10 SEO Myths
Every Web Designer worth their salt should be aware of the search engines and how they work.
We understand how important it is that we deliver a well-designed web site that not only looks good and works well for our client but also performs well in the search engines after the site is launched.
However, Local SEO is an ongoing process. It does not end at launch.
Some acronyms:
- SEO: Search Engine Optimization
SEO is the process of improving the volume and quality of traffic to a web site from search engines via “organic” (non-paid) search results. These days, it involves many things including keyword research, integrating those keyword phrases into the web site in a "search engine-friendly" way, increasing the number of quality pages for the visitor, and generating high-quality inbound links. - SERPs: Search Engine Results Pages
Myth #1: There is only one search engine
Due to the excessive marketing of a certain search engine (which shall remain nameless), many clients think there that only one search tool that exists and only one that matters.
However, it’s common knowledge in the SEO world that THREE engines currently dominate the North American market for search – Google, Yahoo!, and Bing – and they will all refer traffic to your web site in different quantities using different search terms. They will probably show different results as well for a single search.
A web site will often get traffic from a number of different sources so it’s crucial that all of these sources are valued and nurtured because if one fails for any reason or changes its algorithm (the way it calculates ranking) and you drop like a stone, you have the others to fall back onto while you figure out how to resolve the issue with that one. If the client can rank well for their search terms in all three of them, they are doing well.
Myth #2. It’s all about the meta tags
We lose count of the times we have heard a client ask me, “It’s all about the meta tags, isn’t it?”
Meta tags are separate “labels” inside the head of a web page that describe what the site and the page is all about. They are invisible to a web page’s visitor yet are used by the engines to display in your search result snippet.
Only the “meta description” should be utilized, the "meta keywords" tag is useless and can be ignored.
Myth #3. If you submit on a regular basis, you will rank higher
You do not even need to submit once but it won’t hurt you if you do. If you can establish a link from a web site that is already indexed and ranking, you will get “spidered” by the “spiders” or electronic robots that the search engines use to gather information.
Myth #4. Google PageRank matters
PageRank explained on Google’s site:
“PageRank is a Google algorithm that measures the importance of webpages based on the quality and quantity of links pointing to them. It considers incoming links as votes, with pages receiving more high-quality links deemed more significant in search results.”
Google retired the PageRank toolbar in 2016. Of course, this didn’t mean Google stopped using PageRank as part of the algorithm. Just that PageRank stopped being a public-facing metric.
It is still used by Google, but should not be a huge factor to track.
Myth #5. It’s all about links
Actually, that should probably read, it’s all about "link authority". True, links – or backlinks – play a very important role in how a search engine ranks your web page and contribute to your domain name's authority.
For example, your web site must be important because you have 1,000 links coming in, right? Wrong.
You may have 1,000 links coming in but 90% of those links are from generic "snake oil" link farms or web sites that have NOTHING to do with your site's subject. In other words, you are not as important as you thought.
It's about both link QUALITY and, to a lesser extent, QUANTITY. If you are linked from a web site that already has good rankings then your site will benefit from that "link juice" because that link will show the search engines that your site is important enough to be linked to and give you credit for that with a decent rank.
Myth #6. Now my new web site is launched, if I sit back and wait, the phone will start ringing
Wrong again. The phone will only start ringing if you treat SEO as ONE of the pieces of your marketing efforts. If you concentrate on one aspect and rely on it to make your business successful, you will ultimately fail because you have failed to grasp the notion that a successful business relies on many constantly-fluctuating factors.
You need to announce your web site to the world then work on it constantly, trying to improve it and your visitor’s experience while they are there. Treat it as your storefront, welcome people in then give them things to do and look at. Remind them that you are striving to improve and will always have something new for them to look at, encourage them to return by keeping in contact with them.
Your web site is your storefront. Sitting in the back in a dark room will not make it a success.
Myth #7. An SEO company guarantees you a #1 spot
No one can guarantee anything, especially when it comes to the quirky and mysterious world of the search engines. If they do, run.
A more realistic goal may be first page rankings for your chosen search terms while continuing to improve traffic using an increasing number of terms that relate to your business. Look to improve, not to settle.
Myth #8. Being on page 1 matters
Ranking is important but now that Google has implemented its "endless scroll" results system, being on a "page one" no longer applies in that engine.
It does, however, apply to Yahoo! and Bing, but with Google's share dominance of the market, is no longer as relevant as it was.
Myth #9. Submitting to 1,000 directories will help you
As mentioned, there are only a handful of search engines that people actually use so why submit to 990 others when they will have absolutely no bearing on your traffic?
The reason being is that if your citation (name, address, hone, website) is listed on directories which have god authority, the backlink to your website helps.
Myth #10. If I rank well today, I’ll rank well next year
Proper SEO requires a lot of constant effort and vigilance. Working with a professional can help you immensely as they do a lot of the SEO “grunt” work while you concentrate on other important aspects of your business.
If your site has been designed and built well in the first place, it may continue to perform well. However, as the web improves and adopts new technology, it’s important to stay ahead of the game and, ore importantly, your competition.