The 6 common myths of SEO busted
We are living in a world where the press of a button on our mobile can switch on the AC to pre-cool our bedroom or refill the week’s groceries without the hassle of standing in the checkout line. It is a time where technology is at our fingertips thanks to cellphones, tablets, and laptops. The key to easy access is the correct sorting, collating and finding of the apt information by the search engines. SEO or Search Engine Optimization is the process that makes our online content friendlier and more accessible for search engine spiders or crawlers.
All there’s to know about SEO
There are approximately 3,486,228,670 internet users at the moment and over 1 billion websites (according to Internet Live Stats). It is a cutthroat world when it comes to getting noticed on the internet. Having a website with novel content is simply not enough anymore to make a prolific online identity for yourself. Every company website needs a bit extra –a pragmatic, integrated SEO plan. This will ensure that your website is visible to your target consumers and automatically positioned beside your competitors in the Search Result Lists or SRLs.
How to ensure you are following good SEO practice?
Use relevant keywords
The secret to any good SEO is relevance. This simply means, how well the content of your website matches to what your target audience is searching for on a daily basis. It is a search engine’s job to link up info provided in your website to the information people are looking up. The key to determining what is a match are relevant keywords and even phrases.
The most recent algorithm used by Google not only matches the exact words, but also synonyms and other similar words which might carry the same meaning. For example, if your website does not mention home cooling solutions even once, no one will be able to find any home cooling products when they search. SEO reorients your digital presence to attract most amount of traffic by answering user queries during online searches.
Myth 1: Google doesn’t see SEO practices as legit
This so called “fact” has absolutely no basis. The circulation of this myth started when Google Hummingbird came into existence in 2013. Hummingbird’s aim is to interpret the meaning of an entire sentence or phrase during searches rather than individual words. So, till you are meeting the standards of Google’s quality your website and its content will definitely not be discriminated against.
Myth 2: repetition of keywords improves ranking
This is another raging myth that has been misguiding website owners and content developers for years now. If you are into digital marketing you must know by now that cramming keywords into your content simply does not work on GoogleHummingbird.
Honestly, if you are trying to find out how to color your bedroom walls, would you like to go through an article or a blog that keeps repeating the very same phrase over and over again. What you really need is focused content in a lucid language that serves your purpose. This is where the importance of Hummingbird kicks in – this algorithm can find all relevant content from high-quality sites to meet a user’s inquisitiveness. As a matter of fact, most of the top-ranking results are the ones which read conversationally, have a common theme and have long-tailed keywords.
Myth 3: SEO is an instant process
There is no magic spell that can make your website search engine optimized in a second. It is an extensive process that requires some knowledge on Google’s Hummingbird algorithm and enough time to research the most popular keywords. Search engine optimization is a continuous process that involves using a number of tools and plug-ins like Google Keywords, Keyword Suggestion Tool, Keyword List Generator and Meta Tag Generator Tool to create the best search engine optimized content for your website.
This is synonymous to online branding that creates a faithful customer or follower-base for your website. Our SEO tips are –create reliable, quality content online to gain a better reputation and do not hold your breath after implementing new SEO settings, changes in internet traffic will not be seen overnight. It is a slow but steady process.
Myth 4: We did that SEO thing already
SEO is not a one-time thing, it’s an on-going, holistic approach to your online presence. SEO best practice is all about quality and relevance. We cannot emphasize this enough. To suggest you should only strive to be quality and relevant once wouldn’t be something you’d even consider in other aspects of your business.
Small businesses have a huge amount to gain from a detailed, quality SEO plan. There are high prices to pay for businesses that do not choose to invest in SEO as competitors, those within a similar industry and hold a similar concept will soon bypass your business.
Myth 5: to help SEO only social media links are necessary
This is one of the most dangerous myths of SEO. Many small business endeavors have gone bankrupt by relying on just social media to reach out to their target audience. Social media links are a vital part of SEO but they are not the only part. Sharing your content on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest will definitely bring you a steady suit of followers and build your organic interaction. But simply using social media as your wholesome link building strategy will not improve your search rankings.
Myth 6: using any links is OK
Gone are the days of ‘black hat SEO’ when people could fill their websites with spammyinbound links and drive up their website ranks. The Hummingbird is too smart for that kind of con job. The new algorithm can not only recognize this, it can also punish the websites that still follow such spammy practices. The best way is to build high-quality and natural links for your website.
All small businesses can gain from good SEO practices. Creating search engine optimized websites is no rocket science but it does require its own share of dedication and research. All we can say is the businesses which do not invest in SEO have had to pay high prices with time. Now that these myths of SEO have been exposed, you know how to find a space amidst your competitors. If you properly follow these guidelines, you will be able to reach out to a sound fan base within a short period of time.
Author Bio : Jennie Williams is the author of a NYT bestseller and the head of an online company that prides itself in online branding and digital marketing. She runs her own website to dish out the most effective SEO tips to all his online followers.
