.jpg)
In definition, myths are traditional stories often believed to be true by a culture or society. Myths are also seen as explanations of natural phenomena, cultural practices, or religious beliefs. People within society will often share these myths and pass them down from one generation to the next.
Most myths are harmless. For example, sharks don't get cancer, or chewing gums take at least seven years to digest. Unfortunately, however, the same can't be said for many SEO myths.
Often, they are misleading and can hurt your website's ranking. Most SEO myths can lead to wasted resources, money, and time on things that'll never work.
Let us help you save time and money by debunking some of the most popular SEO myths.
SEO is a one-time thing
SEO (search engine optimization) is not a one-time project. Unfortunately, many people think they can do SEO for their website once and be done. Unfortunately, this is not the case.
SEO is an ongoing process that needs to be worked on continually to get the most benefit from it. It's like going to the gym—you can't just go once and expect to see results.
You need to be in it for the long haul if you want to gain muscles and see results. While it's okay to miss a few sessions, if you're not going regularly, you will not see any progress.
The same is true for SEO. You need to be working on it constantly to see improvements in your search engine ranking. Just because you did some SEO a month ago doesn't mean that you can sit back and relax. Many things can happen if you start overlooking your SEO.
For one, your competitors can overtake and surpass you in the search engine results pages. They may have been working on their SEO while you were taking a break, and now they're doing better than you.
Additionally, Google may make changes to its algorithm that can negatively affect your ranking. If you're not keeping up with the latest changes, you could find yourself slipping down the rankings—and that's not what you want.
What's more, your content will lose effectiveness if it's not updated regularly. People will stop visiting your site if they're not seeing new content all the time.
Another thing, you'll start to lose backlinks because of link rot. If you're not vigilant about keeping your links active, they'll eventually expire, and you'll lose all the hard work that you put into getting them in the first place.
One solution to this is to outsource your SEO to an agency that can keep an eye on things for you. That's where we come in. We are an SEO marketing Agency that can help you with all your SEO needs.
We know that SEO is an ongoing process, and we are committed to helping you with it every step of the way.
Keyword density significantly boosts page ranking
This SEO myth has been around for as long as search engine optimization has. And while there's no doubt that keyword density is essential, the idea that you can simply cram your pages with keywords and achieve better rankings is nothing more than a myth.
It's true that including the right keywords can help your page rank higher, but if you're not also providing valuable content and a great user experience, you won't get very far. There is no one answer to how much keyword density is ideal for your website.
Google doesn't tell you how many keywords a page should have, and there's no magic number that will guarantee better rankings. However, there are several considerations to ensure your content is optimized for keywords.
- Choose the right keywords: Don't keyword spam your content by including keywords that don't accurately reflect the topic of your page. Research and target the right keywords for your content.
- Include those keywords in strategic places: Use them where they make sense, such as in the title, in the first sentence, and in the meta description.
- Use relevant terms: Don't just use keywords for the sake of using them. Instead, make sure the terms you include are relevant to your content and audience.
- Write naturally: Don't try to artificially inflate your keyword density by stuffing your content with keywords. Instead, write naturally and include keywords where they make sense.
Additionally, Google uses the term frequency-inverse document frequency or TF-IDF to determine the importance of a keyword. TF-IDF measures how often a keyword appears in a document (term frequency) and compares it to how often it appears across all web documents (inverse document frequency).
So, if you're obsessing about including the perfect keyword density, you're likely doing more harm than good. Instead, focus on creating valuable content that your audience will find helpful and engaging. Google will see you as a manipulative website and not a relevant resource.
Meta tags don't matter
Don't fall for this SEO myth. The truth is that meta tags matter. As per Google, they're the best way to provide information about a web page that's readable and understandable to search engines and users.
Meta tags are a great way to provide information about your pages, such as the title, description, and keywords. They're also a great way to control how your page appears in search engine results pages (SERPs).
There are three elements to a good meta tag:
- The title tag
- The meta description
- The metaphases or keywords
The title is the most important element, as it's the first thing users will see in search engine results. Make sure your title accurately reflects the content of your page.
