Imagine spending hours building the perfect website—a modern, sleek design, beautiful custom photography related to your brand, product and/or service —and then... crickets. No traffic. No leads. No sales. No calls. Nada.

The culprit?

You might be making the most common SEO mistake (but don’t worry, you’re in good company).

The Big Mistake: Not Targeting What People Are Actually Searching

Here it is, plain and simple:

You may be writing blog posts, listing your services, or sharing news, but if those pages don’t include the words and phrases your audience is typing into Google, your site is basically invisible.

It’s like throwing a party and forgetting to send out the invites.

How Does This Even Happen?

Let’s be real; 1) because you're busy, 2) because SEO sounds and is very confusing and 3) You just wanted to get your site live and worry about the details later. And that’s perfectly okay! But without targeting the right keywords, Google has no idea when to display your site in the search results. It's like handing a blank flyer to someone and expecting them to show up at your shop.

The Fix: Learn the Basics of Keyword Research

Don’t panic—we’re not diving into spreadsheets just yet. Here’s how to start fixing the problem:

1. Think Like Your Customer

Ask yourself:

  • What would you search if you were looking for your own business?
  • What problems are people trying to solve?
  • How do they describe your product or service?

2. Use Google’s Autocomplete

Start typing into Google, and it’ll try to finish your thought. That’s pure gold—it's showing you real searches people are making.

Example: Type in “pressure washing” and Google might suggest:

  • “pressure washing near me”
  • “pressure washing driveway cost”
  • “soft wash vs pressure wash”

These are all keyword ideas you can use!

3. Use a Free Keyword Tool (or Two)

Some great beginner-friendly keyword tools:

You don’t need to go deep. Just a few keyword ideas that match your business is a huge win.

What to Do With These Keywords

Once you find a few good keywords:

  • Use them in your page titles (the blue link in search results)
  • Sprinkle them naturally in your headings and paragraphs
  • Add them to your meta descriptions
  • Use variations of them (don’t be robotic)

Example: If you’re a dog groomer in Tampa, write “dog grooming in Tampa” somewhere on your homepage. That’s it. You’re already ahead of 70% of websites.

Mistakes to Avoid

  • Keyword stuffing (saying “dog groomer Tampa” 47 times in one paragraph = no)
  • Using only industry jargon (your customers probably don’t search for “canine coat deshedding specialists”)
  • Copy-paste from your competitors (Google sees everything 👀)

Real-Life Analogy

Doing SEO without keywords is like opening a store with no sign, no address, and no idea what you're selling.

Doing SEO with keywords is like putting up a neon sign that says, “Yes! We groom dogs! Right here in Tampa! Come in!”

💡 TL;DR

  • The #1 SEO mistake is not using keywords your audience is actually searching for.
  • Use Google autocomplete, tools, and common sense to find keyword ideas.
  • Put those keywords where it counts: page titles, headers, and throughout your content.

You don’t need to be an expert. Just start being intentional.

Final Thoughts to Consider

Fixing this one mistake can unlock huge results. You don’t need a team of marketers—just a little curiosity and a couple of free tools. The best part? Most of your competitors aren’t doing this yet.