Even today, but some of the most common SEO myths still continue in the marketing industry, as the demand and need for SEO (search engine optimization) continue to rise. With changes to the Google algorithm and the creation of effective best practices, marketers need to understand what works and what doesn’t. If you are a beginner in digital marketing marketing, and want to gain expertise, check out our digital marketing online courses from top universities. 

SEO myths are the prime reason most organizations fail to attract the right target audience despite doing all they can. To ensure that you are on the right track with your SEO process, here are 8 SEO myths vs. realities to help you stay on track:

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8 Common SEO Myths and Realities

1. Repeating keywords is all there is to SEO!

Marketers have to hear this the most, as for a layman, SEO is all about repeating specific keywords in the content several times to get noticed. And often, that’s all one thinks about SEO. But this is a myth that is partly true, but not entirely!

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The SEO process involves activities much deeper than just adding the right keywords or repeating specific trending keywords in the content. Keyword bidding and keyword optimization is just one part of the SEO process. Just repeating the keywords will not get you instant success, for search engines no longer only use search keywords to rank pages.

You get ranked as per the freshness (how recent your content is), relevance (determined by the keywords and successful page hits you have generated), and authority (determined by backlinks and recommendations from authoritative domains). 

2. SEO is a one-time activity

A prime reason why most SEO processes do not work is that organizations tend to think of it as a one-time activity. And, they want to see instant results. The SEO process is not just about one-time optimization, but requires constant updates and reworks to ensure you are on the right track.

SEO is all about constant monitoring and updating of the content and the right keywords to get the right results. The consistent effort pays off, and a one-off optimization may or may not work, but it can never replicate the consistent and long-term benefits that one can get if SEO is looked at regularly.

3. SEO is all about the ranking

It is true that the user will not scourge through multiple pages, and is more likely to edit the search term or look at the first few links. Thus, the industry is full of marketers promising to get your page ranked and make it the ultimate SEO goal. But spoiler alert, just having a higher ranking doesn’t automatically increase search traffic. 

Higher rankings will get you noticed, but the likelihood of the audience clicking on your link has all to do with the right use of meta descriptions, titles, snippets, etc. A higher ranking means you have done a great job on your keyword search and look into the more nuanced aspects so that your target audience doesn’t just browse past you.

4. Guest blogging is dead

Guest blogging is about garnering attention to your blog by getting experts to contribute articles on your page. This collaboration usually helps get your brand credibility and higher visibility, as it is promoted not just by you but also by the guest blogger. And even today, guest blogging does work!

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The SEO myth is prevalent thanks to a few experts genuinely believing it, but that is not the case. However, what does make an impact is the relevance, unique content, and authority of the guest blog. Several SEO experts in the past have abused guest blogging to improve the ranking of each other indirectly, and this no longer works. Create guest blogs that are focused on high-quality content that truly resonates with the audience.

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5. The home page should have a lot of content to be ranked higher

A prevalent SEO myth that needs to be busted before we all end up creating complex, voluminous home pages leaves the user confused. With landing pages and simplified home pages in the norm, having too much content on the homepage will not deliver the right results, and may lead to higher bounce rates as the audience won’t interact with your website.

Instead, focus on optimizing each page of the website to get the relevant audience directly onto the page than starting with the homepage. This process helps to ensure that your target audience finds the relevant content right off, as this will create the right opportunities for conversion. 

6. More the pages on your website, the higher your ranking

Similar to the previous SEO myth, there is a wrong understanding that having multiple pages is the right way to go. While it is recommended to break up content to ensure relevance, adding more pages to create too many pages won’t improve rankings. Despite standard notions, the search engine doesn’t recommend websites with more pages than one with only one or two. It all ultimately depends on the relevance and uniqueness of your content.

7. Paid search will improve your organic search automatically

Keyword bidding and paid search is a great way to improve your visibility and reach the target audience. However, the paid search doesn’t impact your organic results. Organic search results and paid search results are separate and showcased in different parts by a search engine.

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Instead of depending on paid search, use it to understand the click-through rates and get insights on improving your keywords to optimize your organic search results.

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8. Longer content on the page has more value than shorter content

Finally, having a lot of content on the website will not increase ranking or appeal to your target audience. Most companies fail to realize that the result is not just to get ranked but create content that will appeal to the target audience. And in a world where attention spans are dwindling, too much content will spoil the whole effort. 

Instead of focusing on creating excessive content with too many keywords, try to develop specific and direct content. This will improve conversions and, with the right Call-To-Action, boost your conversions and user experience.

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Conclusion

SEO myths are abundant, and knowing your way around is key to creating an efficient and effective SEO process. Ensure you are updated with the industry’s best practices and gain digital marketing and SEO expertise with the right certification to add value to your profile. Start learning and steer clear of the myths! 

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