Over the years, businesses and digital marketers use Search Engine Optimization (SEO) to rank websites on various search engines. SEO can be complex due to its countless rules, which leads to many misconceptions. These misconceptions have put many businesses in trouble, and worse, almost out of business. With that, we’re here to debunk these common myths about SEO.
It’s Over
You’ve probably read on Facebook groups and other platforms that SEO is over. The reason behind this is the continuous changes in the digital marketing world.
The truth is, SEO isn’t over; perhaps, it won’t ever be over. There are billions of searches happening every single day on Google alone, which makes SEO essential. As long as users search on search engines, SEO is here to stay.
You Can Use Pay-Per-Click (PPC) Ads to Increase Site Rankings
This myth has been going on for some time now, and a lot of people actually believe this to be true. The myth goes like this: Google favours sites with PPC ad campaigns.
No, Google doesn’t work that way.
Google uses an algorithm to organize PPC ad placements, but it doesn’t use the same thing to determine organic search results. Indeed, a PPC campaign and an SEO strategy can have many benefits, but that doesn’t necessarily mean it will result in better rankings.
Content Should Be Longer
It is natural to hear from someone these days that you need to have longer content when you want to rank higher on search engines. The truth is, there is no evidence behind this claim.
There might have been studies over the years that have shown content with more than 1,000 words are doing well on the SERPs. Again, this doesn’t mean that increasing the length of your content will immediately boost your rankings.
Content that is high up on the SERPs is up there because they are well-optimized, informative, and bring value to users. If your content is full of fluff and repetitive information, plagiarized from other sites, or stuffed with keywords in every paragraph, don’t expect your content to be favoured by Google.
It’s All About Long-Tail Keywords Now
One of the reasons marketers and business owners prioritize long-tail keywords is their low monthly search volumes. They think that these keywords are easier to rank for. However, it really doesn’t work that way.
If you want to make sure you’re using the right keywords, you need to put more focus on the Keyword Difficulty score instead.
It’s Only Backlinks
There was a time back then when building links would help increase site rankings—but that was before. Times have changed, and this is now a myth.
Link-building strategies are still important, but if you want to get the most out of them, you need to pair them with a solid content strategy.
Conclusion
SEO is here to stay, but due to misconceptions, like the ones listed above, it can be difficult to develop the right strategy to bring your desired results. Now that we have debunked these common myths about SEO, you can now make better strategies that will push your site up on the SERPs. The next step is to work with a digital marketing agency that can help you boost your SEO.
Siteful offers full-service digital marketing services in Ottawa. We specialize in SEO services, Google Ads, and everything in between. Contact us today!
