SEO is hard for IT companies. Or is it?
Well, a whole lot of IT businesses don’t seem to get it right when it comes to SEO.
Sure, anybody can learn search engine optimization. However, it takes time to get the hang of things.
And as an IT business owner, you don’t have the time for trial and error with SEO.
In essence, this means you should get things right from the get-go. That way, you will avoid SEO mistakes that can harm your business and potentially make you lose money.
That said, here’s a rundown of SEO failures that many IT companies are guilty of.
Failure To Understand SEO Is In Constant Motion
Search engine optimization keeps changing. One strategy might work today but become obsolete twelve months from now. Therefore, IT companies should keep up with the latest SEO trends. The last thing you want is to keep using an old and outdated SEO tactic that doesn’t work anymore.
Here at Growth Generators, we often used to cite the “keyword stuffing strategy” that would propel your website to the number one position reasonably quickly.
All you needed to do was to stuff your content with the keyword you’re targeting, and boom! You’re on your way to the number one position in SERPs. Of course, that tactic doesn’t work today. In fact, keyword stuffing will not only bury your website deep in the search results, but could also earn you a penalty.
What You Need To Do
It would be best if you created time to learn what’s working in SEO at a particular time. Also, be sure to carry out an SEO audit on your website to see if your SEO is working and what you need to fix.
You can use tools such as Site Explorer for a quick audit.
Failure To Know Your Customer
This one doesn’t sound like an SEO mistake an IT company would make, right?
For instance, shouldn’t a software company know who its customers are?
Surprising as it may sound, many IT businesses are targeting the wrong customer profile. The ripple effect is that their SEO efforts aren’t working.
Okay, some IT companies know their target customers. However, they don’t take enough time to understand their prospects deeply. The result is that they move faster than their customers can keep up.
And, when you’re acting faster than your customer, the prospect won’t see the value and will not buy from your website.
A classic example is being too salesly with your web copy and failing to show your target customers how they’ll benefit from your product or service. Sure, you want to sell your software to potential customers.
But, before you force your product down people’s throats, tell them how it will solve their problem. After all, getting your prospects to buy is about taking them through the customer value journey.
What You Need To Do
Start by creating a buyer persona and segment your target market. Develop engaging content and make sure that you’re using the right promotion channels to put your content before your prospects.
On top of that, make sure you’re speaking your customer’s language as a way of nurturing brand loyalty.
Failure To Track And Scale Results
Picture this…
You’ve started a computer programming company. You’ve set up your SEO goals.
You hit the ground running. Your local SEO is on point. Everything looks fine.
However, you start to lose traction a couple of months down the line. You’re no longer tracking results. Essentially, you cannot tell how much your SEO efforts are yielding.
That right there is an SEO mistake. Poor or lack of accountability is a common SEO slipup most IT companies make.
What You Need To Do
Failing to plan is planning to fail, so they say. So, every serious IT company should have a well-thought-out SEO strategy. Even more important, it is essential to set realistic goals, achievable within a specific period.
Further, IT startups must keep track of their progress regarding SEO. And, there’s an assortment of free tools to help you remain accountable, including Google Analytics and Google Search Console.
Baseless Claims To Know SEO
We come across this quite often at Growth Generators.
We’ve seen IT business owners who are too arrogant to see beyond the simple SEO fundamentals.
You see…
SEO is complex, and you can’t claim to know everything when you have little to no SEO experience. It would help if you learned more than the basics to understand how SEO works.
The point is, unfounded claims to know SEO could very well be the reason your company isn’t featuring on the first page of Google for the targeted keywords.
What You Need To Do
You must admit that you’re still green to SEO to help you avoid common mistakes IT companies make. There’s nothing wrong with hiring an SEO agency or consultant to help you learn the ropes and enable you to see the bigger picture.
Pro Tip: Be sure to keep up with what is happening in your industry using Google Trends. That way, you’ll always get up-to-date tidbits as you learn your way up on how SEO works.
You can also listen to podcasts by industry insiders to find out what changes Google is making regarding SEO and how you can catch up.
Hiring Cheap SEO Companies
We understand. You could be on a budget. You want to save money. But that doesn’t mean hiring a ridiculously affordable SEO company to help you rank.
Hiring a cheap SEO company comes with its fair share of disadvantages.
And, yes. They might deliver the results, but you can bet you won’t maintain your rankings for long.
In fact, because most cheap SEO agencies use black hat SEO, there’s a very high chance your website might get slapped with a penalty.
What You Need To Do
Stay away from the so-called “cheap SEO companies” if you want to take your IT business to the next level.
