Working in the South African eMarketing environment, we're often encounter the problem of big companies, that have spent big money on their websites, not seeing the results they expect. They money's being spent badly, and the lack of positive results taints the entire industry.

Recently, a post at SEOmoz covered the same topic, but in the local market, problems are perhaps a bit more acute. There's no doubting that South Africa still lags behind in terms of eMarketing. For most, SEO is simply unheard of.

The Big-Five of South African SEO mistakes
 
1.    Disregard for the target
A keyword strategy needs to be based around what searchers are looking for. Too often, we see website content built around propriety terms that have little relevance for consumers looking for a service.

2.    Flash websites and splash pages
For some reason, there remains an unhealthy obsession with flash-designed websites. They're pretty, they're flashy, but usually little else.
As Isobel remarked,

 “They're all blonde hair and big boobs”

Never has something so bad sounded so good…

Splash pages I just don't get. Maybe it's the “magazine cover” mentality. I'd liken it to a tap-dancing sales executive.
Don't impress me with theatrics - let your offering impress me.
Come to think of it, South African football suffers from the same thing.

3.    Irrelevant title tags and No unique meta details
Yes, it is easier to add some detail into your template and push that same stuff across the whole site.
No, it's not the way it should be done.

4.    Code bloat and On-page javascript
Javascript can do some pretty cool stuff on your website. The key of course, is to keep all these cool things in their own little .js files. There, their coolness can sit in peace, getting called up only when needed.
Instead we find lines and lines of code bloating webpages, making them slow.

Hey code. Go on a diet! Fat bastard.

 5.    Illogical site structure
Website structure is perhaps one of the most overlooked design elements.
Is your site built according to its purpose? The structure needs to make it easy for your audience to find what they want. I guess in a way it ties up to number 1 on this list.

These are just 5 of what could really be a much longer list. Outside of SEO, there's plenty more that South African websites should do better. What do you think needs improvement? We'd love to hear your comments.