Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is one of the best marketing methods for promoting your business online. It is a complex procedure that involves various website improvements, content creation, link building, and other activities.
The main goal of search engine optimization is to position your pages at the top of search engine results. This way, when a person types in a question or a particular keyword, your website will be one of the first things they see. Not only is optimization important for increasing sales, but it can also improve branding and a company’s reputation.
When we talk about SEO, we usually refer to Google optimization. After all, more than 70% of global desktop traffic goes through this search engine. Positioning your website among the top five results is crucial, as they account for 67% of all the traffic. Like with any other profession, there are certain misconceptions regarding the process. Here are the top 5 myths about search engine optimization:
- Google Penalizes New Websites
There is a firm belief that Google and other search engines downgrade or ignore new websites, not allowing them to rank. It is something that many business owners believe in as they’re unable to get any web traffic despite optimization efforts.
The truth is a bit different. Search engines take much more time to crawl and understand new websites than older ones, but they don’t forget about them. New websites simply don’t have enough authority, so it makes sense that it takes time to get them off the ground.
Keep in mind that some older websites have been around for more than a decade. So even when your website matures, it will be hard to overtake them for specific keywords.
- SEO Should Provide Results Within a Month or Two
The majority of business owners have unrealistic expectations from search engine optimization. There is a widespread belief, propagated by some SEO agencies, that you can work SEO wonders in just a few weeks.
SEO usually provides the first noticeable results after three months. This can happen a bit faster if a website is older and if someone already did a good job optimizing its pages. However, expecting that you will rank on the first page for the most lucrative “money phrases” in just a month is absurd.
Always keep in mind that optimization is a dynamic field, and you are subject to competition. For example, while optimizing for keywords, there are dozens of websites doing the same thing.
- Link Quantity Is More Important Than a Quality
There are lots of misconceptions regarding links. For example, some people claim that links are no longer important as a ranking factor. The truth is, you won’t be able to rank almost anything without them.
According to Dental Marketing Guy, a dental SEO company, another common misconception is that link quantity beats link quality. And while this might’ve been true in the past, it hasn’t been the case for a decade or more. In fact, having too many irrelevant links can even hurt your website leading to Google penalties.
One link from a reputable site can equal 100 links from low-tier websites. Furthermore, quality links are much safer and are less likely to get you into trouble. Therefore, even if this authoritative website is not from your industry or niche, it should boost your pages.
- Having More Content Helps Your SEO Efforts
Depending on the topic, there will be an optimal number of pages you should create. An SEO expert will analyze all the keywords and create one article per phrase. If a keyword is irrelevant to your business, you should never create content about it.
Having too many pages on the same topic can lead to something we refer to as content cannibalization. When you have two or more such pages, Google is uncertain which one to prioritize. So, one of them might be shown within the search engine, and the other will disappear. While having more pages can increase your traffic, some of this traffic will be irrelevant and often counterproductive. This is why planning content ahead of time is so crucial.
- PPC (Pay-Per-Click) Helps Your SEO
By investing in PPC, your pages will appear on the top of Google regardless of other pages’ quality. Some people believe that PPC can also boost SEO. This is because sometimes you can see a company’s PPC page and organic page among the top results.
While PPC can help your branding and bring about passive benefits, it doesn’t directly impact optimization. As soon as you stop paying for this service, you will no longer gain visits. The same cannot be said for SEO, which is often seen as a long-term branding effort.
