It’s surprising how some SEO myths still exists. Whether you are a beginner or an expert at SEO, it’s high time to leave those myths behind. However, it may still be useful to compile all the myths you come across with, so you have a guide of which ones you might actually need to worry about.
There are many SEO firms out there, and these myths are not really helping on their credibility. Whether you are an SEO firm, or an in-house SEO, you need to have solid examples and proofs to show to your potential clients for them not to be afraid to work with you. You may also give this information to your senior management to make some changes in a site; perhaps convince people to separate myths from reality, although it is difficult without the right documents.
1 – Dying Industry
This is one of the most popular SEO myths and is widely spread among communities and sites. If you want to believe that SEO is dead, the myths below are useless. We need to set things straight;search engines won’t disappear any time soon. You still can rely on SEO, if you want to maintain traffic and visibility of your site.
Some tend to mislead potential clients by using too much SEO jargon resulting to failure to explain clearly what their company is all about. Perhaps the reason why some believe SEO is a form of black magic. You want to avoid SEOs like these, who are secretive and are not able to explain what they intend to do, which may not be good for your business.
2 – Keyword Density
SEO is not about adding the right keywords. As search engines change, SEO strategies change too. Keywords are still vital in optimization as long as you make the writing sound natural. They now focus more on the quality of the content, rather than the keyword itself. Gone are the days where a specific keyword was favored. Top SEO firms concentrate more on relevance of content.
Despite having little effect on ranking and being ignored by search engines,Meta keywords still help determine keywords that your competitors are targeting. However, there are search engine sites that make no use of Meta keywords, but opt for long tail keywords, instead.
3 – SERPs
Every brand wants to land on the first few pages of SERPs but SEO isn’t just about ranking. Aside from reaching the top spot, SEO specialists aim to increase engagement, conversions and traffic,which cannot be achieved by focusing on the site ranking in SERPs alone.
Being on the first page of search engines will increase traffic, but being on the number 1 spot is not your only goal here. People click organic results rather than featured snippets, which answers a query located on the top of search results. Content optimization is your best bet in increasing traffic to your page.
4 – Content
I have mentioned above that great content is the key, but this doesn’t automatically mean that it would result to great rankings. Quality content won’t matter if no one knows about it, or if the architecture of your site is so horrible that it repels people. Do not underestimate the power of actively promoting great content.
Great content, itself, will not produce great rankings, but on the way it is promoted and distributed among possible linking partners. Search engines do not evaluate and read like humans, so it cannot rank solely based on merit. It ranks sites based on popularity of link and domain authority. Quality of the content is important, but if you fail to optimize it, it won’t reach a wider audience.
A good SEO strategy is to always prefer quality over quantity. You can have as many pages as you like, but if they do not add value to your site, it will not matter. There is no need for additional pages if you will only fill it with useless content. This won’t help you increase your page visibility.
5 – Image and Mobile Optimisation
Optimization is as important as visual content increases. When creating new content, you have to provide the correct descriptions because your images are not ‘visible’ to search engines. The correct usage of captions and titles, as well as, adding few keywords are useful. These lead to increase chances of page appearing in search engines. Remember that a unique image will more likely to be seen than an overused stock photo.
The mobile-friendliness of your site is also a factor. People are checking their phones for at least 150 times a day. If a site is not mobile-friendly, people are more likely to go to other sites. Moments like these are vital, so you need a page that loads quickly, and is easy to navigate on mobile screens. Check how your page is performing, such as mobile and desktop speed. The design, responsiveness, page speed, number of pages and even screen sizes are all important in getting traffic. Be careful not to over-optimize because this might lead to a penalty.
6 – Link Building
Link building is still around, even if rumors about it being dead are constantly spreading. It is about creating links to increase site traffic and presence. The fundamental goal of building links is still there, even if spam my anchor texts and being part of private blog networks are not efficient anymore.
This strategy is time-consuming but rewarding, since links are important in ranking. One of the most effective link building methods is the production of content. It can be a guest posting or for promotion. Good link building is still strong and will always matter.
7 – Social Media
Social media influence on your online presence even if social traffic does not have a ranking factor. You are building your authority on different social media platforms. This greatly affects the indexation and discovery of search engines especially that social media use keeps on increasing. Sharing on your social media sites contribute to the increase traffic and link building.
Marketing, thru social media, is also beneficial for increased visibility of your site. You are not only increasing online presence, but also increasing credibility and brand awareness. Search engines also appreciate this marketing move. However, there is still no guarantee that having a successful social media presence will boost your SEO.
8 – SEO is Inexpensive
They say that to displace real money, it takes real money. Most businesses don’t completely understand the value of rankings. Markets are getting more competitive and you don’t want to end up getting ripped off over and over.
Most of the websites who place high in rankings have invested in good SEOs to improve their online presence strategies and content creation. They did not appear on the first page of search engines overnight. If you are planning to outrank these established businesses, you most certainly can’t do it with a shoestring budget.
If you ever feel like SEO is not or will not do any good for your business, maybe you haven’t found the right firm for the task. SEO won’t solve all your problems. It won’t automatically make you appear on the first few pages of SERPs, but it will help you get there. It will always be a continuous process;a process that you need to monitor and re-evaluate to ensure efficiency.
Websites and search engines will continually change and improve their optimization and visibility. If an SEO has not worked well for you, don’t be afraid to start again. Slowly, you will understand the process.
Please do your part and make sure to check the facts and spread only the truth. Misinformation can be damaging to both online businesses, as well as SEOs. There are myths that you must leave behind, if you want to find the right SEO firm. If you learn to separate myths from reality,you will surely find the firm that suits your needs. Let us all become SEO myth busters and make sure to lead potential clients to the right path.
Do you want to hire an SEO firm that offers the best services for SEO? Go to CrowdReviews.com and read their reviews of SEO firms.
Jeev Trika
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