Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is extremely important. It’s also difficult to fully understand, especially as Google’s algorithm is not explicitly laid out in plain English.
Because of the often-ambiguous nature of SEO, many myths are simply accepted as truths. Here we will look at some of the biggest SEO myths that may be costing you leads.
Myth #1: Meta Tags are Optional
Ok, so technically, the inclusion of meta tags on a web page is indeed optional. You don’t have to include them, and your web pages will load and display just fine without them. However, for SEO purposes, you absolutely must use meta tags.
Your meta tags help search engines understand what your page is all about. It’s important to write strong meta descriptions to improve SEO.
Myth #2: Google will Instantly Find and Crawl Your New Content
Many believe that just pressing publish in WordPress will ping google to index your page immediately. This myth couldn’t be further from the truth.
It takes time for Google to crawl new pages, and if you want to instantly begin seeing SEO rankings for a new blog post, you’ll need to give the spiders a push. You can do this by creating a new XML sitemap to tell Google about your new page. This tactic will accomplish the indexing faster and get the SEO ball rolling.
Myth #3: You Don’t Need to do Keyword Research
Many believe that simply using keywords you find relevant to your content is enough. Keywords are something that does require research to hit the mark on SEO.
It’s critical to choose just the right keyword phrases to get a spot on page one of Google. For example, you may find that your primary keyword has a relatively low search volume with a lot of competition. However, you can find a relevant keyword with much higher volume and less competition through proper keyword research.
Myth #4: Long-Form Content will Improve Your SEO Rankings
One commonly held belief is that Google favors long-form content over shorter content.
The truth is that Google favors content that satisfies the user’s search intent. Quality content, properly optimized with keywords, really wins the search engine rankings. A long-form blog post with low-quality content will always lose out to shorter content that is more useful and follows SEO best practices.
Myth #5: Links to High-Authority Sites Drive Traffic Away
On the surface, this myth does make sense. If you’re linking to highly authoritative sites within your content, don’t you risk users leaving your website rather than sticking around to read more?
If your content delivers quality information that is helpful to your visitors, they will come back even if they momentarily leave to visit an external link. If you simply have links open in a new browser tab, your webpage is still there to pick up right where it left off.
While there’s no proof that linking to authoritative sites helps SEO rankings, there does seem to be some correlation between high-quality links and positive search rankings.
Myth #6: Page Load Speed Doesn’t Matter for SEO
Page speed makes a big difference in SEO ranking.
Google values web pages that offer its users value, which can best be determined by how long visitors remain on your website. A webpage that loads slowly will have a high bounce rate, which is viewed negatively by Google. After all, why prioritize a page in the search engine results when visitors don’t stick around for more than 5 seconds?
Myth #7: Lots of Links Mean High Rankings
The number of links in your content is far less important than the quality of those links.
In fact, including a large number of low-quality links has the potential to have a significant negative impact on your SEO. Instead of filling your content with many links hoping to appease Google, you’re better off limiting the number of total links and instead focusing on making sure those links go to high-quality and trustworthy landing pages.
Myth #8: High Keyword Density is the Key
Google does not like keyword stuffing. The search engine didn’t become the giant it is by being easily fooled. If you include your keyword too many times, you’re likely to see your SEO suffer as Google penalizes a blatant overuse of keywords.
Instead, focus on keeping your keyword use to just a few times within a piece of content. 3-5 times within a typical blog post is ideal, and ensure they are well integrated and make sense within the context of their use.
Myth #9: Interactive Content Isn’t Important
You may think that having content your visitors interact with has no bearing on SEO. This idea couldn’t be further from the truth.
The fact is that Google looks favorably on web pages that users are spending a lot of time on. By including interactive content for your visitors, they are encouraged to spend more time on your page, which will be great for your search rankings.
Myth #10: Domain Age is a Factor for Ranking
This is one of those myths that is an understandable myth to believe. After all, web pages that have been around for a long time tend to do better than a website that has just launched in the past six months.
However, this is not because Google is considering the domain’s age. This is simply a result of the older domain having more time to put best SEO practices into effect. In other words, a ten-year-old domain that does not put any effort into its SEO can easily be outranked by a brand-new website that ticks all the boxes for what Google is looking for.
SEO Myths Key Takeaways
Organic search engine traffic is the holy grail. When someone is looking for information, products, or services, their first stop is typically Google. This makes SEO efforts a critical aspect of your website. It’s essential, though, to understand the truth about SEO and not fall for the many myths out there.
If you need help with the SEO optimization of your website, you can always enlist the help of a professional. The SEO experts at Marketeery can help improve your on-page SEO and push your Google rankings higher