10 Common SEO Mistakes: Easy Tips to Fix Them
Did you know startups that focus on SEO can see an awesome 14.6% ROI? Yep, that’s from a study by BrightEdge!
So, if you are a startup or small business who wants to get discovered online, make more leads, fuel your sales and truly engage with your audience — this article is just for you.
Let’s explore some of the most common SEO mistakes that startups and small businesses should avoid.
- Lack of Keyword Research
- No Proper Content Strategy
- Ignoring Technical SEO
- Hiring Cheap SEO Service Providers
- Neglecting Link Building
- Lack of Patience and Realistic Expectations
- Ignoring User Experience
- Overusing Keywords
- Neglecting Local SEO
- Not Tracking the Results
Here are some of the most common mistakes that can negatively impact SEO rankings.
Mistake 1: Lack of Keyword Research
One of the biggest mistakes startups make is skipping keyword research. If that sounds like you, consider this your reminder to start right now!
Why is it so important? If you do not do proper keyword research, your marketing strategies might fall off the mark which can be a waste of resources and lacks opportunities.
Keyword Research is the best weapon to increase your startup visibility & reach more customers to your website.
Well, we all know where that leads
more leads = Growth!
You do not want to miss that right? So let’s dive into some simple tips and tricks to get it done effectively! But before that, let’s understand what it is and why we need it.
What is Keyword Research?
Keyword research means identifying and analysing the words and phrases your potential customers are likely to use when searching for information related to your business.
In simpler terms, it’s the words or phrases they type into the search bar to find results in your field.
This process helps you understand your customers better — like what specific queries they use to find services like yours.
It’s almost like getting into their minds and knowing what they’re looking for!
Why Keyword Research is Critical for Startups
- Understanding user intent:
One of the best things about keyword research is that it gives you insight into what users are really after when they make a search.
Knowing their search intent is very crucial to make better content.
Let’s break down the different types of search intent based keywords:
- Informational: the user is in search of information (e.g. how to train a puppy, 6 yoga poses you can do at home)
- Navigational : User wants to reach a specific website (e.g. “Amazon”)
- Commercial: The user is thinking about buying something, but they need a little more information before they do (Ex: “Best puppy training books” or “iPhone 16 reviews”).
- Transactional: Users want to make a purchase (e.g., “Buy a puppy training guide,” or “iPhone on sale,” or “Restaurants near me”).
Understanding these intend is really crucial when it comes to keyword research
2. Spotting Opportunities:
Ever heard the phrase “low-hanging fruit”?
It’s all about finding those easy-to-reach keywords that have high search volume but low competition.
With some clever keyword research, you can bag these little gems and give your growth a solid boost!
3. Building Your Content Strategy:
Keyword research isn’t just about finding words — it’s about understanding what your audience really wants.
By getting the intent of their search you can create content in which they are interested and engaged.
For example, if people are searching for information (informational keyword), you can write a helpful blog post that answers their questions and shapes your strategy in the right direction.
3. Adapting to trends:
Keyword research isn’t a one-time thing. Trends and interests change, so doing keyword research periodically will help you to stay relevant.
Tip 1: Do a Effective Keyword Research
As a startup or small business, follow these steps for effective keyword research:
- Brainstorm Keywords:
Think like your ideal customer. What do they Type into Google to Find You?
Now list down all those in a excel sheet
2. Find Auto-Suggested Keywords:
Now, head over to Google (in incognito mode to avoid those personalised suggestions).
Type in your brainstormed keywords and watch the magic happen — Google will auto-suggest related keywords for you. These are super important for building a solid keyword base!
Don’t forget to note it down on the excel sheet!
3. Explore Related Searches:
After obtaining those auto-suggestions, go one step more.
Type whatever auto-suggested keywords into the search bar, and scroll to the bottom of that list of results. Notice the “People also search for” section and do take note!
4. Spy on Competitors:
Time to see what your competitors are up to
Use those related keywords to see what keywords they are targeting. Doing so will help to provide you with an understanding of what is paying off in your field.
