Behind pretty much any successful online marketing strategy is SEO. However, SEO is complex and frequently changing. This can lead to myths and half-truths that may sound factual, but in reality, these practices are dragging your site down in the rankings.
Falling for these myths can do more than tank your rankings, they’re also a waste of valuable time and resources. While SEO services in Arvada, CO will help make sure that you have an effective marketing strategy that’s also sustainable, it doesn’t hurt to know what some are the common myths are regarding search engine optimization.
From ignoring local SEO and low-volume search terms to keyword density, here’s a look at some of the common SEO myths floating around.
If you don’t have a physical location, meaning your business is strictly online, local SEO may seem like a waste of time and money. After all, you’re not trying to drive foot traffic through your doors. Instead, you want to reach a large, global audience.
While you do want to have a global presence, and this applies even if you have a brick-and-mortar store. You can also ship your products to overseas customers. However, regardless of your business model, you don’t want to overlook the importance of local SEO.
Not sure if you need to spend time and resources on local SEO, a Google study may help convince you otherwise. An estimated 72% of consumers use Google Maps to look up a business. Just imagine the traffic you’re missing out on if you’re not spending some time developing a local SEO marketing strategy.
And, best of all, Google Maps makes it easy to get started listing your business. From there, SEO services can help you optimize your listing to help ensure you’re reaching all of your potential and existing customers.
Okay, so you do need new content, this part of the myth is true. However, you can’t just publish a few great pieces of content and sit back to watch traffic flood your site.
You don’t need to add new content every day or even monthly. If your existing content is still relevant, leave it up. There’s no reason to get rid of a great page simply because its publishing date is older than a couple of months.
What you do need to do is update your existing content. Yes, this is something search engine algorithms pay attention to.
For example, if your site is promoting SLR cameras and your latest blog post is a couple of years old. Search engines are going to flag the content as being outdated. Remember, technology is constantly advancing and consumers want the latest information. A top-of-the-line SLR camera from 2019, is going to be outdated.
Go back and update your information. You’ll be surprised at how something this simple can affect your website’s rankings.
SEO is a little different than say setting your thermostat at home. Unlike your thermostat, where you set it at a specific temperature and forget about it until the seasons change, SEO is a continual job.
The fact that SEO is never-ending is a common reason why businesses often choose to outsource the work. Most companies simply don’t have the personnel to devote solely to SEO.
Why is SEO a continual process? You can blame the search engine algorithms. Search engines are constantly updating their algorithms, Google changes it sometimes as often as 500 times a year. Yes, this is a lot and it also means a ton of work to stay current.
If your idea of inserting keywords in content is to use as many as possible, you’re making a mistake. Chances are, your website is being flagged for keyword stuffing. This is a thing and search engines frown on the practice.
Search engine algorithms look for more than high-ranking keywords in your content. The algorithms also check to see if the keywords make sense in their placement. In other words, you can’t insert keywords in random places. Your content still needs to be easily readable, informative, and accurate.
When it comes to using keywords, sometimes less is more. If you’re looking for a good base metric, try to keep keyword density around 2%. If you’re trying for a higher keyword percentage, search engines may flag your content as being spammy.
If you ask Google, the search engine giant will probably tell you that social media signals aren’t a huge ranking factor. You may even hear that social media plays no role in your site’s rankings—but this is a myth.
Social media plays a role in where your site appears on the result page. While the algorithms aren’t going to check to see if you have a social media presence, they do check if your content is resonating with users. Simple cues like receiving likes, page sharing, and comments can all help show your website is engaging visitors while also providing relevant information.
Creating an effective social media presence is a little more complicated than setting up a Facebook account. Thankfully, SEO services typically offer social media strategies as part of their marketing solutions.
Okay, there are plenty of myths going around out there about AI and its impact on SEO as we currently know it. One of these myths is that AI is replacing SEO, and this simply isn’t true.
SEO isn’t dead but it’s changing to keep up with the times—and yes, AI is starting to affect search engine rankings, especially CTRs. That said, SEO is still an important part of any effective online marketing campaign.
When you have an optimized website, you’re making it easier for users to locate your content and this correlates to higher conversion rates.
SEO isn’t dead, but it is evolving, leading to many myths popping up that need to be investigated and navigated. Partnering with professional SEO services is often the best approach to avoid missing out on valuable traffic.
These experts can optimize existing content, manage links, and handle social media spaces, guaranteeing your site consistently ranks at the top of search engine results. Through leveraging their expertise, you can focus on your core business while they keep your online presence strong and effective.