There will be a lot of SEO myths and misconceptions people try to spread across the web which might hold back your online marketing efforts. Some people even wonder is it possible to improve search engine rankings in only one month?
Yes, it is possible!
A proven SEO strategy, including in-depth content, backed by data and statistics, solving a definite problem, and promoting blog posts is all you need to do to win at SEO.
The truth is that search traffic gets converted more than traffic on social media. However, to gain top SEO ranking and achieve the desired results, you have to overcome some SEO myths.
Because of such SEO myths, bloggers and content marketers are unable to improve their website rankings and search traffic. And believe me, no SEO Company is affiliated with Google. Hence, anyone that claims it is a SCAM.
No company in the world can promise top search engine rankings on Google.
So, what these SEO myths are from which you must be careful about.
Without further talking, here I share with you SEO myths that you must not ignore.
SEO Myths You Need To Leave Behind or Stop Believing:
1. Meta Tags Hold No Significance:
For those who don’t know, Meta tags are of great use to webmasters as they offer search engines with details about their websites. They are useful to share information with all kinds of clients and every system processes Meta tags, which they understand.
Meta tags are included in <head> section of HTML page.
They appear in closing and opening <head> tags. They use show preview snippets for a particular page in search results. Meta tags feature Meta keyword phrases.
Important Meta Tags elements are:
- Meta description
- Title tag
- Meta phrases or keyword
The title tag is an important page element. On the other hand, Meta keywords and descriptions are optional. Google does not use keywords Meta tags in rankings, Meta keyword descriptions still hold great relevance and therefore they must be focused on.
Using Meta tags, it is possible to make search results appealing that attracts more clicks from search engine users ensuring your site has rich content. It is great to improve search engine ranking.
For creating rich Meta descriptions, make sure you:
- Keep them descriptive – Incorporate keywords, which are relevant to the article. Aspects like what? Who? When? Why? Where? And more work well when creating descriptions.
- Keep them short – The limit of Meta description from Google is up to 160 characters.
- Keep them unique – Each page must have a different Meta description.
2. Keyword Targeting is No More Relevant After Introduction of Google Hummingbird:
A few years ago, the concept of search changed a lot with the introduction of the hummingbird. It asked content producers to use a new mindset that can benefit end-users. If keywords are still displayed on the first page of Google, it indicates they are still important.
As per Matt Cutts, the Head of WebSpam Team at Google, more than 90% of searches were impacted by Hummingbird, which was a makeover of search algorithms. But it would be incorrect to say targeting relevant keywords in the content is no more useful. It is still essential to avail of high-quality website content.
Keyword targeting and research have become easier as with Hummingbird you don’t have to think about a specific keyword ratio. Rather, the focus has to be on searcher’s intent.
This implies keywords are still vital as without them you will not be able to know searcher’s intent. Even, various authority platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, YouTube, and others depend on keyword targeting to meet the needs of users.
3. XML Sitemap Helps Improving Search Engine Rankings:
An XML sitemap may not be the most important thing to boost rankings it is still an important feature, especially when you want to increase crawlability of your website.
Every time a new post is created or edited, the Google XML sitemap generator creates an updated sitemap including new webpages and submitting it to Google as well as other search engines.
In 2008, Susan Moskwa and Trevor Foucher of Webmaster Tools team talked as part of sitemap panels at search engine strategies in Chicago. One question they had in mind is that whether a sitemap can help rank better.
A sitemap does not truly affect the rankings of webpages. Sitemaps are similar to a supporting guide that delivers more details about your website to Google, like making sure that all URLs are indexed for convenient crawling.
This way, sitemap can bring more visibility to your website when URLs are prioritized. But remember, it does not guarantee to bring you improved rankings. However, it can discover content faster.
4. Ranking can be Improved Using Top-Level Domains:
A domain at the top-level holds the highest position in hierarchical structure domain name system. Most of the search users will identify .com as a site extension but may get confused for sites like .guru or .biz.
It is mainly because when a keyword phrase is entered into Google search, more than 90% of search results obtained are .com domain names.
There is only one exception that it geo-targets country domains. For example, if you stay in Canada but have a domain name as .com, Google will consider that you have a global audience and show web pages in search results to a global audience.
Alternatively, a website in Canada with a .ca extension will show up only for users in Canada. So, in context to global usage, .com is still the winner. Everything still boils to the value you offer with the domain name.
Hence, if you still have not registered your domain name, it is best to select top-level domain names, like .net and .com. But if you already have a website, focus on creating rich content, making the best use of social media, and delivering immense value to the users.
5. Including Target Keyword in the Anchor Text Holds No More Significance in SEO:
It is good to incorporate keywords in link building.
Anchor text is the text that can be clicked on a hyperlink. Clicking on that phrase takes the user to the desired destination or blog.