After you do all these four steps, you have a big list of keywords! The ones that show up common in steps 2, 3 and 4 are your “golden cards” — select 3 or 4 from this common keywords
Next up, grab tools like tools like Google Keyword Planner or Ubersuggest to check whether keywords are of low or high competition (Keyword Difficulty) and how much do people search for them.
This is how you can do it in Ubersuggest
You can paste your keyword in the keyword column of ubersuggest, and just click search
Viola!!
Now you can see the search volume and Keyword Difficulty (KD) , and select the one with good search volume and moderate difficulty
Tools like Semrush and Ahrefs can also help refine your choices.
Bonus Tip:
Aim for long-tail keywords!
They are more detailed, therefore have lower competition.
For example, instead of targeting a broad keyword like “dog training,” you could go for something like “Best methods for house training a puppy”
This keyword is more targeted and speaks to users who are further along in their buying journey, increasing your chances of conversion.
Mistake 2: No Proper Content Strategy
Many startups make the mistake of doing keyword research but not aligning it with their content strategy. When it comes to ranking remember, content is the king.
What should you do? The key is to align your content with keyword intent.
For example, if a user is searching for information like”how to train a puppy,” your website should have a blog that provides that exact information. Sending them to a product page instead won’t work because it doesn’t match their intent.
To succeed, create original content that resonates with what your audience is actually looking for.
Tip 2: Create a Clear, Consistent Content Plan
When building a strong content strategy, understanding user intent is the secret sauce.
You can use tools like Semrush’s Keyword Magic Tool (it even has a 7-day free trial) to get started.
To get started, head to the tool and enter your keyword . Then, select a country and click “Search.”
Now, you’ll receive related keywords along with their intent.
Once you’ve nailed down that intent, it’s time to create content that aligns perfectly with it.
Remember, as I mentioned earlier, if a user is searching for information like “how to train a puppy,” your website should have a blog that provides exactly that information.
Or, if they search for terms like “the best dog training equipment to buy,” you should have a product page and content featuring the same keyword.
This mantra should be ingrained in your brain!
Now that you’ve got your keyword and understand the intent, it’s time to craft a compelling headline.
A great free tool for catchy headline ideas is SumoMe’s Kickass Headline Generator
Start by selecting the type of heading you want for your blog.
Next, just fill in the necessary information. Sounds easy, right?
Before you know it, you’ll have a strong headline that fits your content perfectly.
With your headline ready and relevant content in place, you’re good to go!
Hooray! You’re all set.
Bonus Tip:
To find out what questions people are asking that have your keyword, use Answer The Public.
Just enter the keyword you’re targeting and select the country you’d like the search results from.
You’ll instantly see what people are asking. Super simple, right?
Always stick to their list or table view — trust me, the wheel view will just make your head spin!
It’s an amazing tool for generating blog ideas. Plus, you’ll get details like search volume and CPC, helping you create content that hits the mark.
Another great tool for sparking your blog ideas is twinword
Just like with Answer the Public, you simply enter your keyword, pick the country, and wait a second — boom, it’s all done!
If you’re wondering which tool I prefer, honestly, both are fantastic. But Twinword has a few extra perks, like:
- Efficiency Score: Shows which keywords are best to include in your content.
- Title Score: Suggests the best keywords for your title (go for ones with a score above 2).
- Relevance: Tells you how closely each keyword relates to your original search term.
So, why not use both? The more information, the better!
And When it comes to headings, it’s always best to capitalise the first letter of each word.
Need help with heading capitalisation?
There’s a great tool called Capitalize My Title that makes sure your headings are spot-on.
It’s quick, easy, and ensures your headings look perfect every time!
Mistake 3: Ignoring Technical SEO
You might think, “I’ve got my keyword and a solid content strategy — everything should fall into place now.”
But even if you nail those, if you skip the technical SEO part, your rankings can still take a hit.
For startups and small businesses, reaching the top 10 search results (those valuable “blue links”) is the goal.
Ignoring technical SEO can lead to slow load times, poor mobile usability, and even indexing problems. All of these can seriously damage your visibility.
