3 Common SEO Myths Busted

For as long as search engine optimization has been around, people have had all kinds of misconceptions about what it is exactly all about and how it should be done. Instead of speculating about how search engines operate, it is best to get yourself educated so as to eliminate confusion about the entire concept of search engine optimization. The following is an attempt to dispel some common misconceptions surrounding SEO and shed light on what it takes to succeed in making your website and web pages rank in search results:

1. Is SEO nothing but a huge scam?

This is one of the most common (and ridiculous) false impressions about search engine optimization and it primarily stems from people’s misguided belief of what SEO is all about. Many business and website owners have sadly been led to believe that optimization can be achieved through non-ethical, black hat marketing services and techniques that promise success but deliver nothing (or offer temporary results that help boost ranking and traffic, only to see them slip down in the long run). A service that promises a number one ranking with some black magic SEO is almost certainly nothing but a money-making scheme—this is nowhere near authentic SEO.

The truth of the matter is you can’t see quick, instant and easy results with very little effort in SEO. It requires consistent and real effort and a steadfast commitment towards optimization to get the rewards you aspire. A winning SEO program doesn’t only cater to the correctable technical problems within your site, but addresses its weak points so as to help you gain rewards beyond a temporary surge or increase in your traffic.

2. Tricking the system is the best and fastest way to achieve your SEO goals.

No amount of trickery will get you to the top ranks and keep you there without experiencing a backlash in the form of search engine penalties. While manipulative SEO tricks may have worked for some websites in the past, these kinds of techniques are exactly what will get you penalized by search engines today. Now that major search engines (especially Google) have stricter algorithms and guidelines to use and follow when ranking websites, using manipulative tricks will do nothing but get you penalties and y send you to the abyss of search results. Penalties will also make it harder for you to climb up again, unless you actually begin following best practices.

Real SEO isn’t about stuffing your important keywords in your title tag or peppering your content with nonsensical phrases in the hope of ranking for them. It is about making every part of your user’s browsing experience better, and organizing your content so that search engines can make sense of your site and see you relevant. This involves:

  • Reverse engineering content creation so that it meets user needs.
  • Making content discoverable not only for human searchers but also for search engine crawlers.
  • Avoiding ambiguous data structuring.
  • Improving website accessibility via efficient site architecture and better user experience.
  • Optimizing with social sharing in mind.
  • Helping search engines categorize content by following technical standards.
  • Improving search presence through search engine snippets.
  • Improving site speed; and
  • Increasing traffic and exposure through mentions and links as you share content with the proper audiences.

3. Google is smart enough to rank me

Google is smart, but not too smart to figure out exactly what your website is all about, without you helping it understand your message. Contrary to what many webmasters believe, search engines cannot do your SEO for you. Search engines are intelligent, but you can’t expect them to do all the heavy lifting. You need to generate signals like links and engagement metrics in order to help them crawl, index, and rank results efficiently.

We can help!

At SEOValley™, you get professional SEO services that don’t involve any black hat magic tricks. If your SEO provider is still big on short cuts and tricks that guarantee top ranks, it is high time to cut and run, and turn to real SEO professionals that specialize in ethical search optimization.