Some people have incorrect impressions as to what works and what doesn’t work when optimizing a website for search. Sometimes it’s because the person hasn’t kept up with the world of SEO (example: people who still believe the meta keywords tag matters), other times it’s because they’ve been told false information from people trying to make a quick buck. Below are a few SEO myths we’d like to dismiss:
Content is king:
The content on your website is important, but content alone will not provide your site with quality organic search rankings on competitive searches. What is more important is how many quality websites link back to your site. The more credible places online that say your website is a great source of content for “xyz,” the more search engines will trust your website as a source of content for “xyz.” The more they trust you, the more inclined they’ll be inclined to rank your website higher for searches related to “xyz.”
Google AdWords affects your organic rankings:
It would make sense that Google would favor those companies paying money to advertise on their AdWords platform with higher organic rankings for their website. That is simply not true. Thousands of trials have been conducted on this very issue and none of them have shown any correlation between Google AdWords spending and organic rankings.
Quantity of links matter:
This isn’t an arms race. If one site has 10,000 back links and another has 100, the site with 10,000 won’t necessarily rank higher. It’s the quality of links that matters most, not the quantity. If you have 10,000 links from sites with low PageRanks and little content – you will probably not outrank the website with 100 links from credible websites with high PageRanks and unique content. With Google all votes are not equal, which is a good thing!
Social media is critical for SEO:
Social media is important – it can help build your brand name, connect with your audience on a deeper level and showcase your expertise. But don’t think that Facebook likes, some Twitter tweets or a few shared posts is going to help your website rank higher organically for competitive keywords. Do you think that Google, which competes with Facebook for advertising dollars, is going to make Facebook an important factor in their search algorithm?
Regular updates are necessary for higher organic rankings:
This is something that was more true to say a few years ago. Look at some of the websites that rank well on competitive searches and you’ll see they haven’t been updated in awhile. The takeaway – don’t just add content and update your website for the sake of it – only update the website with meaningful, relevant content.
Have additional questions or thoughts? Feel free to contact Local Search Masters and we’ll be happy to discuss.
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