A lot of SEO experts like to say that search engine optimization is part science and part art. And for the most part, that’s true. There are proven SEO tactics you should use to make your site more visible to the search engines, but there is also some experimentation and tweaking involved in getting your website to perform as best as possible.

Having said that, when it comes to the "science" part of SEO, there are some definite dos and don’ts. Today, you’re going to discover some of the biggest SEO mistakes you might be making that are hurting your website.

1. Targeting the wrong keywords—Never just assume people are searching for the keywords you choose. Selecting keywords requires research. You need to use proven keyword research tools to discover which relevant phrases your customers are using when searching for your products and services. And you need to make sure the keywords you choose bring targeted traffic, not people who are actually looking for something else.

2. Stuffing keywords on your website—Yes, it’s important to make sure the content on your website is optimized for the right keywords. But there’s a difference between optimizing your website copy and stuffing it with keywords. You have to make sure your copy is well-suited to humans too. In fact, the customer is your first priority. If your copy doesn’t hook them and motivate them to take action, it’s all for nothing. Focus on writing natural sounding, compelling content.

3. Not building quality links back to your website—On-site optimization is only a small part of the entire SEO picture. You have to go offsite to truly start getting results. That’s because the search engines value links. The more high quality links you have aimed back at your website, the better. So make sure you spend time working to get more links (preferably keyword-rich links) pointing to your website.

4. Failing to see what the competition is doing—You can’t do SEO in a bubble. You need to have an idea of what the competitive landscape is like. Are your competitors’ websites optimized too? Which keywords are they targeting? How well are they ranking? All of this information is important as it will help you create an SEO strategy for overtaking them.

5. Stopping your SEO efforts—SEO isn’t a one-time deal. To keep your site climbing the search results, you have to keep working at it. This means adding content to your website, targeting new keywords, building more links, and so on. Don’t get comfortable, because you’ll start to slide down in the search results.

6. Not tracking your results—You need to track everything related to your SEO campaign. Otherwise, you won’t know if your efforts are paying off. Keep tabs on your keyword rankings, and use analytics to monitor the traffic to your website.

Don’t let these simple SEO mistakes bring you down. Pay close attention to all of the details of your SEO campaign to ensure you’re headed in the right direction to get the best possible results.