The meta description provides a brief summary of your page's content. And this is also what users will see in search engine results, so make sure it's enticing enough to get them to click.
The keywords are the terms and phrases you want your web pages to rank for in search engines. If you're not sure what to target, do keyword research. Use Google AdWords Keyword Planner to find keywords related to your topic.
Long-tail keywords are much easier to rank for
Long-tail keywords are search queries with low search volumes. Many people think that these keywords consist of many words, but that's not always the case.
A long-tail keyword could be as short as three words, and it could also be a more specific phrase. Here's the catch: while long-tail keywords get few searches every month, they're not easy to rank as popular keywords.
Not many people are searching for them, but the competition is tight. So, it'll be much harder to rank for long-tail keywords than for those with high search volumes.
But, if you can rank for them, the payoff can be significant. These keywords have a higher conversion rate because they're more relevant to the searcher's needs.
Social signals are a ranking factor
In the early 2010s, every SEO blog has been preaching about the incoming shift of Google's algorithm from counting links to counting social signals. These blog posts theorized that Google measured everything from your choice of filter to the number of followers.
But Google has clarified that it wasn't a thing. According to John Mueller of Google, social signals don't directly influence one's rankings. The reason might be that social signals are easy to manipulate.
Look at Fiverr. You can get thousands of followers for just a few bucks. But you may ask, "If this is true, why do so many people still talk about the importance of social signals?"
Even though there's no definitive answer, Google may take into account how often your content is shared and how much engagement it garners. It includes comments, shares, likes, and retweets.
More shares lead to more visibility, and more exposure means more backlinks. Furthermore, the more backlinks you have, the higher you will rank.
Buying backlinks will work
Sure, the more backlinks you have, the better. Here's the problem, getting more backlinks isn't easy. It takes a lot of time and effort to get backlinks from high-quality websites.
As such, many webmasters resort to buying backlinks, believing that it will help their website rank higher. Unfortunately, this isn't the case.
Google has openly stated that they penalize websites that buy backlinks, and as such, your website will likely suffer in the search engine rankings if you engage in this practice. Instead of buying backlinks, focus on creating high-quality content that relevant websites will want to link to naturally.
For example, if you run a blog, make sure to produce high-quality content regularly. It will encourage people to link to your content from their website, which will help improve your website's Google search engine rankings.
Mobile-first is irrelevant
This SEO myth is purely just a myth. In 2018, Google confirmed that the mobile-first indexing update is now fully rolled out. And what does this mean for your website? Well, if your site isn't already mobile-friendly, it's likely to see a decrease in traffic from Google searches.
That's why it's more important than ever to make sure your website is mobile-friendly. Here are a few tips to get you started:
- First, make sure all of your content is readable on a small screen.
- Second, use a responsive design that automatically adjusts to the size of the screen.
- Third, make sure your buttons and links are easy to click on a mobile screen.
- Finally, test your website on different mobile devices to ensure it looks and functions properly.
Guest blogging is dead
Many believe that guest blogging is no longer effective in today's SEO landscape. But that's not the case. Guest blogging is still alive and can be a powerful tool to help you grow your website's audience.
It's still an excellent way to gain backlinks, increase brand awareness, and grow your audience.
Here are a few tips for guest blogging:
- Choose high-quality websites to guest blog on.
- Make sure your content is relevant to the website's audience.
- Include links back to your website in your content.
- Be sure to include a bio and links to your social media profiles.
While building a good reputation as a guest blogger takes time, it's well worth the effort. Guest blogging can help you achieve your SEO and marketing goals.
Conclusion
SEO myths can seem believable, but they can hurt your website and business. Don't follow the crowd – do what's best for your unique situation. They may promise quick results, but they will only hurt your website in the end.
To get the most out of your SEO efforts, avoid these myths. Instead, focus on what's best for your website. Implementing proper SEO techniques will help you rise to the top of search engine results pages, bringing more organic traffic and customers to your business.
If you're looking for the Best SEO Services In Los Angeles, look no more. We are an SEO company and a digital agency. We can help you craft a well-rounded SEO strategy and get you the results you're looking for. Contact our digital marketing agency today to schedule a call.