Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is one of the most powerful tools in the digital world. If
proper optimization is done, it can get your website top rankings in Google. There are more
than 250 million websites in Google, SEO can help people recognize your brand. It can help
in generating leads and increase website traffic. You can reach higher sales with the help of
SEO. The ROI is greater than any other tool.
With so many benefits, one would think that people would think that it is very simple and
straightforward. But that is not the case! There are several myths attached to SEO which
makes it look extremely complicated. This also leads to losing out on many amazing
opportunities. So, in this article, we will try to understand SEO and debunk some of the
myths!
Myth 1
SEO is just a bunch of keywords thrown in
There are 200 factors determined by Google for the high ranking on its page. Earlier
keywords alone were the deciding factor but not now. They are relevant for SEO but they
alone cannot determine the rankings of your website. The topic of the article or blog should
also be relevant. The content in that blog should also be original and unique. It should not
have duplicate content. The website should have a great design and have proper outbound
& inbound links. With so many factors coming together, keywords alone are not enough!
SEO is just not a sum of keywords.
Myth 2
Keywords need to be EXACT type
An Exact Match keyword in Google AdWords will enter an auction in which the search
query matches perfectly or is a very close variant of the keyword you entered. For some
reason, many marketers think Keywords need to be exact for SEO to work. It is not
necessary. Though it is good to have an exact match. But a little alteration of the keywords
to make your content better is not wrong. Making sentences with funny sounding keywords
can put off the users. This is because the content is for the readers and not for Google. So,
next time, your keywords are not an exact match, do not fret. Just focus on great content.
Myth 3
SEO is instant magic
A lot of people think that implementing SEO will yield results immediately. Your website will
have suddenly very high traffic and you will get a lot of sales lead. Again, a big myth which
has been perpetuated. Don’t get fooled by digital marketers claim that you will see instant
results. Just like any marketing tool, SEO is a tool for digital marketing. A good SEO strategy
is usually slow. Initially, while getting the strategy done, a lot of research goes in. Content
has to be written according to SEO guidelines. With Google ‘s new guidelines, the focus is on
good content which will appeal to the readers and this will take your website’s ranking
higher. This usually takes some time. So, be patient and give your website & SEO team at
least 3-6 months before you can see the results.
Myth 4
Researching for Keywords is useless
Again, a big myth! Though there are several factors which determine the rankings (see
Myth1) but researching for keywords and getting the right keywords is also important. That
is because they need to be relevant to the context of the article. What Google penalizes are
over optimization of keywords or keywords stuffing. Google’s algorithms have become quite
sophisticated. So, how to research them? Google’s keyword planner can be of use. It is quite
simple to use and they have step by step methodology to do it. There are other keyword
planning tools on the web which are available.These tools can be used to plan the keywords
as well.
Myth 5
Guest Blogs do not belong in SEO strategy
Actually, guest blogs are a wonderful way to gain more eyeballs, brand awareness and help
in building in communities. Some time back, Matt Cutts, head of Google spam team, had
said that “Guest blogging is dead”, what he meant was that Google would penalize those
guest blogs which had spam links. So, if you are including guest blogs, just make sure they
are high quality content. They should also have a unique content. They should not come
with a spam link. If you are blogging, write for the niche your website is in.
Myth 6
If you have high ranking in paid result, you have high organic rankings too
Again, a myth which most people have about SEO. There are several brands who have not
invested in paid rankings but yet rank higher in Google search. Yes, it is possible! If you are
advertising on Google then it is not necessary that your website will rank high in organic
search. Organic search is the result which Google shows by running the algorithm. Paid
search are the links that marketers pay so that Google puts it on the result page. Usually
paid research is shown under sponsored links. The paid result can get higher conversions to
the website. There will be more traffic to the website. But for organic, content is through
which your website can be higher. Only through series of good quality content and properly
researched keywords, one can slowly climb the rankings. So, again it shows Google favors
who have good and original content which is useful to the readers.
Myth 7
Link building does not help SEO
According to Webmaster,” Any links intended to manipulate PageRank or a site’s ranking in
Google search results may be considered part of a link scheme and a violation of Google’s
Webmaster Guidelines.” Building useless backlinks to get higher rankings will be penalized
by Google.People assumed that link building is not a great idea. But Google does not frown
on great quality backlinks. These amazing backlinks should be earned then it helps in SEO
rankings. Whitehat link techniques are the only way to get ahead as they are time tested.
Myth 8
Social activity does not affect SEO
Again, a fallacy which does not hold true. Though, Google states that social activities like
Facebook or Instagram do not affect SEO. But social sharing and content creation can have
other effects on the SEO. Sharing leads to the indexing of pages, leads to more engagement
with the users and that leads to more SEO activity. The effect is not immediately known.
But, through social activities, SEO is affected.
Myth 9
Separate pages for each keyword help in SEO
Simply untrue! One does not separate pages for each keyword. Since the keywords keep
changing, you just can’t be adding pages every time. That will make the website bulky. This
led to very low- quality pages with bad content which as you know by now, is that Google
penalizes bad content. A single page can rank up to several keywords. All you need is to
design a strategy which helps to combine all the keywords for good content.
Myth 10
You have to submit your website to Google
You don’t have to submit your website to Google. That is not your biggest mission while
creating SEO strategy. Your pages will get indexed in due time by the crawlers. It does not
help in greater SEO effect. Your website should be just registered with Google or any other
search engines.
We might have discussed only 10 myths but there are several other floating in the digital
sphere. These are a creation of misinformation or half-baked knowledge. What you can do
is understand your website & business and create the best strategy which works for you. If
you need any more assistance on SEO, do message us on our website. We would love to
help you on your website
