- Fixing one-off broken links, especially on pages with little traffic, is labor better spent elsewhere.
- Never consider keywords on pages lacking competitive search intent like ‘About Us.’ For the rare cases they show in results, focus on usability.
- Updating backlinks for keywords in anchor text may have them discounted by search engines. It looks manipulative. Apply best practices to earn ideal links in the first place.
- Don’t relentlessly improve Core Web Vitals when actual speed is good.
- Avoid whatever makes copy less compelling through an unnatural keyword focus.
The opportunity cost here means not correcting major technical SEO issues, producing scalable content or facilitating backlinks. Bad SEO can also harm your company’s reputation.
Finally, any SEO can criticize another professional’s work… it’s about prioritization!