Google RankingYou’ve taken your business online; congratulations! There’s a wealth of potential for branding, expanded business, customer engagement and more out there for you. However, if you are making some of these common mistakes, you could be shooting yourself in the foot.

Google is king when it comes to getting eyes on your site. The higher you rank when someone searches for a product or service related to your business, the better your chances of someone clicking. As for how you get ranked, that is all up to Google and its algorithms. As mysterious as those algorithms may be, there are some standard practices that Google tends to shun. Here are five of them to avoid on your website:

1. Pass on Pop-Ups

One of the most loathed user experiences is the pop-up ad. These are the boxes containing images and text that “pop up” on a consumer’s screen covering a website’s main content. Google is starting to crack down on them, and sites that use them could soon see their ranking fall. Not only that but Chrome blocks them by default and many customers use pop-up blocking software, so many people do not even see them.

2. Keyword Abuse

While you want to make sure you use keywords throughout your site, you also want to avoid overdoing it (also known as “keyword stuffing). Not only will your copy sound unnatural and annoying, but Google may penalize you for it.

3. Broken Links

Google tends to reward sites with the most up-to-date information, and broken links are a surefire way to indicate your information is stale. Check those links and check them twice (and regularly) to make sure they stay in working order.

4. Spelling Mistakes

Google does not like sloppy. It likes smart, well-written copy that doesn’t contain spelling errors. Spell-check is your friend.

5. Mobile Matters

Makes sure that not only do you have a mobile version of your website but that it avoids these mistakes too. Google recently said it is moving toward ranking sites based on their mobile versions instead of their desktop sites. That means it’s best to get on your mobile game sooner rather than later.

None of these mistakes is likely to tank your Google ranking alone. Where you wind up is all part of a well-educated guessing game. Avoiding these mistakes, however, is a good place to start.

So how do you rank?

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