When you consider how important proper SEO is for a growing business, it just makes sense for companies to get the facts right. One piece of misinformation could lead to costly mistakes at a time when they can least afford it. Listed below are ten of the most commonly used myths about SEO that you should stop putting your faith in right now.
SEO Myth 1: You Don’t Need HTTPS
You know those little letters that come in front of a web address. It may seem like they mean nothing, but they serve a very important purpose. The letters stand for Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure. This is to let readers and web crawlers know that your site can encrypt data and transfer it from one site to the next over a secure connection. It is so important that when Google’s Chrome Browser sees a site without it, it is viewed as risky. So, don’t neglect your HTTPS.
SEO Myth 2: Optimizing Exact Keywords is Now Outdated
When you optimize exact keywords, you create relevant backlinks to authority sites helping your target audience to view you with greater credibility. Whether you hire professional SEO writers knowledgeable about your product or service or you do your own, optimizing exact keywords with valuable content can be extremely effective in improving your rankings.
SEO Myth 3: You Only Need to Optimize for Google
Yes, Google is the big dog on the block but that doesn’t mean that the other search engines aren’t valuable. Google’s present market share is at 64%, which leaves another 36% for the others. If this is neglected, it means that you are ignoring 36% of your potential customer base.
SEO Myth 4: You Should Only Worry About Content
While content is very important in SEO, other factors can also impact your sites ranking. Make sure you factor in user experience and quality. At one time content was all that mattered, but today we have users who are much more in tune with what to expect from a quality website. Anything they feel is substandard won’t stand a chance.
SEO Myth 5: Using An SEO Agency is a Scam
No doubt there are many shady characters that will promise you the moon when it comes to search engine optimization. There are also many highly credible companies that are working hard to boost their clients’ online presence. You should know that SEO is not a one-time thing but is an ongoing process.
SEO Myth 6: You’ll Rank Higher If You Have a Lot Of Pages
To enhance client experience, having a lot of pages can be beneficial. However, do not start making pages with no useful purpose. No matter how many pages you have, if they do not fulfill your customer’s needs, they won’t be back again, and you won’t get the results you seek.
SEO Myth 7: You Don’t Need Original Content
If you only update your content occasionally and just rehash what has already been said you diminish the customer experience. To get a customer to come back to your page they must believe they are going to learn something new with each visit. Make sure that your site has a steady stream of fresh content to keep visitors interested.
SEO Myth 8: You Must Adapt to All New Algorithms
All the search engines are constantly looking for ways to get more clever and smarter. Rather than adapting to every new update search engine make, wait and observe to see if your site will be impacted. You may not need to make any adjustments and will save time and money.
Related read: What is the Panda Algorithm and How Does It Affect Your Blogging Efforts
SEO Myth 9: Host Location is Important
The host location doesn’t have any impact on your rankings. Search engines are advanced enough that they can match the right audience to your site regardless of where the host is located. In addition, they’re more concerned about the quality of the content rather than location.
SEO Myth 10: Personalized Searches Make It Impossible to Consistently Get High Rankings
Search results are often tailored to the interests of each consumer. If your site has been designed to meet the needs of the consumer, you can consistently reach the top of the pack, no matter what their personal search practices and interests may be.
SEO practices are constantly changing and if you want to get on top and stay there, you will have to change with it. This is not the time to sit back and relax. It is more important than ever for you to put even more effort into your SEO strategy. You can start by forgetting these common misguided beliefs and pushing through for a greater and better business.
You’ll also like to read: How to Get Page 1 Rank in Google?