Top Common SEO Mistakes Businesses – Large or Small – Make

Last updated on October 15th, 2024 at 09:43 pm

  1. Home
  2. /
  3. digital marketing
  4. /
  5. Top Common SEO Mistakes Businesses – Large or Small – Make

I’ve been asked to do a short presentation with the topic of common SEO mistakes businesses make. Small businesses and large enterprises alike are missing some good opportunities when it comes to their search engine optimization. That presentation sparked the creation of this blog post. I’ve started of with five, only to reduce them to four but since this is an open document, I will add as we go so please come back and check out for any new additions.

What is SEO?

It depends – is an answer you’ll often get it SEO. No good presentation starts without defining the acronyms. SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization (fun fact – “optimisation” is also correct but not used in North America and if you Google both, you’ll see slightly different reuslts). If you ask 10 people, they’ll probably give you 10 different definitions, all of them being correct. My definition of SEO is this:

Search Engine Optimization is figuring out how to be on top of the Google Search Result Pages (also reffered to as SERP) without giving money to Google through Google Ads.

Now you noticed how I chose my words carefully – I did not say “free” because SEO is many things but free is not one of them.

an image with the definition of search engine optimization

I often describe SEO as being a three-legged stool:

  • backlinks,
  • site architecture (I include here technical and UX – user experience, UI, site speed, etc) and
  • content – not only optimized pages but high-quality content:
    • Blogs
    • Videos
    • Podcasts
    • Webinars
    • Case studies

As you will see, not all legs are equal, tho. I would argue that content can trump everything else (unless there are some major technical SEO issues that need to be addressed ASAP. Event if there are many similarities, each SEO campaign is unique thus needs to be treated as such.

What Does Google Want?

As I told my audience, if you need to remember a single thing about SEO, that single thing is this:

Google will always try to show their users, the people who perform the queries, the best possible answer for that query! 

One of the world’s biggest companies, with billions of dollars in revenue and we’ve figured out how it works and what it wants – YAY.

Image giving the definition of what Google - the search engine - wants

Do All Businesses Need SEO?

The short answer is yes, they do. The real question is – do they need to invest heavily in SEO from the start? In many cases, you might see faster results if you invest your budget in paid ads, for example – that’s a reality. But we won’t be discussing this today.

So, what are some common SEO mistakes businesses – LARGE or small – make with their SEO?

Mistake no. 1: Falling for Misinformation

Trusting salespeople without verifying their claims.

Have you ever spoken with those overly enthusiastic salespersons who make big promises but deliver little? I used to work for some, not too long. But here’s the thing. They will promise you the world just to sign the contract and put you on a monthly retainer and then….. crickets. Overpromise and underdeliver. This is quite common for large agencies with a history, often prioritizing their internal tasks rather than the client’s satisfaction, often resulting in the client’s saying I’ve paid money for SEO and it did nothing for me. 

Wasted resources on ineffective SEO strategies.

Many businesses pour time and money into tactics that don’t give results, often due to misleading advice or poorly executed plans. For example, building some local citations that your business might or might not need. I will note here that many businesses don’t really engage with their campaign managers – a topic for another conversation, but what you need to know is that SEO is a team effort, and the most successful campaigns are the ones that have the client engaged.

(Not) Verifying the credibility of SEO providers before committing

This also can lead to disappointing results. It’s essential to do your research, ask for case studies, and check their track record and references to ensure they can deliver on their promises.

Do a Google search and see where THEY rank for a keyword that’s relevant to them.

Mistake no. 2: Not Understanding the Value of SEO

Most business owners don’t understand the value; until they do, and realize the potential of this channel.

Focusing only on costs without recognizing long-term benefits.

Focusing only on the costs of SEO without considering the long-term benefits can be a mistake. While the initial expense might seem high, the return on investment over time—through increased traffic, visibility, brand awareness and sales—makes it worthwhile.
It’s important to see SEO as an investment in your business’s future growth rather than just an upfront cost. You noticed how this excluded from the start the statement “SEO is free.” How many of you were under the impression that SEO is free?

