Misconceptions About SEO
If you operate a business, you are probably aware of how important it is to rank in search results. Being on the first page of Google means more people will find your business, and more customers will mean more money in your pocket.
But organic search optimization is a long and complex process that requires expertise and patience. Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is about getting your site in front of the right people, people who are searching for your product or service and have the potential to become customers.
However, common misconceptions floating around about SEO can make it difficult to understand how to rank your site correctly. Trying to figure out how to optimize your website for a search engine can be frustrating when misinformation circulates. This article looks at five SEO misconceptions that may prevent you from reaching your goals.
1. SEO doesn't work
There are all sorts of myths around SEO, but this misconception about SEO is one of the most common. Many people seem to think that there's some magic formula that can boost a website's search engine rankings in a day or two. Unfortunately, it doesn't work that way. It takes time, hard work, and smart strategy to improve your site's ranking. However, SEO works when done right, and when you do begin seeing results, they're pretty amazing.
2. The more keywords you use, the better your website will rank
Some things may seem like a good idea but will hurt your SEO efforts in the long run. So why exactly is keyword stuffing that bad? If you've been doing SEO for a while, you have probably heard of 'keyword density. This is where you look at the overall number of times your keywords appear on a website and how often they appear. While it may be tempting to stuff all of your keywords into your content with this in mind, keyword density should be based on context.
That way, Google can understand the high relevance of keywords within the article or text rather than overpowering. However, if you use this method now, you will find yourself worse off than before in terms of ranking; this practice violates Google's guidelines and could result in you being penalized by the search engine.
3. SEO costs a lot of money
It is not uncommon for small businesses to believe that SEO is too expensive. However, the cost of SEO depends on your business, your goals, and your competition. There are plenty of packages available with hefty price tags, but small businesses can attain great search rankings for a reasonable amount. Since you're not just paying for top results but also the effect good rankings will have on your business, it's up to you to decide if the price makes sense for you.
4. Ranking is king
This misconception about SEO is common in the SEO community. It's true that Google believes in providing high-quality search results for its users, but this has much more to do with their end results than your website. Unfortunately, lots of business owners believe web rankings are everything, which is why they feel an urgent need to get their website at the top of Google's search results.
However, it's not just about ranking higher in the search engine results pages (SERPs), but having traffic to your site and getting visitors to convert and buy from you. Thus, while improving your ranking in Google is a great start, it's not the only thing that matters.
5. You don't need to carry out keyword research
Many small business owners believe that performing keyword research doesn't matter. However, that could not be further from the truth. You can find plenty of data about which keywords perform well for your website when using monitoring and tracking tools, but that doesn't tell the whole story.
Do not base your assumptions about which keywords are best solely on their search volume. Keep in mind that there are always other concerns you must consider before deciding which keywords to use. You might be tempted to skip conducting keyword research when trying to get your brand-new website ranked better in Google. After all, not all keywords are created equal.
However, the fact remains that if you want to rank for a specific search term, conducting keyword research is necessary. Keyword research is vital to your success. Without it, you could miss out on valuable traffic and conversions.
Although a lot of the SEO info is helpful, some common misconceptions can keep you from ranking your site to its full potential. That is why it's essential to understand what works and what doesn't when ranking in organic search.
