By now, you understand SEO (search engine optimization). It’s the efforts and strategies you use to increase organic or unpaid traffic to your client’s websites to improve their ranking in SERPs (search engine results pages). Though you are in charge of digital marketing for clients, things may get tricky. 

People who don’t work in SEO may not understand that some of the things they may be doing are hurting, rather than helping, their rank in search engines. 

Some website owners turn to online resources to rank their websites. Unfortunately, there’s a lot of conflicting information out there, resulting in mistakes. 

As an SEO agency, you need to know how to identify and fix these mistakes to help your clients improve their search results. Learning about common mistakes will help you quickly find and rectify them. Keep reading to learn more. 

Mistake: Slow Website Speed

A website loads slowly may deter people from hanging around to see what it offers. Having a slow site speed will cost you in terms of traffic. If you have invested your time and effort to increase traffic from SERPs, that’s great; however, if a site loads too slowly, it will be for nothing. 

It’s possible to measure the page speed for your clients by looking at these performance metrics, including page load time. 

This refers to how long it takes for the browser to send the request to the server when the page is fully loaded and usable. Several tools are available to help you determine how quickly a page loads. 

How to Fix Slow Loading Time

You can use Google PageSpeed Insights to see the speed of a page. If it is not loading quickly enough, there are a few fixes you can try, including:

  • CSS and Javascript: Use shorter names for the variables to reduce the size and increase page loading time. 
  • Redirects: While sometimes a redirect can’t be avoided, if you fix these, it will increase a page’s load speed. 
  • Image format and size: You can compress images, which will help with load time. 

 

Mistake: Having Bad Reviews on Google 

Opening a business up to reviews means there will be good and bad ones. A client may not realize that the total number of reviews they have helps provide social proof for the business and contributes to the local search ranking factors. 

Positive reviews help to improve website credibility; however, if a site only has a few of these, it can seem suspicious. This is also the case if customers are expressing dissatisfaction regarding your website. This may even result in traffic being driven away. 

How to Fix Bad Reviews 

It’s possible to use negative reviews to build relationships with customers and improve customer service. They will help you understand your audience and even gain a new audience. When you post on social media about the issues that customers faced and the steps that were taken to handle them, it will increase website credibility. 

It’s also beneficial to use industry-specific review sites and social media to encourage people to leave reviews. This will also give your client the chance to acknowledge the questions asked genuinely. 

Mistake: Having a Faulty My Business Verification Code 

It isn’t uncommon for businesses to have problems with the verification PIN they receive for their Google My Business account. While the issue is common, it’s something businesses can’t afford to ignore. 

How to Fix Faulty My Business Verification Codes

When verifying the Google My Business site for a client, it may be necessary to change the profile from “private” to “public.” If this isn’t effective, it may be necessary to request a new PIN. The issue may also occur after updating the business’s NPA (Name, Address, and Phone Number) on the site. To avoid this, be sure that the contact information is still consistent with the listing. 

Mistake: Having No Location-Specific Pages

Based on one Google report, searches made up of location-specific keywords and terms like “near me” have grown – especially for mobile users. It’s estimated that the growth is continuing. 

If clients haven’t created and optimized these location-specific pages, then they aren’t showing up for these searches. 

How to Fix Having No Location-Specific Pages

It’s important to ensure that the client you are working with sees the importance of having pages that are locally based. You can help them understand by providing them with quality keyword research, showing the location keywords and the average number of monthly searches for the location-specific search term. This is going to ensure that they show up for these local searches. 

Mistake: Duplicate Content

Duplicate content refers to content that’s either identical or like the other content on your website. It can also impact the ranking of the pages it is found on. Google doesn’t want to show two pages of content that are exactly the same in SERPs. When Google detects duplicate content, the algorithm will choose what it sees as the most relevant one. 

How to Fix Issues of Duplicate Content

Content is king for any website, and having unique content that ensures users can get the information they are looking for is a must. Tools like Copyscape and Grammarly can help you test whether the content is original.

Creating Sites That Help Your Clients See Results 

When it comes to common SEO mistakes, there are a lot out there. If you represent clients who have made these mistakes, then it is up to you to make them right. In many situations, it can take a lot of time and effort, which means that outsourcing these “fixes” may be the best course of action.

In the long run, you will find that if you can fix the mistakes that have been made, it will be possible for you to get your client’s sites ranking well, and they will be able to see the results of the money they are paying you for the services you provide.