Missing out on significant growth opportunities.

This can happen when businesses overlook the potential of effective SEO. Without a strong SEO strategy, you might not reach your full audience, leaving valuable traffic, leads, and sales = aka money – on the table. It’s important to see SEO as a key driver of growth that can open up new markets and expand your business’s reach. I’ve seen that happening.

Not Viewing SEO as a long-term investment but just an expense

Think of SEO as a long-term investment rather than just a cost. While there might be initial expenses, the benefits—such as increased traffic, higher rankings, and more leads—will pay off over time, making it a smart investment for your business’s growth.
Many lose – if you win, it might be because someone has made the bad decision of switching agencies. For example, in the middle of their SEO campaign, the new agency wipes out all the work the previous agency did – quite common in the digital marketing space.

Mistake no. 3: – Ignoring the ICP – Ideal Customer Profile

This is a term that corporations use; target audience is something more reliable to a small business; call it as you want; if you’re not addressing it, your efforts are wasted.

Not clearly defining who your ideal customer is.

Without a clear understanding of your Ideal Customer Profile (ICP), your SEO strategy lacks direction. Identifying who your target audience is, their needs and their pain points is crucial to developing a focused and effective SEO plan. This theoretically should be simple as you defined this already in your business plan – as a business – right? hm… you won’t believe how many businesses don’t have this figured out.

Ineffective targeting leads to lower ROI

When you don’t know who you’re targeting, your SEO efforts can miss the mark, attracting traffic that doesn’t convert. This results in lower engagement and a reduced return on investment (ROI).

For example, a large tech company focuses its SEO on general terms like “software services” instead of specific terms like “enterprise cloud solutions.”

This brings in visitors looking for small-scale or basic services, not the big enterprise clients they want.

As a result, they get lots of traffic but very few leads or conversions. By adjusting their SEO strategy to target enterprise-specific keywords – any campaign starts with an SEO audit and keyword research: industry, competitors, location – they could attract the right audience and see a better return on investment.

I’m going to say something that goes against my industry. We like to show increased traffic, keyword positioning, organic growth, etc. The stats are nice, but at the end of the day, we help businesses make money—that’s it.

Identify and target your ICP to tailor your SEO efforts effectively

Again, this is redundant because, as a business, you’ve identified your target audience, right? I used to work in agencies and saw so many businesses, from smaller to large. You won’t believe how many don’t have this stuff figured out. Their business model, their service, their audience, etc.
I want to rank for everything everywhere… has no successful business said… ever.

Mistake no. 4 – Not Leveraging EEAT

EEAT is an acronym – it stands for Expertise, Experience, Authority and Trust and it’s an abstract metric that Google uses when it decides to rank a website. It started for websites in the YML (your money or your life) category but soon expanded to almost all other fields. You need to demonstrate who you are and why you have the authority to speak on this topic.

This is when a smaller business can outrank a larger one. During the Covid-19 pandemic, I managed to outrank one of the largest brands in the world (an American car company) for a fairly significant keyword because of EEAT. Help Google figure out who you are.

Mistake no. 5 – Overlooking Technical Debt Accumulation

Businesses that have been around for a while carry… a LOT (same as for some government sites as well).

Large companies with complex websites often accumulate technical debt over time—unresolved issues like slow load times, outdated code, or broken links. This can also happen when quick fixes are made to the website without addressing the root cause, which can pile up and eventually hurt SEO performance.

It’s not uncommon to have more a few CMSs running at the same time on subfolders, subdomains, etc. – often, conflicting with each other, confusing the crawlers, and preventing the site to show up in the search results.

This is when those technical audits that you’ve been hearing about come into play – a small website doesn’t need one, but a large one might need several. Most of the time, only through cutting deep can you figure out what’s going on.

