Summary
There are too many SEO myths floating all around that must be debunked so that only facts exists. This article will cover a few SEO myths that have become very popular over the last decade.
Myths are as much a part of our lives as are facts. Unfortunately sometimes the difference between the two fades so much that we can’t differentiate one from the other. It is the duty of industry experts to constantly demystify facts. When we start believing in myths, we not only harm ourselves but also all our hard work goes wasted. In SEO too, there are several myths that have stayed around for far too long. Some myths have become so popular that they are considered indisputable facts. Today, we shall be debunking SEO myths and talk about things that do not matter as much as we are made to believe.
It is true that much of what happens behind the scenes in SEO is related to how Google innovates and changes its algorithms from time to time. The goal thus is simple for any website – to rank better on the search engine, to constantly push the boundaries, to improve content and presentation. While the end goal may be simple, over the years SEO has embroiled itself in myths that have replaced facts to such an extent that many a times even experts vouch for them. This is dangerous, not to say misleading. So, let’s talk about some myths that have become very popular over the years and see why they are not facts.
SEO Myth # 1 – Google Likes Only New Content
This is a statement we have been hearing for too long and over the years have come to believe it to be true. Whenever we talk about SEO, we all follow the golden rule of Content is King. There is no doubt that it is, but to think that Google doesn’t look beyond good and new content is wrong. Fresh content is extremely important for any website and definitely helps fetch good rankings, but they cannot turn over your fortune if the older content are not equally impressive. Keywords and relevant wording in home and other pages matter a lot more than we give them credit. It is equally (if not more important) to ensure that the images on the website have appropriate Meta tags and title tags.
While it is true that Google values new content on a website, it also does take into account older content that you may have forgotten. Older content helps Google measure your website’s relevancy in the larger scheme of things. Many a times your older content may fetch you more traffic but they can be outdated. As a good SEO practice, it is imperative that such contents are regularly re-edited and updated so that your rankings do not suffer.
Thus, while new content is extremely important from the SEO point of view, it is also important to re-check older posts and see how much traffic they bring in.
SEO Myth # 2 – Only Quality Content Works for SEO
Even the most seasoned of SEO experts make the mistake of only worrying about quality content when it comes to improving any SEO campaign. Make no mistake, good content is extremely important. But is it the only driving factor in SEO? No, it isn’t.
SEO agencies must focus on several other things such as having a strong backlink portfolio, improving the quality of the website and the codes used to build it, working on improving business profiles – basically doing everything possible to improve a website’s overall presence. So while you still harp on “content is king” rule, there are lot more factors that should be considered for good SEO.
SEO Myth # 3 – SEO is a One-Time Thing
Smaller website owners are often told to invest in SEO as a one-time thing. They are told – invest once, get lifetime returns. This is not a myth but a misleading sales pitch that confuses businesses that have no knowledge about SEO. There are lots of things that SEO experts do to improve a website’s rankings. But these rankings do not last forever. Since Google keeps changing its algorithms from time to time, websites too have to keep updating and modifying their content. This clearly shows that SEO cannot be a one-time thing.
It is important to mention here that it takes time to see the results of any SEO activity. Typically it takes about 6 months for search engine page ranks to improve. But if you stop all SEO activities, in the next six months your site can drop off the SERP like it was never there.
SEO Myth # 4 – Backlinks Must Equally Be Created
Backlinks are very important as a SEO strategy. Unfortunately, the most common notion about backlinks is that they must be created equally. But that’s not how things work. Links are a way to help users navigate easily from one page to another. Websites with multiple backlinks helps create an impression among users that they are well-liked. Backlinks not only help users navigate better but also gives Google more reasons to rank your website better.
There is no doubt that backlinks are important SEO strategy but treating all backlinks equally can misfire. Diversifying the way you backlink is very important. To think that all backlinks will serve equal and same purpose is wrong. Link diversification happens in five different ways – link location, link quality, link type, link scheduling and content type. Basically where, when and what kind of websites you post on matters a lot. Placing dozens of links everywhere all at once is a bad practice and doesn’t fetch you any brownie points.
SEO Myth # 5 – SEO is Expensive
How many times have small and medium businesses been dissuaded from investing in SEO because of the cost factor? The common notion is that SEO is expensive and can drain a small business of all its resources. The truth is not so direct. SEO CAN get expensive – but only in the long run. But then when you invest in SEO for a long time, you also get assured results in the form of better Google rankings, more page views, increase in revenue etc.
As a leading digital marketing agency, we at Cyrusson Inc. do not think that SEO is expensive. We offer varying rates for different projects. We do not have a single rate for every SEO requirement. We understand that every business has different SEO needs and they should only be charged for services they need in order to rank high in searches. This way we ensure that SEO doesn’t get expensive for you.
SEO Myth # 6 – Only Large Businesses Go for SEO
We live in times when though everything is available on Amazon, there are innumerable small businesses successfully selling unique products and services. Among the many reasons why small businesses are able to compete with the bigger fishes is because they invest in SEO. It is nothing but a myth that only large businesses should focus on SEO. If that was the case then small businesses wouldn’t have been able to get any rankings on Google, wouldn’t have been able to gather loyal customers and followers and wouldn’t have existed at all. Small businesses that invest in SEO invariably improve their reach.
SEO Myth # 7 – Google Doesn’t Look into Other Website Factors
This is untrue in so many levels that it should be considered blasphemy to enough consider not looking deep into your website from the SEO point of view. Onsite optimization is a very important job in SEO and it is all about looking at improving a website beyond keyword stuffing and publishing new content.
A sitemap is an essential part of a website using which Google crawls and scans the content of the site. Another important thing is pagespeed. How fast each page of your website loads (after factoring things like images, videos and plugins) also goes a long way in optimizing a website. A mobile friendly website is crucial for SEO success. You have to remember that most users browse the Internet using their hand-held devices and thus a responsive website is very important.
SEO Myth # 8 – Social Media Influences SEO
While there is still no direct prove that social media presence and popularity has a direct and advantageous effect on SEO, it cannot also be said that social media harms SEO chances. Social media visibility is definitely good for your business but if you think positing a blog link on a social platform will fetch you a backlink, you are wrong. However, sharing on platforms helps improve your reach. Another advantage (though not a direct correlation) of social media is that it exposes your brand to a larger audience which means more traffic to your website. Though social media marketing doesn’t have any direct link to SEO, it is definitely an important part of your digital marketing campaign.
SEO Myth # 9 – SEO is Dead
Every once in a while there comes a news that SEO is no longer important and that content creation, link building, backlinking etc. is all irrelevant. But that’s not true. SEO continues to be an important part of digital marketing. Google continues to crawl the Internet and every time a new domain is registered, it lists every available information and ranks accordingly.
Conclusion
There is no denying the fact that SEO is important for any business today. If you want to steer clear of myths and focus just on facts, you can easily understand the ambiguous nature of SEO.
However this journey of improved visibility and rankings should not be done alone. You need an expert to lead the way and show you the path. With years of experience in digital marketing and SEO, Cyrusson Inc. is your right partner in this journey ahead. We have an experienced team of experts who have the unique capability of combining elements of SEO with necessary marketing strategies that expands and makes your business presence viable.
Based out of San Francisco, we take pride in the fact that we are among the few digital marketing companies that understand and value SEO for its rewarding advantages. Join hands with us as we help improve your search engine optimization and improve your rankings on Google. This is a long journey but we assure you that we will be with you all the way.