Top SEO Mistakes to Avoid for Better Search Rankings
When Google was in its infancy, only a handful of updates used to make their way into its algorithm. Today, Google is introducing hundreds of updates to its search algorithm every year. For instance, Google Search updated 4,700+ times in 2022 alone. These frequent updates take a heavy toll on the SEO efforts of major brands and small businesses alike.
For instance, a survey reviewed top news publishing websites and measured how they performed after Google’s May updates. The survey found that 55 out of 70 publishers had lost their SERP rankings and some top rankers had even fallen off the 1st page of Google Search. So, what were these publishers doing wrong?
This blog will discuss why businesses fail to appear higher on SERPs even after implementing a seemingly workable SEO strategy. These are some crucial mistakes that you must avoid if you want to win over Google’s algorithm and enhance your website’s searchability in 2025.
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Not Building a Backlink Portfolio
The Internet works like a democracy and backlinks are like votes that you receive from other websites that find you credible. Search engine bots determine your website’s credibility based on your backlink portfolio. Getting links from reputable websites will increase your reputation and trustworthiness. If you lack a strong backlink profile, it may be challenging for you to improve your rankings.
Here’s how you can build backlinks the easy way and improve your SERP rankings:
Partner with a link-building specialist who can run on-site audits, suggest link plans, recommend backlink profile improvements, and keep reviewing your backlink profile to ensure no spammy site has linked to yours.
Also, you should network with bloggers to find guest posting opportunities. If you’re just starting out, consider running B2B cold email campaigns to develop your network quickly. Create shareable content like research studies of infographics to incentivize backlinking. Once you amass enough “votes,” you’ll win the trust of Google’s crawlers.
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Overlooking Keyword Research
Next, keywords are the basis of a successful SEO strategy. However, a random assortment of keywords or key phrases won’t grant you a place on Google’s 1st SERP. You shouldn’t target keywords with low search volumes or heavy competition. Instead, choose relevant keywords that align with your average user’s search intent. You should also:
- Use keyword planner tools to identify relevant and evergreen keywords
- Focus on voice search keywords and how they differ from regular keywords
- Prioritize long-tail keywords that are specific to your CTA and have light competition
- Analyze how your competitors are doing and discover which keywords they’re ranking for (you might’ve missed them).
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Stuffing Content with Keywords
This one is a mistake many beginners in the world of SEO make, i.e., they stuff their content with keywords without caring about keyword density at all. While keywords play a crucial role in your SEO strategy, keyword stuffing and cannibalization (when different pages on your site target the same set of keywords and become each other’s competitors) harm your site’s visibility.
Keyword stuffing simply looks unnatural and spammy to search engines. Research shows that keyword stuffing reduces your website traffic and makes your content seem less valuable. Even though Google or Yahoo won’t necessarily penalize your website for it!
So, use synonyms and related terms to make keyword usage appear more natural. Focus on content clarity and readability; keyword density comes second to overall content quality.
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Neglecting Mobile Optimization
Most web users access the Internet via smartphones and other handheld devices. A survey even claims that over 50% of web traffic is originating from mobile devices today. So, your website must be optimized for these devices. You can do that by making your website’s design more responsive so it can easily adapt to different screen sizes.
So, adopt a mobile-first approach when you’re designing your website.
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Slow Website Speed
A study claims that 1 in 2 visitors will abandon your website if it takes over 3 seconds to load. Now, imagine creating a website that takes a full minute to appear on a person’s phone screen! You can avoid this mistake by:
- Using specific tools to analyze your site’s loading speed
- Optimizing images and minimizing JavaScript & CSS files
- Using a content delivery network (CDN)
Remember, these are just basic tips on how to make your homepage load faster on a person’s phone screen. Too much flash content or outdated coding can also make your website load at a snail’s pace.
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Content Duplication
Duplicating content on your website confuses search engines as they can’t decide which version of that page is supposed to be indexed. It dilutes your SEO efforts and lowers your position on SERPs. That’s why you should find instances of content duplication on your website using tools like Copyscape. Use canonical tags to tell search engine crawlers which version is to be preferred and write unique product descriptions if you have an eCommerce site.
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Ignoring Search Intent
It’s important to learn the intent behind user searches. This way, you can create content that meets their needs. When your content doesn’t align with search intent, it leads to higher bounce rates and lower engagement levels. So, here’s what you should do:
- Evaluate search queries related to your keywords to check what your target users are looking for.
- Produce unique content that directly addresses your user’s needs and responds to their queries.
- Use structured data markups to make your content more easily searchable and provide users with clear information.
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Subpar Content Quality
There’s no room for low-quality content that lacks relevance or originality. It fails to engage your target users and may end up harming your site’s domain authority. Instead of writing content to please bots, you should focus on producing human-friendly, readable content. Update your old content to keep it relevant and evergreen. Use subheadings, quotes, bullet points, and recent statistics to make your message credible. Include comments, questions, social sharing options, images, and external links to encourage user engagement.
As AI search engines are causing many brands to notice a significant drop in their visibility, you can maintain your SERP position by creating original content that trumps AI-generated fluff.
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Generic Anchor Texts
Avoid using generic CTAs like “click here” or “learn more.” Instead, you should provide some context about your anchors. Use descriptive anchor texts that include keywords relevant to the URL. Keep your anchors concise yet informative at the same time so users can expect what they’ll see upon clicking the hyperlink. Also, avoid over-optimization. A neutral linking strategy will help you engage more readers and appear higher on search engine result pages.
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Ignoring Metadata Optimization
Lastly, you shouldn’t forget about meta titles and meta descriptions; the meta section plays a key role in search engine optimization. Poorly optimized metadata will harm your content’s CTR. So, you should create compelling meta titles and meta descriptions. Create a meta section for every page on your website. Use action-oriented language in descriptions to encourage clicks (e.g., “Learn how,” “Discover,” “Get started”). That’s how you can avoid being overlooked by search engine crawlers.
A rudimentary-level SEO strategy won’t work in 2025, especially if you have launched a new website or want to establish your company’s online presence from scratch. Even popular brands fell out of favor with Google’s algorithm after ignoring SEO best practices and making some unforgivable mistakes, some of which are discussed here.
The next time you’re trying to implement an SEO strategy, avoid these mistakes. Enhance your website’s performance by focusing on UX and driving more traffic to your website. Don’t forget to keep reviewing your SEO strategy as per Google’s frequent updates.