15 SEO Myths which you should let go !!!


Search Engine Optimization or SEO has been simple for beginners to learn the basics. However, there have been drastic changes in the search engine optimization in recent years. We often find multiple algorithms with different functionalities. The marketers find it challenging to update themselves and adapt to their SEO strategy & improve on the decline in organic traffic. No matter whatever changes take place, some of the things are constant. Maintaining an effective SEO strategy never compromises with quality. Every business enterprises give more importance to ranking in Google’s top search results. The marketers would like to know more about SEO to get better results. The complete SEO knowledge includes the secrets to attain higher rankings in SERP. Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is the most happening trend for online entrepreneurs. With the increasing popularity in SEO, over thousands of myths have been formed. We will be talking about a few of them.

What are the common myths in SEO do we come across?

•   Keyword targeting isn’t important after Hummingbird Google Algorithm – Google’s Hummingbird has certainly changed the future of search. However, the Hummingbird algorithm does not narrow you down only to keywords. You can also explore the phrases. Keyword research & optimization has become easier. The content producers had taken it as a challenge to give relevant information to the end-users. The importance of keywords does not reduce. On the contrary, keywords are still used to know what the searchers are up to

•   XML Sitemap improves search engine rankings – Did you install Google XML Sitemaps on your WordPress? If so, do we really need an XML Sitemap? Yes, an XML Sitemap cannot be ignored if you intend to develop a crawlable website. When you create or edit the post, the Google XML sitemap overwrites the previous one. It submits your new pages to Google & other search engines.

•   Meta tags are unimportant – That is where many people make mistakes. Meta tags help the webmasters with the site information to pass it on the search engines. The Meta tags appear between the opening & closing tags in your HTML page. Meta keywords & Meta descriptions are optional page elements. However, if there is no Meta description, Google pulls from the content like a description or preview snippet. Meta tags are the attraction to your search engine results. As the end-users look at attractive content, the click-through rates increase.

•   High-quality content ranks automatically – Content does have a special place in the search engine optimization. However, is content a king? More than a king, content is a business partner of links, design, & usability. Content & links are inter-related to each other. Top position equals to relevant content + great SEO strategies.

•   Many use the technique to manipulate the Google bots to obtain high rankings. However, that does not serve the purpose.

•   SEO considers only ranking – Ranking is a part of SEO. There is a strong connection between search ranking & click-through rates. However, the top-ranking isn’t the ultimate. As per the recent update, the searchers look for the first three positions in SERP results. So top rankings do not always guarantee success. If your site comes first in SERP, it may be for a phrase that drives overwhelming traffic. But it does not yield a single penny for your business. It may be due to the wrong keyword or the title did not capture the users’ eyeballs. One of the biggest myths is that top-ranked results in high search traffic. If you are not getting high click-through rates despite the top ranking, there are some possible reasons. They are:
               •    Your meta description & titles are unappealing to the audiences
               •    Visitors do not find the content relevant to them
               •    Wrong choice of keywords for your business

However, that does not mean that your website should not rank. It is always great to rank in the first position, but at a low cost. A high search volume keyword with no relevance drains your time, money, & effort.

•   SEO is a one-time effort – When you search for a keyword, there are plenty of SERP results. The companies promise you to give the first-page results. If your website is at the top now, that is a great achievement. It is easy to achieve the top position. However, to maintain your position, it is necessary to keep updating your content & design. So SEO cannot be performed once & left.

•   Speed is not necessary – As per the latest information, Google had said that page speed is a tie-breaker, which occurs when all factors are equal. However, if your website is lightweight it can still give you the upper-hand over others. Your website has attractive content & designs but it can lose to your competitors on speed. In a tie-breaker, even a fraction of a second matters a lot. Do you want that? Even though speed is a tie-breaker, it can make a difference to your ranking.

•   Optimization is not required for images – Search engines cannot read the image. However, you can give a meaningful text value to the alt tag in HTML code, so Google can identify the image. You can use the images with the extensions like .jpg, .gif, .png, .svg, & .WEBP. Your content can also appear with the images in the featured snippets.

•   Nofollow Links is useless – There has been a lot of heated arguments on Nofollow links. The controversy has been taking place between the online marketers & the SEO after the Penguin algorithm entered. The Nofollow link protects your website from spammers. Some of the reasons to build Nofollow backlinks for SEO are:
                    • Makes your site reliable to Google & other search engines – Even if Google does not crawl, the information on your site still goes to the search engine. A Nofollow link passes the other side of the content & the link to Google. The advertisement links continue to work for your website. Most of the time, they are Nofollow.
                    • Creates & builds awareness – Nofollow provides links that are quite sufficient to spread brand awareness among the users. The links cover the gap between users & marketers. The links hoover up the traffic & provide more details with evidence.
                    • A way better than no link – A Nofollow link for a website or a brand is far better than giving no links. The links are the source to unlock opportunities with the target audience. If a Nofollow link takes you to the renowned website with a huge audience, it adds more value.
                    • Natural backlinks – Google dictates terms to the Internet. Everyone uses Google to submit their links to promote their brand or launching a campaign. As per the rules, set by the online titan, we need to use Dofollow and Nofollow. If your website builds the link with only Dofollow, it can affect the rankings. Though Dofollow links draw Google’s attention, it may be in a negative way. So you need to use a Nofollow link to maintain a balance between the two to pay a fair game.

•  Google cannot crawl on JavaScript/Ajax – It is one of the most common misconceptions that Google cannot read or understand JavaScript/Ajax. In earlier times, the Ajax application was difficult for the search engines. Google algorithms have been improvised to interpret JavaScript & Ajax. There are many techniques to make Google crawl & index the dynamically-loaded information.

•  Google hates content – Content was, is, & always has a special place. Google loves content that abides by the set guidelines. The search engines hate the content that violates the rules & follow the black hat techniques.

•  Google is biased – Go search engines basically work on the algorithms. These algorithms are equivalent to game rules which change from time to time. Sometimes there are loopholes in which the websites rank despite the violation of the rules. But when those errors are corrected, the ranking automatically drops down.

•  Paid Search is a way to improve organic results – Paid search is also called as PPC. Some suspect that Google favors those who pay them. However, it does not always work as PPC can backfire. So merely shelling out the money to Google Ads does not change the organic rankings. The search engine rankings purely work on the algorithm, which does not dole out the credits to the advertisers. In the end, it is the quality content that gives you better listings.

•  Submit your website to Google – Whether your website is old or new, Google eventually recognizes your website. The Google bots automatically find your website & add your pages to the search page index.

Conclusion:

•  Unique & high-quality content
•  Optimized images
•  Attractive look & feel of the websites
•  The required information which we give
•  And more

Google penalizes you when you try to manipulate the google bots for:

•  Better rankings
•  Keyword stuffing
•  Over-optimized alt description
•  Wrong/Irrelevant keywords
•  Hidden/Invisible text & links
•  Content scams like:
                •  Plagiarism
                •  Automated content
                •  Bait & Switch
                •  Article spinningm
                •  Malicious Active content
•  Manipulating the links
•  Spam Guest Post
•  Web Rings
•  Paid links
•  And so on

There are still a lot of social media tools that any site manager or admin can use to better his or her craft.


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