The digital marketing industry is alive with chatter about SEO strategies and what to do to get your website to rank well among thousands of search results. How can you weed out the bad information and get to the good tips? We have you covered.

We are going to review common SEO myths and how to spot them. Then, you can disregard myths about SEO and create an SEO strategy that works!

Why Are There So Many SEO Myths?

There isn’t one best way to practice SEO for your business. Google uses 200 ranking signals, each with 50 variations, for a total of 10,000 ranking signals. It’s your job to tap into those signals. How can you get Google to recognize your website as relevant and reputable?

Because there are so many ways to create an SEO strategy that works, it comes with false claims. Why are there so many SEO myths? Let’s find out.

Profit

Many people on the internet claim to be SEO gurus, copying and pasting strategies on Linkedin and Fiverr. Without anything to add to your SEO plan, they try to use limited knowledge to gain the most profit.

Recognize posers for what they are. If they have nothing to add to your SEO strategy, scroll past their “expert” claims. Each company should be able to prove tried-and-true SEO results that show the validity of its strategy. In addition, you can always test their techniques to see if you are dealing with myths about SEO or the real deal.

The Evolution of SEO

SEO changes with time. Google is constantly changing its criteria for crawling websites. The algorithms used to rank search results are ever-changing. Methods that used to work are no longer valid. Are you prepared to pivot your SEO strategy when you find something no longer works?

For example, do you know about Google Penalties? Google will remove your website from rankings if you have too many error pages or false information. Learn about your website and its penalties from Google Search Console. One of the myths about SEO is that Google penalizes websites with duplicate content.

Unless your website is a full copy of another website, Google knows that duplicate content is going to come up. They just choose the original source to show up first on the search results. This is not necessarily a penalty, but the way to algorithm works. Find out about real penalties and areas to improve your website by following SEO guidelines.

Clearing up SEO Misconceptions

What are some popular SEO myths that do not hold true? Let’s clear up some misconceptions so that you can create an SEO strategy that delivers. Track your click-through and conversion rates to prove that SEO boosts your business.

SEO Is a One-Time Job

Unfortunately, an SEO strategy is not a one-and-done implementation. SEO is a continual process to stay competitive with your website content, backlinks, and keywords. You may rewrite your website pages to optimize them for keywords to discover that your keywords are oversaturated and getting lost among competitors.

Once you run a fresh keyword report, you can start implementing new keywords that will highlight what sets your company apart from others in the industry. This will increase the likelihood of your website showing up on the first few pages of search results.

SEO is not a one-time service – it is an ongoing process. Work with a trusted SEO team to implement continual SEO tips. Once you find an SEO flow, you will start to notice the increase in traffic to your site.

Keyword Stuffing Is an Effective SEO Strategy

Google uses TF-IDF (term frequency-inverse document frequency) to determine if a keyword is coming up too often on a website. Most search engines boost websites with natural language patterns. If your website plugs in a keyword every few words to boost rankings, it will not work. The language must be smooth and checked for readability.

In addition, Google has improved its algorithm for recognizing synonyms and variations of the same word. You cannot trick Google by adding an -s or -ing at the end of the keyword. Be creative with your keyword placement, knowing that Google always watches for inauthentic stuffing.

Keep it natural when using keywords in your writing. One of the myths about SEO is that you must repeat the keyword x amount of time per page. The truth is that if the keyword is repeated in a natural, conversational way, that is more than enough to be recognized and represented in a Google search.

SEO Is All About Ranking First on Google

A common SEO myth is that you only need a #1 Google rating to gain business success. Yes, SEO is used to get your website to appear on the first page of a Google search. But what if your website is number one and never gets a click?

You not only need a great SEO strategy, but you need to present your product as a solution to a problem. You also need a strong meta description and website branding. Something is wrong if someone clicks on your site and immediately closes the page. Test your website for:

  • User-friendly navigation
  • Fast load time
  • On-brand graphics
  • Professional and error-free content
  • Short paragraphs and scannable headings
  • CTAs that lead to a different page on the site or the place to make a purchase

SEO is not the only answer to business success. Make sure your SEO strategy works hand-in-hand with other smart business practices. Build business credibility not only for Google but for your consumers to garner repeat customers and brand loyalty.

Google gives more credence to your website when you use backlinks from reputable websites. Be careful not to stock your website with .edu websites that do not match your content to try to build up your backlink game. Instead, keep things natural with backlinks to websites that are verified and helpful to your readers.

Some backlinks are considered toxic by Google and negatively affect your website. For example, backlinks that redirect to fake websites built solely for the purpose of backlinking are considered toxic. Or if the backlink is not relevant and is only in place to build SEO, Google will move you further down in the search results.

Run a thorough backlink audit to ensure that no links on your site are considered toxic. If you find toxic links, remove them from your website. Perhaps you thought a website was legitimate when it was solely created for backlinking credit. Redeem your mistake and remove the link.

In the same way that you can link to other websites to build your SEO, random websites can also link to your site. The quality of these websites plays into your search engine ranking. If you find a poor-quality or false website that links to your site, use a disavow file to disallow the link. Then it will no longer negatively affect your rankings.

