1. Failure to define campaign objectives
It's impossible to measure SEO success if you don't know what you're trying to accomplish.
Similarly, it's difficult to evaluate how well your campaign objectives were met if you've set goals but haven't identified any key performance indicators (KPIs).
Nothing is more frustrating than having a figure in your brain (e.g., add 100 new leads per month via SEO) and not realizing it until months later that you aren't meeting that goal.
Setting goals and KPIs, as well as communicating them to your team, will help you run a successful campaign and meet your targets.
2. A scarcity of resources
Working with limited resources is aggravating, and it can sabotage your SEO efforts.
Here are some materials you'll need to execute a successful campaign, as well as what can go wrong if you don't have them.
People: A lack of SEO-focused people resources can stymie your strategy and prevent you from making the gains you want. SEO is a long-term commitment that necessitates regular effort on the part of a determined individual or team. If you want to see results, you can work on SEO whenever you feel like it or have a few spare minutes. You'll also need resources for content, UX, IT, and other areas outside of SEO to put SEO advice and plans into action.
Money: A lack of financial resources can cause your campaign to move at a snail's pace. You'll need an SEO budget big enough to pay a staff member or an agency to handle the campaign and buy the tools you'll need to conduct basic SEO research and track your progress.
Tools: To properly optimize your website, you'll need a variety of research and reporting tools. Although there are free choices accessible and you may get by without having a variety of tools, you're sure to face a snag that will hinder your SEO development.
Data: At almost every stage of an SEO campaign, data analysis is critical. Without complete access to SEO data, you may be left in the dark and unable to make important judgments.
3. An inability to wait
SEO is an investment that should be made over a lengthy period of time. No matter how many resources you spend, you won't be able to rush it.
When companies do not see considerable growth in the first few months, they become discouraged. They may have second thoughts about their investment, decide to reduce their efforts, or perhaps abandon the project altogether.
If your site isn't at the top of the search engine results pages after the first month, don't assume your SEO efforts aren't working. It will take time and effort to do this.
Even when an SEO expert is hired, it can take months, if not years, to see significant effects. So, as difficult as it may be, you must practice patience and faith in the process.
4. Targeting on a large scale
It's critical to determine the niche you wish to target when working on an SEO campaign. This encompasses your regional market as well as your clientele.
Defining a niche at the start of your marketing campaign will assist you in attracting your ideal clients in your niche. Additionally, the more precise your topic, the easier it will be to rank well.
Topic groups and keywords in your niche may receive less traffic than more generic ones, but they convert better and are more valuable to target and measure.
Now, I'm not recommending that you pick a niche with no search volume or that isn't directly related to your products or services. Simply opt for one that is appropriate to target based on your industry's competitiveness and trends.
I understand that picking a niche might be intimidating, especially if you want everyone to be able to locate your blog. But keep in mind that just because you've defined a niche doesn't mean you'll have to stick to it indefinitely. A specialty should grow and change throughout time. When it's suitable, you can broaden your reach later in your campaign. You can develop topical expertise in a variety of areas and specialties.
5. Failure to consider the entire funnel
It's vital to keep in mind that not every Google user will be ready to convert the moment they land on your website. You must consider users at every stage of their journey, from initiation to research to comparison to transaction and experience.
You can't expect every keyword or topic to convert. That just isn't possible.
Instead, select targets that correspond to the language used by a potential user at each point of the funnel, and deliver the content and amount of engagement they desire throughout their consideration and customer experience.
If someone has recently become aware of the need for a new sort of business insurance, they are likely to begin their search by investigating their options and the firms that provide it. They aren't ready to fill out a form or make a phone call to begin the sales process until they conduct some research and begin going down the funnel.
6. Failure to pay attention to search engine results pages (SERPs)
Many people who are just starting out in SEO have no idea what a search engine results page (SERP) is or how it works. As a result, they may be unaware that the SERPs are divided into parts, with organic results hidden beneath advertisements, news, map packs, featured snippets, and other content.
It's vital to learn the ins and outs of a SERP so you can see how your SEO efforts can affect the results that users see.
Good SEO or adjacent sectors to traditional search (i.e., local SEO) has the potential to land you one of Google's most sought spots (the map pack, featured snippets, reviews, etc.). However, to optimize your pages in a way that attracts Google's notice, you may need to make a few changes to your SEO strategy.
For example, schema markup might tell Google that you want your reviews to appear next to your Google listing. Similarly, having a Google Business Profile listing boosts your chances of appearing in map pack results.
7. Ineffective collaborations
Nothing stifles progress more than a sour partnership. The improper partner can delay you from hitting your bottom line, whether with vendors, agencies, freelancers, tools, writers, developers or others weighing in on strategy and implementation.
Terminating a terrible partnership, on the other hand, isn't always simple, especially when contracts are involved. Before you cut the cord, talk about your expectations and how this partnership has fallen short of them. Then devise a strategy for resolving the problem.
However, if your partnership can't be saved, you'll have to end it. Working with someone who does not help you meet your bottom line is not a good investment in SEO.
On the front end, do as much research as feasible. Hopefully, this will not happen to you.
8. No longer connected to other marketing channels
Nothing irritates me more as a marketer than working with experts who believe their marketing channel is the be-all and end-all for achieving their clients' objectives. In truth, marketing channels should work together to achieve the best outcomes. This is coming from someone who began their career in an SEO silo (myself).
All marketing methods have their time and place. Paid search, for example, is a terrific alternative if you need quick results and want to rocket your listing to the top of Google. However, running advertising for an extended period of time might be pricey. That's where search engine optimization (SEO) comes in.
SEO is a time-consuming process. It rarely ranks first in search engine results pages (SERPs). As a result, working on your SEO while running advertisements can draw a similar audience until your site rises higher in organic results and the necessity for a paid ad for that service or product fades away. Furthermore, depending on how SERPs are arranged for specific themes and searches, sponsored and organic can work effectively together in some circumstances.
Beyond that, we must understand how other channels, such as social media, email, and other forms of digital advertising, can collaborate and influence the consumer experience. If at all possible, avoid concentrating all of your efforts on a single channel.
To get the best results, I advise my clients to think about how they might use all marketing channels and disciplines, such as SEO, sponsored search, content, UX/UI, video, and more.
9. Insufficient credit
It is necessary to keep track of data. After all, it's what demonstrates how much your SEO efforts are delivering in terms of return on investment. However, merely tracking SEO data and ignoring business statistics and conversions is a mistake.
If you run a service-based firm, such as plumbing, you can expect to see an increase in plumbing-related terms. However, if you aren't seeing an improvement in conversions, it's all for naught (i.e., calls or contact forms being filled out).
We have the ability to determine if digital marketing is effective and to track it throughout. When we can connect the links from impression to conversion, making assumptions is usually undesirable (and hopefully beyond).
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