Monday, August 29, 2022

Identifying and Repairing Common SEO Problems

 


When you're having a problem with online SEO Google can seem impossible to handle at times, but with a bit of careful thought and some knowledge of how it works your website can be back to normal in no time.  

You're better off setting some time during your schedule to fix these SEO problems than leave them to escalate and become unmanageable.  Once you start fixing your problems you'll notice your website traffic go up, along with your website ranking.  

Don't panic if you're not that technically minded, I'm not either, but I've learned a lot about SEO, and am still learning.  It pays to be in the loop than out of it.

So let's take a look at some of the most popular SEO problems.

Website Content Not In-Depth Enough

Despite everything you read about a person's concentration span, they're actually longer than you think.  Which is why Google is looking for websites with a broader scope of information, that's readable and thorough.  

Websites that regularly provide this kind of long-form content are rewarded, while sites that supply shorter pages may not be quite as popular with Google.  Long-form content is looked upon as the most favourable type of content and acceptable in the eyes of  Google, which means it will be more readily indexed.

Too Much Content That Is Duplicate or Matches Other Content on a Website

Duplicate content or information can confuse search engines and lead to a lower ranking.  This is because search engines are looking at your website, see the same content repeated and don't know which page to  rank.    Which is why valuable evergreen content is key to a successful website.  

Overlooked Alt Tags, Broken Images and Links

Images and alt tags are an important part of content marketing, and can become problematic if they're not managed properly.

Alt Tags

Alt tags are particularly useful for those that are visually impaired or blind because the information inserted within the alt tag describes to the user what the image is about.

Broken Images and Links


Broken links provide the user with a bad experience, and will make visitor's go to other websites for the information. 

A good place to start looking for broken links is with a free broken link checker:

1. Siteliner

2. Broken Link Check 

Your Website Isn't Mobile Friendly

Mobilising your website is something you should do as soon as you start a website.  Without any mobile optimization you might as well give up now.  People are experiencing the internet through their phones and other devices, more than by PCs and laptops.

Remove Unnecessary Code

Websites with more HTML than content will rank lower than those with less HTML.  This is often because:

  • Website is poorly coded
  • May contain hidden text (A trick spammers use)
  • Will slow site down

You can easily eliminate this problem by:

  • Getting rid of all unnecessary code
  • Put inline scripts into separate files
  • Have a more content oriented website 

Low Word Count or Amount of In-Depth Content

Writing short pithy blog posts is okay every once and a while, but Google is looking for comprehensive long form content.  Websites that contain a high amount of low content pages will be ranked down, even though there is no minimum word count.  

Excessive On-Page Links 

"Less is more" when it comes to on-page website links.  You need high quality, relevant on-page links that will bring in high quality traffic.

Dated Content and Information

Old information can mean a significant loss in website traffic.  This is because search engines filter through all information and know what the current trending topics are. 

Long-form evergreen content is the answer, and up-to-date information and topics that cover recent news will help eliminate this particular issue.  

Pages That Haven't Been Indexed

All website pages are indexed, but often bots aren't able to crawl through these pages because of errors, outdated sitemap, duplicate content, low authority or improper meta tags.  All of these factors limit how many people will visit your site.

You can remedy these problems through the Google search console.  Once you've set up your account and sitemaps all of your website URLs will be indexed and you'll be able to see where your website needs fixing.

Over The Top Use of Flash

When flash is overly used it will obstruct the engine robots that need access to the content of a website.  If this becomes a problem your website will be put to the bottom of the pile.  Search engine bots are there to help index your website content so that your audience can read it.

The best way to handle this is by putting little to no flash on your website where possible. 

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