5 Common SEO Myths to Avoid
Brandon Keller • June 19, 2018
The internet abounds with rumors, urban legends, and myths: Do humans really only use 10% of their brains? Does gum actually camp out in your stomach for seven years? And is metadata now as irrelevant as everyone claims it is?
When it comes to search engine optimization (SEO) best practices, it’s hard to separate the fact from the fiction. So if you want your website to succeed, here are the top five SEO myths to avoid.
1. Metadata and Meta Tags Don’t Matter Anymore
As Google’s search engine algorithm has become more sophisticated, the focus has shifted away from metadata and meta tags. According to some, what was once one of the most essential parts of SEO is now worthless. But don’t believe it! While meta tags are indeed less important than they were in the past, they can still be used to attract visitors to your website, because Google uses metadata in your website’s short description. So while it may no longer boost your keyword rankings, metadata can nevertheless help increase your click-through rate.
2. Using a Keyword in Anchor Text Doesn’t Help SEO
Anchor text is the term given to hyperlinked characters or words that appear in an article. At one time, it was common knowledge that clickable anchor text should include targeted keywords and phrases. But lately, some are positing that keyword anchor text doesn’t matter. This myth likely sprung from the fact that Google began penalizing websites for over-optimized anchor text, in an effort to curb keyword stuffing. However, it doesn’t mean you should stop using it; rather, just add some variety and diversity to your anchor text instead of continually using the same terms.
3. You Can Get Results Fast With an SEO Agency
There are no shortcuts in life, and this is especially true in SEO. Google handles over 100 billion searches each month, and ranking highly is a long and complicated process. Some SEO agencies will promise that they can shoot you to the top of the search results with a number one ranking — fast. The reality is, seeing even a slight increase in your search traffic can take anywhere from 3-6 months, and for new websites, it’ll take even longer to see a traffic surge. It’s essential to stay patient and know that all of the work being done will pay dividends down the road. (If you want a quicker fix, though, you might want to try Google AdWords PPC.)
4. The Longer Your Content, the Better You Will Rank
While having longer content can help you rank higher in some cases, quality is always better than quantity. The main goal of any content you post on your website is to provide value to a potential customer or website visitor. If you have a long article, services page, or blog post that lacks relevant information, Google will recognize this and penalize you accordingly. Quality and relevancy are both much more important to SEO than the length of the content.
5. Tags Are an Important Part of SEO
Tags are the title given to the various HTML headers on web pages. In the past, it was essential to have and tags on every page and to make sure they were full of targeted keywords. While recent Google algorithm updates have made tags largely inconsequential when it comes to keyword ranking, you should still continue to use the tags to help format your page in a way that is easily readable and understood by visitors.
Optimize Your Website With the San Diego Reader Digital Team
It can be difficult to discern truth from myth in SEO. Since the Google search ranking algorithm is constantly evolving, the best way to effectively optimize your website is to stay on top of the latest trends and changes while ignoring SEO myths. If you’re having trouble keeping up, contact Reader Digital. We offer search engine optimizations for local San Diego businesses to help improve your rankings and increase your sales. To learn more, give us a call at (619) 483-4600.
