5 Things A Newbie Should Avoid in SEO
I am a member of many SEO groups and a few forums, and I often experience many newbies asking questions.
Don´t get me wrong, I have nothing against SEO questions, and I try my best to answer a few now and then.;-)
But a few times, it simply crosses my mind — “What on earth are people thinking about?”
The right idea but the wrong mindset
I love when people are eager to learn and ask any SEO questions, but often the same people seem to have the wrong mindset.
SEO is a long-haul game — it is like growing your vegetables in your kitchen garden — they won’t increase full size overnight — even you splash fertilizer all over your ground.
Yelling at your vegetables does not help either! :-)
1.Create quality content with the focus on the user intent behind the search Query
Tools have always been available, and it might be tempting to use an AI tool to write all your content or spin the daylight out of someone else’s content.
Artificial intelligence (AI) tools can indeed be fantastic, but use them for research and to enrich your content — don´t just expect to put in a keyword and hit the magic button and rank then you rank number one in Google.
A tool like Nichesss (Niche$$$) is fantastic for idea generation, but you still have to craft and structure your content. (You can read my Nichesss review here).
2. Don’t rely on automated link building tools
I see many questions related to automated link-building tools — some of those tools are very sophisticated, but they can also harm your website unless you know exactly what they do and how they work.
When it comes to link building, “less is more” — focus on authority links from sites relevant to your niche.
3. You don´t need Copy-Scape — You need quality content
Content optimization is a crucial part if you want to rank on top of Google.
You need to examine what is already ranking and what your competitors are doing.
One of my favorite content tools for that part is Frase.io.
Frase can examine the content already ranking in Google for a specific keyword and provide you with an exact content framework about how you should write and structure your content.
Frase can even pull in relevant content to give you an overview — and here is where a lot of people make a mistake. (You can read my Frase.io review here)
They think they should just publish that content brief! Several people have asked in Frase Facebook Group why Frase does not have Copy Scape built-in.
SEO: It is not about stealing and republishing other people’s content — it is about using other peoples’ content and being inspired and then creating something even better.
You can curate content with a link back to the source, but curation is about quoting others — not just stealing and reusing content.
4. Sites without authority and thin content usually does not rank
SEO is a game where the content that serves the users best will rank in Google.
You need to show both to Google and your users that you have the correct answer to their questions — and your website needs to be legit.
There are particular niches where you would have a tough time ranking unless you have the necessary credibility in the topic.
A typical blogger does not carry the same authority regarding weight loss compared with a professor in nutrition.
The same goes with websites — a site like Forbes has way more authority to rank than a brand new blog.
Google has chosen several nichess related to EAT, “Your money or your life,” where you need to be an authority if you want to rank well.
If you want to be treated as an expert, act as an expert and provide value to your audience.
5. SEO tools are excellent indicators, but it is the hard work that pays off.
Many people ask about which SEO is the best, and many SEO´s would usually debate which tool they use and why.
SEO tools are excellent — but in reality, you can do SEO on a shoestring budget if you have to — at least until you make a few bucks and get an idea of what kind of value you need in your business.
SEO usually starts with keyword research — it is a bit hard to write good content unless you know what people are searching for.
Here are ten free keyword tools to get you started with SEO.
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All the best,
Brian
