Don’t Trust These SEO Myths

At some point you learned that SEO is important for getting your business noticed online. Maybe you’ve even learned some of the basics about keywords and organic growth. But it’s more than you want to take on and you don’t think it’s necessary to hire a someone to do it for you. Instead, you’ve decided to outsource your SEO needs. As with any other service you outsource, be sure you’re working with a reputable company that offers attainable results. If you hear any of these myths, you’re probably in the wrong place.

Myth #1 – We Can Guarantee You’ll Be Number One

Being number one would be great! You’re like to get 30% more traffic than the rest of page one. And being on page one means you’re likely to get 90% of the clicks. Here’s the truth. Way too many factors go into being number one. This is a hollow guarantee. There’s a chance, but you’ll want to truly understand their process. It’s highly probable they’re using “black hat” techniques which will hurt your brand long-term. Promising to get you on page one. That’s far more likely.

Myth #2 – Social Media Isn’t a Factor in SEO

There’s no other way to say this. It’s simply untrue. The more likes, follows, shares, etc. you have, the more search engine algorithms factor your content to “expert” and weigh it against less expert content. This is likely to move you up the ranks.

Myth #3 – More Links Are Better

This is sort of true. But it’s not just about the number of links. The quality of links is what matters. Are the coming from/going to high-quality sites? Those will help you – the more the merrier. On the other hand, if all the links are coming from/going to sites no one has ever heard of, chances are it’s not going to do much to grow your authority or increase your rankings.

Myth #4 – You Need Lots of Content

Lots of content isn’t a bad thing. But what really matters is having great content that’s updated regularly. Updates don’t have to be complicated either. Change a sentence or two – that’s an update. Keywords are definitely an important part of this content, but Google uses more than 200 factors to determine your SEO ranks, so they’re not the only piece of it. Content tip: don’t write to improve SEO. Write to help people solve their problems or answer their questions. You’ll rank well.

For more SEO tips or help improving your website’s rank, contact Meredith Communications for a free initial consultation.

Categorised in: Search Engine Marketing (SEM), Search Engine Optimization (SEO)