SEO Can Guarantee Immediate Results and Instant Success

As mentioned above, SEO is an ongoing process that does not garner immediate results. You must track statistics before you learn if your SEO strategy works. Each time you measure success, lean into the areas that are working and tweak the weak aspects of your plan.

Measure SEO success by comparing Google rankings for each keyword, tracking click-through and conversion rates, and measuring consumer engagement by how long they spend on your website or sign up for your email newsletter.

Continually improve your SEO strategy as time goes on, refreshing the plan with the ever-changing algorithm and continuing to bring organic visitors to your website. A company that can pivot and identify what Google values will always come out on top.

SEO Is Dead

It’s easy to mark this as an SEO Myth. SEO is not dead. You may believe it no longer works if you are still practicing outdated SEO practices. But if you practice current SEO tips, you will see an increase in organic visitors to your site, which leads to more conversions.

SEO is more effective than paid ads because a consumer can come across a blog post from 3 years ago and decide to make a purchase with your company. SEO provides a long-term ROI of 275% or more that is built in as your business grows and continues SEO implementations.

With over 943 billion Google searches per year, 67% of consumers click on one of the first five search results in the list. How many times do you search Google daily to find a solution to your problem? Each website on the first page of your search uses SEO strategies. SEO is certainly not dead.

Having More Pages on Your Website Guarantees a Higher Ranking

Consider this SEO myth similar to the keyword stuffing myth. Google likes a website with multiple pages, but they cannot be filler pages. Each page on your website should serve a purpose in the client’s journey.

Create product, service, and location pages. Tell about your company through an About Us page. Always include a page where a potential customer can fill out an interest form or find a way to contact you. Reply to all inquiries, comments, and reviews to show gratitude for their interest in your business.

Relevant, helpful pages on your website will increase your Google ranking. It’s all about quality over quantity. Create a client pathway as you link them from page to page within your website. They will get to know your product and connect with you as they dive into your brand story.

Content with More Length on the Page Holds More Value in Comparison to Shorter Content

Did you find a competitor’s page with a number-one ranking on Google and want to match their word count to improve your rating? It’s not always about increasing the word count on pages.

What is the consumer looking for? If they are looking for quick tips to find their way to your product, write a short listicle blog. If consumers want a comprehensive guide with a table of contents, they will click on a long-form article of 1500+ words.

Create targeted content with informative articles that include organic keyword placement. Remember, Google uses TF-IDF to determine if the keywords are natural and relevant. And if you choose to publish long-form guides, make them scannable. Include subheadings, short paragraphs, and bullet point lists.

Conclusion paragraph

SEO is alive and well. Consider the various myths we have debunked as you plan your modern and thriving SEO strategy. When you hear the myth repeated from competitors, have confidence in knowing the real truth about SEO.

It is never too late to implement SEO for your business. Get started by performing a content audit on your site to update the current content—research unique keywords to highlight your company’s strengths. Then develop a regular publishing strategy to bring new content and keyword opportunities to your website.

Review these myths about SEO regularly to ensure you stay on the right track with an authentic, current SEO strategy. When you learn the ins and outs of Google and how it ranks pages, you will find the most success with your company’s SEO.

Consider Hiring an SEO Agency

You may feel overwhelmed with all things SEO. Hiring experts to get the job done right is always an excellent idea. Our team lives and breathes SEO, ready to grow your business using foolproof SEO practices. Focus on what you do best and leave SEO to us.

Be sure to hire a company you can trust. Read our blog post, Considerations When Hiring an SEO Agency, for tips to recognize a high-quality SEO partner.

You can always meet with our team to see what we have in mind for your specific company. Finding a company that is a good fit will increase your SEO success.

FAQs

Is SEO important indeed?

SEO myths aside, SEO is an essential part of your business. Take advantage of the tried-and-true ROI on first-page Google rankings. Consider the number of consumers who search Google daily. With 3.7 billion searches per day, how can you maximize the times your company shows up in a search? Through SEO.

You may want to dip your toe in SEO by stuffing your website with keywords. In this case, your results will reflect your minimal effort. Instead, go all in by updating your content, including backlinks, researching keywords, and tracking SEO stats and success rates.

How does SEO actually work?

SEO works! Each time you add quality content to your website with relevant, unsaturated keywords, you have the opportunity to reach new consumers through Google searches. The more users click on your website, the more conversions to sales!

If you can build a website that will organically appear in search results for years to come, why not maximize it for SEO and reach as many people as possible? You can track your SEO stats and see how many consumers you reach through Google searches alone. You may be shocked to find that SEO brings in more than PPC and social media marketing once implemented correctly.

How to SEO Optimize My Website Without SEO Agency?

Do you have the bandwidth to implement SEO practices in your business? Are you ready to track results and pivot with the changing algorithm? If digital marketing is your strength, learn the best practices for managing SEO without an agency.

Get started now with an SEO strategy to reach your target audience and increase sales.

Published by loupeandblade in SEO Strategy