Why is Technical SEO so Important?
- Search Engine Crawling and Indexing: Search engines rely on bots to crawl and index your content. If these bots can’t easily navigate your site, your rankings could drop — or worse, your site might not show up at all.
- User Experience Matters: You might have the prettiest website in existence, but if it is clunky or slow to use potential visitors will leave very quickly. It increases your bounce rate and tells search engines that visitors do not find the website user-friendly.
- Mobile Optimisation: The reality is, a majority of people browse on their phones nowadays. Not having a mobile-optimised site will hurt you both in user experience and rankings.
Tip 3: Optimise Your Site with Technical SEO
There are several important areas you should concentrate on in order to optimise your page for technical SEO:
1. Optimise Site Speed
One of the first things you should focus on for your website as a startup or small business is site speed.
It’s crucial for SEO, and surprisingly, some factors that slow down your site can easily go unnoticed.
Research shows that users expect a webpage to load in under three seconds. If it takes longer, you might see a significant drop in traffic and conversions — not ideal, right?
If you already have a website, you can check its loading speed using PageSpeed Insights.
Simply enter your URL here to see how you’re doing.
This tool provides speed metrics for both desktop and mobile devices, along with an SEO score and tips to help you make your site faster.
Now, let’s dive into what you can do to boost that speed!
Strategies for Improving Site Speed:
- Minimise HTTP Requests: Each element (images, scripts, stylesheets) on a page requires an HTTP request. Fewer requests = faster load times. Combine files wherever possible to speed things up!
- Compress Images: Large images can be a major culprit behind slow load times. Convert images to WebP format and compress them under 100kb. You can use the free tool Squoosh to get this done without sacrificing quality.
- Enable Caching: Browser caching lets returning visitors load your page faster since it won’t reload everything from scratch. This can make a big difference for regular users.
- Use Content Delivery Networks (CDNs): CDNs store your content on multiple servers worldwide, delivering it from the closest one to your user’s location. With global traffic on the rise, this is a smart move.
2. Make Sure Your Website is Mobile-Friendly
Let’s face it, if your website isn’t responsive, you’re at big risk.
Now-a-days most people use their phones, so you will have to make sure that your website occupies a flawless position across all the platforms.
Here’s the deal:
- Responsive Design: Your website should respond and be flexible to whatever device someone is using — phone, tablet, laptop — you name it. This way, no matter how they find you, everything looks clean and easy to use.
- Touch-Friendly Buttons: No one wants to zoom in just to click a button. Make sure your links and buttons are big enough to tap easily. It’s a small tweak that makes a huge difference!
3. Get Your Pages Indexed Properly
If search engines can’t find your pages, neither will anyone else. Here’s how to make sure your site gets indexed and shows up in search results:
- Create an XML Sitemap: Think of this like giving Google a map of your website. Just add /sitemap.xml to your website URL, like this: https://shahanashabin.com/sitemap.xml you can see your site map , don’t forget to submit it to Google Search Console for indexing . Now everything is Done and done!
- Use Robots.txt Wisely: This little file tells search engines what to look at and what to skip. Make sure you’re not accidentally blocking pages you want people to see.
- Fix Broken Links: Broken links? Not a good look. They frustrate users and hurt your SEO. Use tools like Google Search Console to hunt them down and fix them. It’s easy, and your site will thank you for it.
Mistake 4: Cheap SEO Service Providers
It’s tempting, right?
Hiring those cheap SEO services in an attempt to save some cash. Which brings us to point number one: cheap SEO typically means poor results and can even ruin the successful path of your business and sometimes it can even get your site penalized by Google. Not fun.
Tip 4: Avoid Low-Cost SEO Services
Avoid Cheap SEO Companies Instead, hire quality service or freelancers who are already known in your industry. And beware of quick fix promises and black hat tactics. If it looks too good to be true, then it most likely is.
Mistake 5: Neglecting Link Building
Link building is one of the most important aspects of SEO, yet it is probably one of the most overlooked and under-done tasks by startups.