Ever heard of the saying “you get what you pay for?” That statement is true with SEO agencies. And no, we’re not saying that you should burn through your wallet to find a good SEO agency to help you grow your IT company.
We’re telling you that you should look for SEO services that offer value for your money.
Here’s how to choose a solid SEO company:
Read independent reviews. Look for positive feedback from happy customers.
Ask for references.
Request for a list of past clients before hiring.
Look at the agency’s portfolio.
Ask for their SEO strategy based on your business model.
Failure To Speed Up Their Websites
One of the most ignored SEO for small businesses advice is the importance of having a website that loads fast. We’ve said it before, and we’ll repeat it once more. Slow loading pages will hurt your website’s ability to rank in SERPs.
As an IT company, you must have a good website if you’re hoping to attract and convert leads. We’re talking about a user-friendly structure, an appealing design, few or zero ads, an easy-to-read font, and most importantly, fast load times.
Why is a website’s speed so essential? Well, because a slow site could seriously harm your conversion rate. Think about it. A prospect will leave your website if it takes more than three seconds to load.
You see? How are you going to convert visitors with a high bounce rate?
What You Need To Do
You don’t have to do a lot to make your website look appealing and load fast. Start by improving the user experience.
You can even take a couple of pointers from your competitors. Your target client will trust you more if your website looks professional.
Other than that, here are some tips to help you increase your site’s speed:
Compress your images
Avoid unnecessary plugins
Keep your URL’s structure short and friendly
Make sure that your on-page SEO is on point
Minify JavaScripts and CSS files
You can use the Google Speed Tool to analyze your website’s speed.
Failure To Target The Right Keywords
Listen…
Thorough keyword research is essential for the growth of your IT business.
Put differently: One SEO mistake that can prevent your information technology from giving you the expected return on investment is choosing the wrong keywords.
Sure, keyword research can be a treacherous and tiring process, especially if you’re in a competitive niche. Still, your ability to unearth rich and less competitive keywords could very well be the difference between ranking on the first page and appearing on the second, third, or tenth page of the search results.
What You Need To Do
The first step to discovering keywords worth targeting is choosing the right keyword research tool. And there are many tools ranging from Google Keyword Planner to Keyword Finder.
You can start with a free tool, but we highly recommend that you upgrade to premium if you want to find more keywords.
You can also use Autocomplete Suggestion to come up with keyword ideas.
Be sure to keep local search in mind when doing your keyword research.
If you’re based in Florida, for instance, you can type IT Company Florida and use Autocomplete Suggestion to find local opportunities as shown in the image below.
Failure To Build High-Quality Links
There’s this debate about backlinks and whether you need them to rank on Google.
Backlinks are a crucial element when it comes to scaling your website up the ladder in SERPs.
There’s a catch, though…
You must build high-quality links to increase your chances of appearing on the first page of search results. You see, high-quality links “tell” Google that your website offers quality content, and other people have no problem linking back to your site. Think of it as a way of showing authority in your niche.
And when Google notices that authoritative websites link to your site, you can expect to get rewarded with high rankings. Remember, backlinks are one of the nearly two hundred Google ranking factors.
What You Need To Do
The best remedy to low-quality links is, well, building high-quality links.
Here’s a rundown of the things you should keep in mind when link-building:
Make sure that you link to websites with a high Domain Authority.
Link to site in your niche
Have a clear webpage type
Pro Tip: You can use a tool such as Link Explorer to enable you to uncover your competitor’s backlink profile.
Over-Optimized Anchor Text
There are days when over-optimizing anchor texts was a thing.
But, after Google’s Penguin update, excessive optimization of anchor text will do you more harm than good.
Anchor text is what gives Google bots a rough idea of what your page is all about. The bots will then use this info to rank your content for a variety of keywords. It will help if you make sure that your anchor text isn’t keyword-rich. A paragraph of anchor text can earn your website a Google penalty.
What You Need To Do
You must ensure that your anchor text looks natural. You can review the text to see how you can make it better. Keep in mind that Google will devalue your website if it has backlinks with anchor texts that use money keywords more than necessary.
On top of that, use match anchor text and a handful of commercial anchor texts to help you balance out the equation.
In Conclusion
Indeed, there many things IT companies do wrong with SEO.
But, it doesn’t have to be this way.
While SEO is a learning process, Growth Generators can help you avoid common SEO mistakes and place your IT business on a path to prosperity. We specialize in SEO for small businesses and large organizations alike.
Over the years, we have helped IT startups gain visibility in SERPs and ultimately experience a positive ROI.
And yes, we only do white hat SEO.
Do you want us to look at your website and make recommendations on what you need to do to improve your SEO?
No problem!
Contact us today. Let’s talk!
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