While the SEO industry is being talked about more and more, many people still find it a bit of a mystery. Perhaps that is why there were so many false beliefs about her. You can read about the most popular ones in the article. Check if what you hear about SEO is 100% true.
Once the website is ranked high, there’s nothing else you need to do
The main goal of SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is to improve your website’s position in search results. The implementation of a multi-stage process makes the website more and more visible, and this generates more traffic. It is often heard that after achieving the expected result, i.e. a great position, there is no need to carry out further work on the website. This is the first and one of the most basic SEO myths. Customers who believe in it often repeat it when they resign from working with the agency. They think their sites will stay on top of Google all the time, which ends up being a disappointment.
A website that achieved a good search engine ranking for a given phrase did so at the expense of another website. If work on it is suddenly discontinued, the situation can quickly reverse. In addition, you should be aware that Google’s algorithms may change and the actions taken so far will cease to be effective. All this will lead to a loss of high position, which makes the website less visible to users. SEO is a continuous service that should not be interrupted after seeing the first results. The strategy adopted at the beginning must be gradually modified and improved, in this case you cannot rest on your laurels.
In the SEO industry, you need to keep a close eye on your website, as well as your competitive activities and activities. What initially provided great results will not always be a good solution for a website in the long run, if only due to the aforementioned algorithm changes. Sometimes it even happens that certain activities at some point become even harmful and the party loses more positions. Lack of actions, as well as ill-considered actions, is a common reason for drops in visibility on Google.
Good quality content is enough to get results
It is true that content plays an extremely important role, but you should not focus only on it. In order for the website to be clearly visible in the search engine, you also need to take care of other issues, such as:
– User Experience,
– loading speed,
– compatibility with various devices, especially mobile ones,
– link building.
Of course, this does not change the fact that carefully prepared website content is an important ranking factor. However, the content will not defend itself if the website takes a long time to load and it is difficult for users to navigate through it.
There are other SEO myths about content as well. It is believed that duplicate content always loses a good position on Google. While creating unique texts is advisable, your site does not have to be penalized drastically for having duplicate content. It can be said that this myth about duplicate content is not a lie, but a half-truth. The site with copied texts, without the authors and sources provided, is ranked lower or completely rejected by Google robots. However, this does not happen when it is content with assigned source and author, placed with the consent of the relevant people. From an SEO perspective, no text is perfect, each of them can be improved in some way. This is what makes content have great potential.
The best place is 1-3
Many website owners dream of being placed in the so-called TOP3 Google. They believe that this will significantly increase traffic and make a high conversion rate achievable. This is not entirely true. A high position on Google looks good, especially in reports, but it doesn’t always guarantee success. A company will not increase its profits thanks to a properly positioned website, if such a result was obtained on the basis of less popular phrases, with very few searches. Therefore, it is necessary to take into account how often they are typed by users.
If the website managed to get into TOP3, but for a long time it does not ensure a significant increase in the number of visits, it is likely that the keywords were wrongly selected for SEO. In such a situation, it is worth analyzing this issue carefully. Additionally, you may find it helpful to better optimize your meta tags to encourage visitors to your site.
Sometimes SEO agencies offer potential clients the possibility of positioning their pages in TOP3 or TOP10. The goal of SEO is to get the most favorable position in the search results, but it does not equate to the top of the search list. In addition, sometimes it is simply impossible to hit the top three. For many sites, just moving a few positions up, but relatively far from TOP3, brings noticeable gains. Therefore, it is not worth focusing on positions 1-3, the more so as the lack of systematic work on SEO will quickly deprive the site of this success.
SEO relies on illegal activities
Some SEO myths are not only false but also harmful. An example is stating that all actions that improve the ranking of a website are illegal. It is true that some actions taken as part of SEO are not ethical, but are they immediately illegal? Due to the fact that the regulations in force in our country are not very precise, it is often difficult to finally settle this issue.
Unethical techniques are known as Black Hat SEO. Their use is associated with the risk of receiving penalties, which result in a decrease in the position and reduced visibility of the site in the search engine. These actions are not always used on purpose, sometimes they are used unconsciously. That is why it is worth knowing what is included in Black Hat SEO. What you should avoid are:
– Cloaking – in other words, masking content, i.e. creating it in two versions. One is for users and the other is for search engine robots.
– Keyword stuffing – keyword stuffing. It consists in placing phrases in an unnatural way and in excess just to better position your website.
– Spam that allows you to get links – if you want to get links for your website, you should do it in a well-thought-out manner. It is inadvisable to spam on forums, use the Link Exchange System or set up link farms.
– Doorway pages – the use of doorway pages, i.e. creating several subpages within one website in order to redirect them to another part of the website (having a more important nature). Doorway pages also include the use of different domains to redirect them to one selected location.
– Hidden 301 redirects – redirect users to completely different pages than those related to their queries. Spam is often encountered under such redirections.
– Abuse of structured data – tags otherwise placed on the page, which are used to describe the content in a way that search engine robots can understand. It is unethical, inter alia, providing false information and marking content hidden for users.
The issue of illegality can also be examined in a different way, e.g. from the perspective of lawyers who want to stand out from the competition. A notary, lawyer or legal advisor may not advertise his services in a direct way. However, there is nothing to prevent him from using a carefully crafted SEO strategy and positioning his website well. In this way, it can be easier to find for potential customers without the risk of violating applicable regulations.
SEO produces great results almost immediately
Such a statement can also be said to be a half-truth. Sometimes it happens that the implementation of SEO activities brings quick results, but usually you need to be patient to achieve the intended goal. In this area, success cannot be guaranteed right away, nor can it be precisely determined when it can be expected. The industry in which the website owning company operates is of great importance, as well as several other factors. This includes actions and changing Google algorithms or the strategy and progress of the competition.
Anyone who decides to work with an SEO agency should remember that trust is the key. It happens that the website analysis itself, i.e. conducting an SEO audit and other necessary activities, takes several dozen hours. In a situation where the website has been made carelessly and contains many errors, improving its visibility in the search engine becomes a complicated and very time-consuming process. In order to achieve the intended results thanks to SEO, it is necessary to develop a strategy in detail and implement it gradually. It is true that the first positive changes and progress often appear just a few weeks after starting work, but they are usually not impressive. You have to wait longer for more spectacular results.
SEO is a long-term investment worth making. Although the position and popularity of the site initially did not change significantly, after a few months the effects can be surprising. When working with a professional and experienced agency, you do not have to worry that the implemented measures will turn out to be ineffective. It is worth remembering that in the case of SEO, asking specialists for help is the best solution. It is impossible to correct the position of the website on your own, without the appropriate knowledge in various fields and skills.
These are just a few examples of frequently repeated SEO myths. The issue under discussion is quite complex and perhaps this is the reason why so many false beliefs appear about it. In order to obtain professional advice in this regard or to dispel your doubts, it is best to contact the experts who deal with SEO on a daily basis.
