In a scenario where the SEO is shifting up and down every single second, improving becomes very similar to shooting at a target that is moving. It’s possible that so far you’ve selected the most appropriate keywords, you’ve published the content regularly, but unfortunately, your website is not ranked as high as you expected. It is a rough one, but understanding the challenges might be your key to hurdle them. Below are the reasons why your SEO progress is slowing down, and ways to fix them.

• Non-Competitive Keywords

It is a wrongly held belief which many marketers have, that using aggressive keywords is the finest approach for SEO growth. But, on the other hand, defining your goals in confined terms may prevent you from making the desired progress. Highly competitive keywords are thus highly competitive, and it can be difficult to overcome competition from well-established sites that have bigger budgets and more resources.

Rather than going for broad keywords, focus on long-tail keywords that will ensure that the search engine directs the traffic to your site. They may have limited search traffic, but they also have less competition that will be a great opportunity to rank higher. They are less competitive and more specialized, which speaks for the fact that they are able to attract much more targeted traffic to your site.

• Lack of Mobile Optimization

Searching the web through mobile devices is now more than desktop search. Therefore, a non-mobile-friendly site is a big obstacle to the SEO success. The mobile-first indexing by google tells that your site’s mobile version is the base to rank higher. Optimize mobile first to ensure you are not missing out on the big chunk of your audience.

Construct a mobile friendly website. This includes applying the technique with a responsive design, WebP format images and videos for the mobile viewing audience, and ensuring quick loading times on all devices. Google Mobile-Friendly Test tool can be a good resource if you want to verify whether there is any problem with your website on mobile devices.

• Poor Site Architecture

A website with a good structure is useful for both the users and search engines since it helps them find the content quickly. On the one hand, complicated site architecture makes the visitors and search bots confused and, consequently, poor SEO is a result. Promote a clear website architecture through intuitive navigation, which will make your site’s user experience more appealing and boost SEO.

Bring in an expert to audit your site’s structure and make the changes if necessary. The use of categories, subcategories, and breadcrumb paths is helpful in arranging the content in a logical manner. And lastly make sure that your website has a responsive design as well for effortless navigation on every device.

• Technical SEO Issues

From the perspective of technical SEO, it provides a groundwork for your site to be found and listed. Difficulties such as long page load time, dead links, and a robots.txt error can badly hurt SEO progress. The audits are carried out periodically to find and solve these problems, and this will lead to the smooth crawling and indexing of the pages.

Make it a routine to use tools like Google Search Console and SEMrush to audit your website for technical SEO issues. Fix any issue that is found in the process of the SEO because this might affect the performance. Furthermore, remember about the speed because it can be increased by minimizing the code and optimizing images.

• Local SEO Not Optimized

What businesses in the particular geographic area largely rely on is local SEO. Ignoring issues like Google My Business listing, local keywords, and location-specific pages can hamper the SEO process from progressing. Local SEO may be a good idea to concentrate on attracting the audience in a more narrow way.

Optimize your Google My Business listing with accurate, up-to-date information. Use local keywords in your content and meta tags, and create location-specific pages for better local search visibility.

• Thin or Duplicate Content

Quality trumps quantity. Search engines are more inclined to rank content that is original, comprehensive and offers value to the users. Thin (low-value) is not good for your ranking. Attend to develop various content that pertinently answers to the audience questions and needs.

Perform content audit, which will assist you to detect and modify those pages that contain thin and duplicate content. Utilize checkers to find plagiarism and make sure that every page has its own fresh and valuable content for the reader.

• Insufficient Backlinks

Backlinks are the “votes” of one page to another and are an essential ranking factor. Links of low quality can be a vitiation of your SEO activities. Ethical link-building techniques should include producing original content that others will want to refer to and contacting relevant sites for potential linking.

Perform a link fixing to detect the low-quality and broken links. Finally, dedicate your efforts towards generating top-notch backlinks through content creation, guest blogging, and outreach to other sites with link-building opportunities.

• Minimum Social Media Presence 

While social signals are not a direct ranking factor, they can influence your SEO indirectly by increasing visibility and traffic. Active engagement on social media platforms can help improve your content and boost your site’s authority. 

Develop a strong social media strategy and actively engage with your audience on relevant platforms. Share valuable content, interact with followers, and promote your brand to increase social signals and enhance your SEO efforts.  Overall, focusing on these common SEO mistakes and implementing effective solutions can help improve your site’s visibility and attract more qualified traffic. 

• Not Tracking SEO Efforts

What you don’t measure, you can’t improve. Neglecting to track your SEO progress means you’re flying blind. Regularly monitor your metrics to understand what’s working and adjust your strategy accordingly. 

Use SEO tracking tools like Google Analytics or SEMrush to monitor your site’s traffic, rankings, and other important metrics. This will help you understand the impact of your SEO efforts and make necessary adjustments for better results. Remember to regularly review and update your strategy based on these insights. 

• Ignoring Meta Tags

Two important tags for meta data are title tags and meta descriptions which perform well in increasing the number of clicks on the search results. These are the traffic generators and failing to incorporate them in your online marketing strategy might mean you are missing out on a great opportunity to drive traffic to your website. Ensuring your meta tags are written and optimized for your specified keywords is a must.

Review and optimize your meta tags to match the subject matter and include keywords representative of each page. Apply the Yoast tools to perfect your meta tags for better search visibility.

• Poor Online Reputation

Your online reputation matters. Such negative comments and bad user feedback will dissuade the customers and decrease the level of trustworthiness. Promptly deal with customers’ complaints and foster positive reviews to keep a good online reputation.

Keep an eye on and take actions when it comes to online reviews, be it good or bad. Give feedback on any concern and demonstrate appreciation for positive comments. Encourage happy customers to let their experience be known by leaving reviews on relevant platforms and you will build your reputation online.

Conclusion

SEO is a marathon, not a sprint. While challenges are part of the process, identifying and addressing these common factors can significantly accelerate your SEO growth. However, finding and fixing the common components can be a crucial step in Speeding up your SEO progress. While every website is different, adapt your plan to fit your specific situation. Stay patient, stay informed, and most importantly, stay committed to your SEO efforts.  Run the race with perseverance, and eventually, you will see your website climb the ranks.