So you’ve learned about the first six Common SEO Mistakes Bloggers Make , then here are the rest.
a. Keywords are Lost in the Pages
Organizing your pages into categories and attaching tags is a great way to optimize you site for the use of search engines. However, those tags loose their focus when newer posts are added. The keywords then jump from here to there in the different posts all in the same category. Do what the forums do, add ‘stickies’. These will stay at the top of your category pages o matter how long, and will give you the freedom to make use of keyword-rich content. An excellent example would be the ‘Blog Category Page’.
b. Messy URLS
URLs containing question marks or too many slashes can bog down search engine hits and what’s more is it can give off an unappealing look to the user.
If you are using WordPress, configure the ‘Permalink Options’ to rewrite the URLs instead of the usual default ID posts. Use the ‘post slug’ option to custom write the titles and get rid of articles (such as ‘the’) that adds nothing to URL value.
TypePad (or Movable Type) use hyphens instead of the usual underscores since hyphens are preferred in Google. They also truncate URLs mid-keyword, so watch out for those.
c. RSS Feed, Underestimated
Every post you create should have its own category so that people interested in that certain post can easily follow and subscribe to the group-specific feed. The tag pages work in the same way and should be optimized for tag-specific feeds (optimal for user base and SEO). You can optimize your RSS feeds by putting on full texts, more items, keyword-brand-incorporated titles, and an attractive site detail.
d. Below Par Podcasts
If you’re expecting your podcast to help your site, optimize the ID3 tag, and include show notes/descriptions with every podcast, transcripts, and a presence in popular directories like iTunes.
e. Advertising Your URL or feed on a Domain You Don’t Own
If you’ve advertised your blog on other sites such as wordpress or blogspot, then you’ve basically set yourself up for inconvenience. Moving to other sites will be difficult. Unless it’s got a redirect, you’re practically going to have to post a “We’ve moved to ” and dump the blog.
There are tools that offer you liberty in customizing the URL/Feed such as the ‘Feedburner’ with the ‘MyBrand’ service.
f. Useless Anchor Text in Internal Links
You may have, at one point, used ‘here’ or ‘previously’ as anchor texts in your posts. Refrain from using them as there are other pertinent keywords for a broader keyword appeal.
Mistakes happen to the best of bloggers and there is no shame in that. This article hopes that it has given you insight on how to avoid these mistakes later on and optimize your blog.
