- SEO is long passed the days of keyword-stuffed articles. Nuanced, relevant, shareable, and educational content is the best strategy.
- SEO is a marathon in a world of sprinters. SEO works but it is a long term strategy that assists in long term business success.
- Rankings are not the end all be all. Conversions & engagement offer more insight into successful SEO.
- Regular updates to Google algorithms make SEO an evolving landscape. Set it and forget it is not a viable strategy.
- Managing your company SEO is a full-time commitment. Most businesses outsource to firms that specialize in SEO.
If you’re a business owner or anyone trying to establish a presence online, you’ve probably heard of SEO. You already know that search engine optimization is a powerful way to increase traffic to your website by boosting your rankings in internet searches. While a lot of people know what SEO basically is, they don’t actually know what it really is. There are so many common misconceptions about SEO out there that it’s tough to separate fact from fiction.
A lot of prospective clients come to us with odd requests based on SEO myths they’ve heard before. We’d hate to think anyone is falling prey to these outdated notions and tactics. To prevent you from going down an ineffective SEO path, we put together this list of the most common misconceptions about SEO. Which ones have you heard before?
1. All you have to do is type a bunch of keywords, and voila!
This myth makes sense to us because there was a time and place when stuffing keywords into text was a fairly effective SEO strategy. Many of us at Redefine even remember the days when we were asked to write content that was intended only to provide keywords for Google’s crawlers to read. Fortunately for all of us, Google learned to decipher keyword stuffing as spammy. If it didn’t, most of the content we’d be reading on the web would be a lot less interesting and informative.
While keywords are still effective for helping Google decipher what your content is about, it’s by no means the end goal. What Google looks for now is content that is relevant, shareable, and educational. If people genuinely want to read it (and do read it), it will rank higher in searches.
Instead of trying to stuff keywords into pages of text, we recommend writing thoughtful content that’s relevant to your brand. Not only is it more effective in improving rankings, but it’s also more fun to write. If you really can’t let go of a keyword, just know that it’s most useful in the title tag, so you can devote some time to finding an authentic way to implement it there.
2. SEO doesn’t work.
We’re going to have to roll our eyes at this one because we’ve built our whole business on SEO, and brought a lot of brands up from the ground using our processes. When done correctly, SEO does work. It works really, really well. It brings your site to the top of searches and increases traffic, thus increasing conversions.
The reason this is one of the most common SEO myths is because SEO takes a while to settle in. We always recommend looking at SEO as more of a marathon than a sprint. Without a doubt, when it comes to SEO, slow and steady wins the race. Google reads huge spikes in traffic, via one viral uptick or paid ads, as suspicious and doesn’t rank them as favorably as small amounts of traffic built over long amounts of time.
When it comes to SEO, you have to be patient, because the slow results can have a huge impact on your business in the long term.
3. Ranking is king.
The amount of time clients spend worrying about web rankings makes us believe it’s one of the most common SEO myths. The truth is, rankings mean nothing if the traffic coming to your site isn’t converting. It’s very important to Google that visitors are not only coming to your site but that they’re sticking around for a while. The best way to improve visitor retention is by providing valuable content and a pleasurable user experience. You can keep them on the page with powerful CTAs, strategic site flow, and content they genuinely want to engage with. Make sure your site is as user-friendly as possible, so your visitors stick around.
4. You can “set it and forget it.”
Many of our new clients approach us thinking SEO is something they invest in once and then they’re set for the life of their business. Unfortunately, this is one of the SEO myths that can turn into a costly mistake. Just about every quarter, Google updates its algorithms in ways that can turn your current strategy obsolete. As we mentioned earlier, keyword stuffing was once an effective SEO strategy. Now, it can plummet your rankings. You need to be constantly aware of the SEO landscape so that you are able to rebound according to Google updates. For this reason, we recommend working with a knowledgeable SEO team, who’s made it their entire business to stay on top of Google’s evolving demands.
5. You can do it yourself.
Well you can, if you’re a superhero and somehow have more hours in a day than the rest of us. SEO is a full-time job. As someone who’s running a business, you probably don’t have time for an extra full-time job. If you try to manage your SEO by yourself, you’ll likely miss valuable opportunities and let important details fall through the cracks. Like we mentioned in #4, SEO is changing every day. Unless you want to spend a big chunk of your life reading SEO articles, listening to SEO podcasts, and making your entire life’s work SEO, you should probably outsource. Use your time to focus on your business and you. We can do the rest.
At Redefine Your Marketing, we can take the guesswork out of SEO. You won’t have to spend any more time wondering whether those nasty SEO myths are getting in the way of your website’s success. Get in touch if you’d like to take the SEO hassle off your plate. It’s what we love to do, and we’re happy to help!
