we often see when businesses try handling SEO themselves. 

Let’s dive into these common SEO errors and how you can steeer clear of them.

1. Ignoring Keyword Research

Many businesses make the mistake of guessing what keywords to target instead of using data-driven insights. Quality keyword research involves analyzing search volume, competition, and user intent to choose keywords that resonate with your audience and are feasible to rank for. Simply guessing which keywords to use or relying solely on broad keywords can limit your reach and make it harder to rank.

Here’s what a strong keyword research strategy should include:

• Keyword tools: Use reputable tools like Google Keyword Planner, Ahrefs, or SEMrush to identify relevant keywords.
• Long-tail keywords: Focus on keywords that are specific and less competitive to rank more easily and connect with users looking for exactly what you offer.
• User intent: Ensure your keywords match the intent behind what users are searching for.

Investing time in keyword research can give your site the foundation it needs for SEO success. Without it, your content may fail to rank or attract the right visitors.

2. Overlooking Technical SEO

Technical SEO ensures search engines can find, crawl, and index your site efficiently. Many DIY SEO efforts focus on content and keywords, leaving technical aspects ignored. Yet, technical SEO issues like slow page load times, broken links, or a poorly optimized mobile experience can hold back your site’s performance. Google prioritizes user experience, so technical issues often lower your SERP rankings and frustrate visitors.

Consider these technical SEO essentials:

• Page speed: Use tools like Google PageSpeed Insights to check and improve your site’s load time.
• Mobile optimization: Make sure your site is responsive and user-friendly on mobile devices. Over half of all web traffic now comes from mobile, and Google’s mobile-first indexing ranks mobile friendly sites higher.
• Crawlability: Ensure search engines can easily crawl your site by fixing broken links, removing duplicate content, and maintaining an updated XML sitemap.

When in doubt, seek help with technical SEO aspects. Failing to address technical issues can keep search engines from recognizing your content’s value.

3. Focusing on Quantity Over Quality in Content

Content is a powerful tool in SEO, but only if it’s well-crafted and valuable. Google rewards content that’s engaging, relevant, and informative, while content created solely to fill space will likely be ignored.

Instead, prioritize creating content that meets the needs of your audience:

• Research-driven topics: Focus on topics that interest your audience and provide genuine value, like solving a common problem, answering a frequently asked question, an/or utilizing your keyword research.
• On-page SEO: Optimize each page with headers, internal links, and keywords placed naturally. Avoid keyword stuffing, which can hurt your rankings.
• E-A-T standards: Google emphasizes expertise, authority, and trustworthiness (E-A-T) in content, especially in industries like finance, health, and legal.

As SEO specialists, we always encourage quality over quantity. High-quality content has a longer shelf life and continues to drive traffic long after it’s published.

4. Neglecting Backlink Strategy

Backlinks, or links from other reputable websites to your own, signal to search engines that your site is credible and valuable. Backlinks aren’t just about numbers; quality is critical. Links from high-authority sites boost your credibility, whereas links from questionable sites can harm your SEO. This tool goes both ways, when other reputable sites link back to your website, ii makes you appear more credible and rank higher.

Here’s how to start building a smart backlink strategy:

• Guest posting: Write valuable content for reputable sites within your industry to earn backlinks and exposure.
• Monitor your links: Use tools like SEMRush to track your backlinks and disavow any that come from low-quality sources (Google’s guide to disavowing links provides helpful insights here.)

A thoughtful backlink strategy can help you grow in search rankings and connect you with a broader audience.

5. Not Tracking and Adjusting SEO Efforts

The final and perhaps most significant mistake is failing to track, measure, and adjust your SEO efforts. SEO is not a one-time task but an ongoing process. Without monitoring performance, it’s impossible to know what’s working and what needs improvement.

Here’s what to track:

• Traffic sources: Understand where visitors are coming from to see which SEO efforts are driving results.
• Bounce rate: A high bounce rate may indicate that users aren’t finding what they’re looking for, suggesting a need for improved content or keywords.
• Conversions: Track how SEO contributes to your bottom line by monitoring conversion rates.

Doing your own SEO is possible but requires a disciplined approach and ongoing adjustments. If you're looking to improve your SEO but need guidance or support, our team at Tier Level Digital Marketing is here to help. With expertise across all aspects of SEO, we can provide personalized strategies that bring lasting, measurable results. Don’t hesitate to reach out and see how we can elevate your SEO game!

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