5. Buying Backlinks

Backlinks are among the most important ranking factors. Google might penalize you if you buy links to improve your website's rankings. This could not only be a waste of money, but it can also damage your website's chances of ranking on search engines.

Google says that most links sold by sites don't boost your rankings. This is because most link-builders and sellers have the same list from which they sell links. Google has the same list of sites as them, so they can devalue your site.

I'm sure you aren't convinced. Even if your website has not been penalized by Google for using shady techniques or links, that doesn't mean you are safe. For links you have built over years, your website could still be penalized today.

If you still insist on buying links, I would advise that you hire an SEO agency that can acquire authority links in your industry without breaking any of Google's rules. But it’s better to not buy links at all.

6. Failing to Recognize Content Formats other than Text

It can be difficult to do SEO for text-based content because every site or blog does the same thing.

It's important to remember that content is not always the same as written words in 2021 and beyond. Think about other post formats (such as podcasts, videos, infographics, images, and webinars) that you can rank for on Google and drive organic traffic to your website.

Many people prefer watching videos to reading. This is why you will see more videos on social media and Google SERP. Videos are becoming the most popular content format and I predict that this will continue to increase.

If you still need to be further convinced, think about this:

• From my own blogging experience, videos rank faster on Google and YouTube than any text-based content does.