A large number of experts believe that anchor text is an important ranking factor in Google.
So, does this mean that an anchor text incorporated with a keyword can boost your site rankings?
Even update or algorithm change is introduced to support searchers find the correct websites, which contain the details they require in an easy manner.
If you overly optimized your website, you can secure a penalty by Google. Before the update of Google Penguin, using anchor text integrated with a keyword on blog post for external and internal linking was of great benefit. However, if you use this trick every time, search engines can penalize you.
The contextual links possess 5-10 times more ranking power than the usual author profile link, which appears in a guest post. But excessive use of the anchor text with keywords, it can negatively affect the website rankings. It is equally tricky to cross-link with anchor text. But it is not correct to say that anchor text including keyword is no more relevant in the search engine ranking. It is simply a myth!
It is ideal to diversify anchor text ensuring the primary and secondary keywords are included in URL, brand, along with generic keywords in anchor text. I like building natural links because this is what Google requires.
6. Meta Robot Tags Must be Included for Specifying Indexable Pages:
The robots.txt file let search engines know the pages, sections, links, and other of your website to crawl and the ones to ignore. But you can set nofollow and noindex tags, using the All in One SEO or Yoast WordPress plugins.
But this does not imply that without mentioning the Meta robots tag, Google cannot find the fresh pages of your website.
The Robot.txt file can be used to block all web crawlers from the content, a specific webpage, and a specific folder. But if you don’t wish to block web crawlers, don’t bother as it can save time and channel it to important in SEO strategy and content marketing.
7. Hiring an SEO Company Can Bring You Top Rankings Quick:
There are various reasons why you require an SEO agency, but it does not guarantee you top rankings fast. They are useful particularly for competitive auditing and keyword analysis to help with metric analysis, adjustment, and content marketing.
There is no magic bullet, which can deliver high rankings to your website in Google. Even an SEO agency cannot provide it to you. SEO is a long-lasting practice. In order to rank at the top in Google, you must make a website and include authority links, domain names, and in-depth content to boost the rankings. A lot of websites fulfill such statements, but still, they compete with each other to rank high in Google results.
Some good reasons to hire an SEO agency are:
- There is no time for running the website.
- You wish to improve the search traffic.
- You need support with long-tail keywords research.
- You wish to gain training from an agency.
- You intend to stay updated in the SEO industry.
SEO is a long-term process and you can gain top SEO rankings only when you hire an SEO agency.
8. Google Can Find Fresh Content and Index the Website:
It is vital to optimize the website that you wish to expand in the future article. Mainly, it refers to things, which can help Google identify, index, and crawl high-quality content conveniently.
Fresh content is the best feed for search engines. When a new article is available, it implies that a meal is prepared for them. Even, fresh content can help your website gain top rankings even when it is new. For rolling the ball, you must search spiders to identify fresh content.
This is a major benefit of installing the Google XML sitemap generator plugin for WordPress. New content helps Google index the website fast.
Additionally, updating the profiles on social platforms can let fresh content index faster It is simple as you only have to share the link on your Facebook page or tweet the same.
9. It is Not Important to Do Keyword Research:
As far as blogging and content marketing are concerned, you must practice high-quality keyword research for the website.
Avoid excessive use of keywords and over-optimization as well as exactly matching domain updates. Rather, focus on ROI and rather than top ranking for the keyword.
It is best to use Google Keyword Planner to identify necessary keywords. In addition to this, you could check with keywords that your competitor is targeting.
It is vital to conduct keyword research in order to stay secure. Moreover, focus on user intent behind the search and not only keywords, this means take into consideration Meta keyword phrases as well.
10. Guest Blogging is No More Alive:
Technically speaking, there is not much difference between guest blogging and other kinds of content. It means that the guest contributed a content piece to the blog. Content marketing is contingent on rich content with a strong profile.
There are innumerable pages indexed by search engines from varying domain names, locations, IP addresses, and more. Even, these webpages are owned and managed by different individuals. This is what is considered as interconnectivity.
When we talk about guest blogging, it not the content or guest, which is a problem, but it is the context. This means the kind of article, anchor texts, links pointing from and to the website, and kind of article.
I believe that guest blogging is still alive and it will continue to survive. It is because Google cannot precisely differentiate articles from a guest post, especially when the link to the author is included in the body and not in the author’s profile.
Hence, practice guest blogging by taking into account these simple tips:
- Avoid including spammy blogs
- Build relationships and not links
- Try building your brand
- Don’t consider these posts as guest posts
- Make sure you use the guest blog carefully
- Incorporate contextual links
To Sum Up
It is practical to experience SEO failure and this is something that always inspires me to learn and upgrade my skills. Also, it is best to keep learning from expert content marketers and SEO professionals and upgrading your skills to successfully combat the challenges of the dynamic web platform.