Mistake no. 6 – Underestimating the Importance of Content Refresh

Large companies often focus on creating new content but neglect to update old content – and as said, if they’ve been around for a while. This can lead to outdated information and reduced relevance, and overall can cause – under certain circumstances, a decline in rankings. Search engines prioritize fresh, up-to-date content, and users expect relevant information.

I’m not a big fan of content pruning – the “art” of removing (and redirecting, hopefully) the content that’s not performing – and I have my own experience – remember, as long as it’s relevant and useful, Google – at one point, will reward it.

I had articles that did not bring a single soul on the site for years, only to become the most popular ones as soon as a new algorithm triggered – or a competitor “pruned” their article.

I’m a fan of updating the content. Failing to refresh older content can result in missed opportunities. Regularly reviewing and updating existing content helps maintain its value, keeps it competitive, and improves overall site performance. Helps with the EEAT as well.

Mistake no. 7 – Not Measuring the SEO Effort

What gets measured gets managed. That said, I’ve seen many good businesses with optimized websites that do not track anything – no Google Analytics, no pixels, and didn’t enable Google Search Console. This is where the knowledge of an SEO consultant can come into play. GA – especially GA4 requires at least junior data analyst skills, and  GSC in itself can be overwhelming but you’ll be able to see if there are any issues and take action ASAP thus resulting in improving results. Monitor your SEO efforts and use data to support your actions.

Mistake no. 8 – Neglecting Local SEO

For the majority of local businesses – the once who are geographically dependent – this is must. Many often get more leads from their Google Business Profile than from their website. In some industries, profiles like Yelp or Homestars can rank higher on Google and can bring more business as well. Of course, you need to optimize your website for local SEO but do not neglect the directories of your industry (like Psychology Today if you’re a therapist or SuperLawyers if you’re a lawyer) and any other local directories (again, not all businesses need these; most do).

Mistake no. 9 – Expecting Immediate Results

SEO done right is the gift that keeps on giving. But it can take some time. With the new Search Landscape, it’s becoming even more difficult. But having the SEO done right is the foundation of any digital strategy. People still use Google to search for stuff, including stuff for the industry you operate in, and your business. And even if they ask ChatGPT, where do you think ChatGPT learns from about your business? Do you want to make it difficult for it?

Image that says SEO is the gift that keeps on giving

This is an image a colleague of mine created – because I kept saying this in every client meeting. I did not come up with this expression.

Believing that SEO will deliver instant outcomes

SEO done right is the gift that keeps on giving. But it can take some time. With the new Search Landscape, it’s becoming even more difficult. But having the SEO done right is the foundation of any digital strategy. People still use Google to search for stuff, including stuff for the industry you operate in, and your business. And even if they ask ChatGPT, where do you think ChatGPT learns from about your business? Do you want to make it difficult for it?

Abandoning SEO strategies prematurely

A common mistake is giving up on SEO too soon because results don’t happen immediately. SEO takes time, often months, to show significant progress. When businesses don’t see quick results, they might stop, losing out on long-term benefits like steady traffic growth and better rankings. Instead of quitting, it’s important to stay consistent and patient. SEO is a long-term strategy that builds momentum over time, and with ongoing effort, it will pay off.

Oh and SEO is never ending; there’s always something to do, something to improve, something to add, etc.

It’s not easy and it’s not free. “Don’t believe everything you read on the internet.”

If you need help with your SEO campaigns, don’t hesitate to contact me. We can have a conversation, no strings attached.

 

Share:

Emanuel Petrescu

Emanuel Petrescu is an accomplished SEO specialist based in Toronto, Canada. He is a digital marketing wizard, offering digital marketing services for more than 10 years, consulting corporate clients, small business owners and other independent professionals enhancing their online presence.
Read Emanuel's full bio

Emanuel Petrescu

Emanuel Petrescu is an accomplished SEO specialist based in Toronto, Canada. He is a digital marketing wizard, offering digital marketing services for more than 10 years, consulting corporate clients, small business owners and other independent professionals enhancing their online presence.
Read Emanuel's full bio