Things are difficult for small businesses both online and offline. Many small businesses try to go it alone when it comes to their site’s search engine optimisation, and many of them make major mistakes that put profits back.

It’s essential to do your research if you’re planning on optimising your small business site. Sometimes, it’s more important to be aware of the mistakes that others have made than it is to know all of the intricate tricks of the trade. When preparing to optimise the site for your small business, watch out for these pitfalls:

1. Not researching keywords. Keyword research is vital. Invest time in it, and resources if you can.
2. Concentrating on search engines. It’s important to remember that the ultimate audience for every SEO technique is your target user group. Sites that concentrate only on the search engines tend to lose ranking places, as the search engines look to please users too.
3. Optimise for the home page. Internal pages can be very valuable to your optimisation plan. Pick out a few main pages to work with as well.
4. Failing to test properly. When you’re working with a search engine optimisation company, you can rely on their resources to test your optimisation plan. When you’re optimising on your own, you need to set time aside for A/B testing if you can.
5. Using one keyword across the site. Every business will have one keyword that seems to be the key to success in their industry, but it’s important to diversify. Not only does having a list of keywords mean that you potentially reach a broader audience, it means you avoid triggering the search engines’ spam filters by accidentally keyword stuffing.
6. Always landing on the home page. Inbound links come from specific sites, with quite refined areas of interest. Improve your chances of retaining traffic by directing links to internal pages.
7. Failing to cross-check advice. There’s heaps of free advice out there, but not all of it is reliable.
8. Optimising just once. Optimisation needs to be an ongoing process. Many business owners work hard on their site, and then leave it for two years. This wastes a fair amount of time, as the process needs to be started all over again. Develop a maintenance plan and stick to it.
9. Ignoring the SEO industry. Things can change swiftly with SEO. It’s important to keep in touch with changes that occur in the optimisation industry. It might not be necessary to dip in every day, but once every couple of weeks will ensure you have forewarning of any changes that will affect your site.
10. Failing to hire an SEO professional. Sourcing the services of an optimisation professional will ensure that you avoid all of the above mistakes. Many small businesses try to optimise for themselves, which has limited effect and can prove a greater drain on resources than simply getting a professional in. You can discuss your optimisation plans with our experts at SEO Consult Australia.