Buying links or using sketchy link farms? Big no-no — it’ll only hurt your site in the long run.
Tip 5: Focus on High-Quality Links
Concentrate on high-quality links from trustworthy sites in your niche. Here’s how:
1. Guest Blogging:
Guest blogging is an awesome way to get external links
Not sure how to start? Search on google “ your keywords + write for us” then you will find the guest blog sites in your niche. Only aim for websites with a Domain Authority of 20 or higher.
2. Broken Link Building:
Look for broken links on good websites and offer your content as a replacement. It’s a win-win — you help them fix their broken links, and you score a quality backlink.
3. Engage in Forums and Q&A Sites:
Hop on relevant forums or sites like Quora. Answer questions, share your knowledge, and where it makes sense, link back to your site. It’s a great way to build backlinks and establish yourself as an expert.
Bonus Tip: You can also look into directories and bookmarking sites. Some people say bookmarking isn’t as powerful as it used to be, but it still has some perks, so why not?
These are some amazing sites you can use for book marking
Mistake 6: Lack of Patience and Realistic Expectations
If you think SEO is going to get you results in the first few weeks?
Yeah, that’s not happening. No matter if you are a start-up or a small business, SEO needs time to deliver its magic.
Tip 6: Patience is the Key
SEO is a marathon, not a sprint!
It can take 6 to 12 months to see real results. Stay patient, set realistic goals, and celebrate the small wins along the way. Keep tweaking your strategy as you go, and before you know it, your efforts will pay off!
Mistake 7 : Ignoring User Experience
It’s easy to get caught up in tweaking your site for search engines and the real people visiting your site are just looked over.
But here’s the thing — Google cares a lot about this user experience. They analyze things like how long people stick around, how quickly they leave, and how many pages they visit.
Tip 7: Make Your Website Easy to Navigate
Put yourself in your users’ shoes!
Is your website easy to use? Are your call-to-action buttons obvious?
Make sure your site is fast, mobile-friendly, and easy to navigate.
Keep your content valuable and engaging.
And don’t hesitate to ask for feedback — your users can provide great insights to enhance their experience even further!
Mistake 8: Overusing Keywords
Everyone knows that keywords are important, right?
However, some startups go overboard and resort to keyword stuffing, hoping it will boost their rankings.
But guess what? Google is aware of this tactic, and it will actually harm your site instead.
Tip 8: Use Keywords Naturally
Instead of packing your content with keywords. Work them naturally within your content, meta tags, and alt text — but don’t overdo it. However, write content your audience loves to read and the SEO benefits will follow.
Mistake 9: Neglecting Local SEO
If your business relies on local customers, you should focus on Local SEO.
Yet countless startups fail to overlook it, and in turn, also miss highly sought-after customers looking for services similar to theirs within a certain geographic location.
Tip 9: Optimise Your Google My Business Listing
Start by claiming and optimising your Google My Business listing.
Make sure your business name, address, and phone number (NAP) are accurate everywhere online.
Build your presence on local directories, and encourage happy customers to leave reviews.
Don’t forget to sprinkle local keywords into your content!
The easier it is for local customers to find you, the better!
Mistake 10: Not Tracking Your Results
A lot of startups jump into SEO without really knowing if their efforts are paying off. They forget to set clear goals, don’t monitor their progress, and miss out on making smarter, data-backed decisions.
Tip 10: Set Goals, Track Progress, and Learn
First things first: set clear SEO goals and track them with tools like Google Analytics and Google Search Console.
Monitor key metrics such as organic traffic, rankings, and conversions.
Once you’ve gathered the data, determine what’s working and what isn’t, then adjust your strategy accordingly. SEO is all about testing, tweaking, and improving!
Avoiding these 10 common SEO mistakes will provide your startup with a solid foundation for long-term success.
Just remember, SEO is a marathon, not a sprint. Keep creating valuable content, building your authority, and always prioritise user experience. For the best results, consider working with a digital marketing strategist in Kochi
With a bit of patience and determination, your startup can climb its way to the top of search results!
