SEO Works is here to dispel some of the common SEO myths and misconceptions to help you focus your Search Engine Optimization efforts…
The Search Engine Optimisation industry has long suffered a public relations problem and is rife with SEO myths and misconceptions, not helped by companies who practice black hat SEO techniques to artificially boost your Search Engine ranking. However professional SEO is an important and necessary part of your marketing strategy so how do you tell a snake oil salesman from a bona fide SEO Services expert? We debunk 10 common SEO myths and misconceptions and help you separate fact from fiction.
1 – SEO is a dirty word
One of the most widespread SEO myths is that it is shrouded in mystery and beyond the realm of marketing experts. Search Engine Optimization is not rocket science but like any other good business decision, hiring an SEO company is about delegating SEO of your website to an SEO expert who has the time, knowledge and resources to pull off a successful SEO campaign and is solely focused on the optimization of your website.
2 – SEO can guarantee rankings
This is one of the biggest SEO myths perpetuated by unscrupulous SEO companies in the industry. SEO rankings cannot be guaranteed because your ranking is dependent on Search Engines algorithm changes, what your competitors are doing and countless other ranking factors. SEO is a profession like being a lawyer or accountant. They can’t guarantee their services to keep you out of jail or a humongous tax return so why would you expect it from an SEO company?
3 – Keyword density is very important
Your primary keyword should be used in your on page elements such as your title tag, heading tags and body text. However, SEO has evolved and Search Engines have become more sophisticated. Using modifiers, synonyms and both the plural and singular versions of a keyword is a more natural way of copywriting and casting your net wider for related keywords.
4 – Meta tags have no relevance
The keywords used in your title tag and description tag should reflect the content on the Web page and assist Search Engines in understand the content on the page and thus ranking it for relevant keyword searches. Google has openly said they do not use meta keyword tags in their ranking algorithms, so these can generally be ignored nowadays.
5 – Linking out to relevant sites helps with your SEO
This is one of the prevalent SEO myths. Your website linking to quality and authoritative websites helps rankings. Not true. Your link profile will look unnatural if you are not linking to any sites at all but linking to other sites will not boost your Search Engine visibility. Websites linking back to your website is what you are aiming for and this will increase your ranking.
6 – Web Designers are SEO experts
While your Web designer can certainly provide you with some guidance in regards to optimizing your website, SEO is a specialized field and they may not have the knowledge and expertise to achieve top rankings for competitive phrases. However, it is important your Web designer work alongside an SEO expert to build a website with a Search Engine friendly infrastructure.
7 – Flash is a no go for SEO
Search Engines became a lot better at crawling and indexing websites that use Flash, however Flash as a technology is now depreciated and should not be used. SEO companies still recommend having an HTML based navigation and content template which makes sites easy to crawl and understand.
8 – Getting on the first page of Google will guarantee your success
Remember the end goal of SEO is conversion. There is no point ranking on page number of Google for a niche keyword that will just drive traffic to your website but will not result in increased inquiries and revenue. Or a long-tail phrase that gets no searches per month! Keep your eye on the prize and target your pages for keywords that will drive better targeted, quality traffic to your website.
9 – If you build it, they will come
Certainly having a great product, an engaging website and interesting copywriting is all very important but people have to find you on Search Engines first. Optimizing your website is equally as important to ensure that your website ranks highly on Web searches for relevant keywords. Research shows that most users do not look beyond the first pages of Search Engine results.
10 – SEO is a one-time activity
One of the most common SEO myths or traps a company can fall for is that optimization of your website is a one-off activity. Search Engine Optimisation is not a ‘set it and forget it’ marketing activity. Whether you employ an SEO company or continue optimising your website in-house, it requires ongoing maintenance such as:
- keyword research
- page editing and optimization
- link building strategies and
- website and competitive analysis
Contact us to find out more about our SEO Packages and SEO Services and find out why we are one of the best SEO companies worldwide. There are a lot of SEO myths and misconceptions but at SEO Works, our business analysts are encouraged to have an open door policy and share their knowledge and expertise with you to help demystify the world of Search Engine Optimisation.
