SEO is constantly changing. As Google strives to continually improve the search process for the user, they are making never-ending changes to their algorithm to grow and change with the Internet and all the pages in it. For SEO specialists like us, this means staying on top of these algorithm changes and learning to discern the difference between SEO facts and myths. Here are 5 common SEO myths that we’re ready to put to rest once and for all.
Drum roll please…
1. Never Enough Keywords
This is one of the oldest and most persistent myths of SEO because back in the day, it was true. All you had to do a few years ago to rank well in a Google SERP was to stuff as many keywords into your web content as possible and the sheer density of it would bring the spiders. That’s not the case anymore. We’re working with a much more intuitive and sophisticated search engine algorithm these days and a hideous plague of keyword spam is more likely to get you penalized than rewarded with traffic. Write for humans, not machines.
2. Google is Our One and Only
We always reference the Big G when we talk about SEO. That’s not because they’re the only player on the field, it’s just because they’re the biggest and they tend to set the standard in the search game. But you can’t forget to optimize for Bing and Yahoo because they have their own algorithms and their own user base of searchers.
3. More Pages, More Results
Another throwback to a few years ago (are we starting to sound like an old man telling war stories?) is the idea of quantity over quality. There’s this urban legend that if you just have thousands of pages indexed, you’ll beat the others by volume. Not so anymore. Google rewards quality content over a large quantity of crap so focus on the words, not the page numbers.
4. Content is All that Matters
While it’s true that what people are searching for is content, there’s more to marketing your website than producing good, quality ideas. You also have to take into account foundational SEO optimization practices like meta data and link structure in order to compete on the SERPs.
5. Big Brands Can’t Do Local
Google is all about local search right now. They’ve recently been optimizing for GPS locations and voice search. It’s all about relevance and where you are locally is usually more than relevant for the content you’re looking for. But even national companies can succeed at the local search game by optimizing local pages and pinning yourself to the map wherever you service.
Erving
Incredible Marketing
