Whatever your online intentions might be, it can prove all too easy to get lost in amongst the millions of other websites offering the same thing as you. To improve your rankings and remain relevant you need to get your SEO right. However, there are a number of mistakes that can be made that will result in you losing your ranking. SEO is a kind of moving target as search engines are constantly changing their methodology and algorithms in order to determine the ranking of every website they list.

As we move into 2019, SEO and search engines are changing and it is this shift that requires you to make the right decisions in order to rank highly with the many search engines. In order to keep your site on track, you need to avoid the following SEO mistakes.

You Fail to Appreciate the Importance of Mobile Search

Google has now identified the way in which users are now shifting from desktops to mobile devices and so, there is no longer a huge emphasis on desktop-first design. Therefore, when it comes to SEO, it is important that your strategy centres itself around the mobile world. While this is not a new trend, it is one that is more important than ever before. So, you will need to consider whether your site is mobile friendly because Google considers this to be extremely important and this should not become a top priority for you.

If you have always taken a desktop-first approach to design, now is the time to make a change because you need to begin delivering a mobile experience to your users or visitors. Google considers this to be extremely important and that is why you need to avoid taking focusing on desktop designs alone. In line with this way of thinking, you should now spend time focusing on the content of your mobile site because it now carries more significance than the content of your desktop site.

Failing to Deliver a Seamless User Experience

Google has made it clear that it considers user experience to be a priority for them. If you do not meet the specific criteria in place for user experience, you simply will not rank high enough. Users now want sites to load quickly and Google measures the speed of your website, highlighting the importance of improving your loading speeds. Once again, the mobile aspect of your website is forming a huge part of the user experience. Users are now accessing more and more sites on their mobile devices. If you fail to offer a mobile-friendly website, your search engine ranking will be severely affected.

You Fail to Use SEO Experts

When it comes to SEO, you need to get it right in every possible way. SEO is a full-time job and that means that it requires a prior understanding of current trends, strategies and all changes made to algorithms. There are many marketing professionals out there who might know the basics but that is still not enough. Real SEO professionals stay on top of the latest trends and they will have a lot of experience to call on. If you try and experiment with your website while trying to cut corners it will take more time and money to put right because a lot of problems will arise as a result of it.

You Choose “Black Hat” Methods for Fast Results

Ultimately, there are two types of SEO practices known as “Black Hat” and “White Hat”. There is a  difference between the two and understanding these differences can help you.

Black Hat involves breaking the guidelines put in place by search engines and this involves keyword stuffing, using purchased links, using hidden text and links and blog comment spam. While these methods can get you fast results occasionally, they carry a risk because search engines are always monitoring and this can lead to penalties and even bans.

Opting to go down the route of White Hat, will mean that the correct practices are used and subsequently accepted and encouraged by search engines. This method requires more work in terms of research and analysis but the results are long-lasting and will enhance the overall user experience. This will, in turn, improve the accuracy of your website and search results. Therefore, avoiding “Black Hat” methods will ensure you get the best results possible.

You Avoid Technical Best Practices

Even though 2019 is almost upon us, it does not mean that you can avoid the technical best practices. Just because you have met all other criteria it does not mean that you can avoid the technical aspect of your website. If you do, then you will pay for it.

If your site is blocked from search engine robots and your pages are not indexed then your site will not be acknowledged or found. This is a basic mistake but one that is rather common. If your site has been designed in a way that puts all of your services or products onto one page, then you will be penalised for this. Every product or service has to have its own page, specifically optimised. This will involve the right alignment of keywords to ensure that they remain relevant to the phrases that people are searching for in Google.

Google considers trust an important aspect of SEO. If you fail to grow your link portfolio on the most reputable sites, you will not be seen to be trustworthy, so you need to continue to grow those backlinks. One aspect of SEO is UX or User Experience and it is all too easy for you to let the design of your website fall behind the latest trends. It is important that you keep your site updated and on trend as you head into 2019 because if you deliver an improved user experience, users will spend more time on your site and that will improve your SEO.

SEO is Evolving – Make Sure You Move with the Times

For improved recognition and exposure, it is important that you follow the correct SEO practices. Users demand the best experience possible and that involves being presented with websites that are relevant and useful. If you adhere to the correct SEO strategies, your website will be ranked as high as possible and that means that your website will achieve the results you have come to expect.