SEO might seem like a relatively simple concept to get your head around, because adding certain words to your website or blog will make it appear higher on Google search rankings, right? But it's actually a bit more complicated than that, meaning you can make a significant number of mistakes if you don't know what you're doing. Here are just some of the most common: Keyword stuffing This is perhaps the most common mistake of all, and typical of beginners who are just discovering SEO. Many website owners will use their chosen keyword as many times as possible on a page or in an article, but this not only sounds unnatural and annoying for the reader but also flags up as spam to Google's algorithms. Keywords should be integrated in a way that flows well, and adding them into a subheading and the first paragraph can also boost their effectiveness. Duplication This point doesn't refer to plagiarism, though that would also harm SEO, but rather including too much of the same text across different pages of your website. Even if you have separate landing pages for the same service in a different location, all the text needs to be completely unique for search engines to rank your site as meaningful and useful to searchers. It's not enough just to change the odd phrase or location name, you'll need to completely rewrite the page or have a professional service do it for you. Not using image tags Image tags are invisible to your audience, but algorithms and bots snap them right up when it comes to your SEO effectiveness. Images themselves can't be picked up by search engine bots, so including relevant keywords as tags tells them what they're of and whether they're relevant to the information on the page. Lack of research If you haven't researched your keywords before adding them into your website, you've made a huge mistake. You can't just guess keywords, although you might think words to do with your services and location will be a good bet, it's important to back up your hunches with real data - you could be surprised. With things like voice search coming into the picture, keywords are longer and more varied than ever. So take the time to look before you leap. For professional SEO services or to learn more about developing a strategy, get in touch with our team here at Mark 2 Creative.