SEO has become an integral part of marketing.
Any business which wants to mark its presence on the internet being SEO compliant is a must.
When anything starts getting popular, misconception and myths also start following.
Myths are nothing but thoughts and beliefs which are generated as a result of lack of knowledge, ignorance, fear and sometimes because of the urge of achieving faster results.
Hiring an SEO expert would save you from falling into the trap of SEO related myths and misconceptions.
To make successful SEO strategies and get long-term fruitful results, it is advisable to take time and understand the market and requirements of the client and plan accordingly.
This is one of the most important lookout qualities while selecting an SEO expert company. A quick SEO campaign may become successful, but that success would only last for short-term.
Moreover, the damage caused by an SEO campaign based on misconceptions can be beyond repair.
Myths and misconception related to SEO would always keep floating. You need to understand the difference between myths and facts.
Thorough knowledge of SEO would be the only tool that can guide you in taking the right decisions.
For making your website successful, try to stay away from these most common 7 myths about SEO.
1. Avoid the Rumor Google Is at War With SEO
One of the most famous myths about SEO is that Google keeps on changing its policies which makes all the efforts made by website go waste.
Changes are so drastic that the website which holds high ranking today, the next day it may drop by many places. Google does all this, to make things difficult for SEO optimized websites and SEO experts.
The reality is totally different. Google changes its policies to make its users happy and to discourage SEO practices which SEO experts use to increase its ranking artificially by using wrong practices.
Google understands the importance of SEO for internet marketing. It always tries its best to boost SEO.
To fight this myth that very first thing user need to understand is how to differentiate manipulative SEO from result-oriented hard-working SEO.
If there is a change in algorithms, you need to find how it would affect your ranking and need an SEO expert to work out the solution to overcome those hurdles.
2. SEO Needs No Efforts
Many people have this misconception that SEO is a one-time thing. Once you have made your website, just sit back and relax. Users will keep visiting your site without putting any extra effort.
Truth is SEO is no magic wand that you will rotate once, and your wish would come true. SEO takes some time to show results.
Once it starts showing results, there will be no looking back. However, if you want this success to last long, then you have to keep on updating your website.
Websites also require regular maintenance and continuous improvements. It would also save your site from becoming stale and outdated.
3. Link Building Is Dangerous
Another myth about SEO is that Google does not appreciate link building. Creating unnatural links is considered as a clear violation of webmaster guidelines laid by Google. Quality backlinks are the one which grows naturally.
The major reason behind this misconception is the lack of knowledge and misinterpretation of information. Google representatives keep on giving statements regarding their upcoming changes and updations which are misread by many.
Truth is search engines like Google, Bing, etc. uses links in their algorithms. In fact, one of the legitimate ways of building your site ranking is through white-hat link building.
On the other hand, actions taken to manipulate your ranking like building fake links are considered as a crime, and you might get penalized for the same.
The best way to fight this is to create legitimate links to your website. You can study your competitor’s ranking and evaluate what kinds of links are preferred by users. Henceforth, you can create your own links based on the same lines.
4. Meta Tag to Not Play Important Role
With time, the algorithms of search engines have become highly sophisticated. Hence, there is a myth that Meta Tags have lost their importance and are of no use today.
Truth is search engines like Google, still uses metadata in the short description of the website. Meta description still holds importance as it tells the user about your website.
Meta tags also made your site look attractive in search results, which may further help in getting user’s attention.
It’s true that Meta Tags did lose the focus they used to have.
However, it still holds the ability to attract users towards your website. It does increase the click- through rate for your website. With the help of an SEO expert, you can make your Meta description attractive and informative.
5. Keyword in Anchor Text No Longer Matters in SEO
The biggest impact of the Hummingbird update of Google in 2013 was on keywords search. Anchor text includes the words that are used in a hyperlink.
Experts believed that anchor text would always hold as much as important as it always has and should have targeted phrases and keywords.
The misconception regarding keywords losing their influence started flowing when Google started punishing sites for over-using anchor text with an aim to restrict keyword surfing.
Keywords are still important. The solution to this problem lies in changing the approach. Search engines penalize a website for over usage of keywords, so the better option is to go for diversification of your anchor text.
Focus on high-quality text and go for the use of primary keywords, secondary keywords, generic keywords and URL as anchor texts. This would keep your website from coming under the radar scanner of search engines.
6. Guest Blogging Is No More Reliable
The statement given by Matt Cutts in 2014 that advised website owners to stop using guest blogging as a method of creating new links for their websites.
This statement created panic among SEO experts and resulted in a myth that ‘Guest Blogging is no more reliable.’
The truth is that Google penalizes those content which has irrelevant content irrespective of the fact whether they are guest blogging content or not.
The best approach is to avoid contents which are full of crappy information and doesn’t have anything unique about them. instead of chasing blogs try to write blogs with relevant and informative content.
7. The Longer Your Content, the Better
Many people post longer contents on their sites as they believe in the myth that longer content would help them getting attention from search engines.
It’s purely a misconception. It is not the quantity that attracts users; it is the quality of the content and its uniqueness that will bring users to your site.
Moreover, if you post irrelevant content on your website, then you may come under google radar and can even get penalized for the same.
SEO expert believes in attracting customers using legitimate ways like positing customer-focussed, informative and relevant content on the internet to attract customers.
Moreover quality content would also help you in building customer’s trust in your website.
Conclusion
Google and other search engines algorithms are evolving regularly.
Hence the best way to take full advantage of SEO is to keep yourself updated and try not to get distracted by SEO related myths.
If you are stuck somewhere, then go for the professional help from the SEO expert.
