SEO: a lot of people have heard of it, but not so many understand what it’s all about.

There are also some common myths and misconceptions relating to SEO. Some of these are the result of outdated or bad practices from the past; others are due to some providers who are substandard in their approach, reliability, and integrity.

Not all SEO providers are equal. Many make promises they just can’t keep. Many lock their clients into long-term, incredibly expensive contracts. And some are just not good at what they do – a minority being outright shady.

It’s important to choose the right SEO provider for you and your brand or business. This means choosing to partner with an SEO expert who is not just experienced in his or her field, but who operates transparently and with integrity. It also means having a basic understanding of just what SEO is, what it isn’t, and where the facts lie.

Here we debunk some of the more common misconceptions (and all-out myths) that too many people believe about SEO.

7 Common Myths About SEO

MYTH 1: “Keyword Research is Not Required”

Keywords underpin SEO. You need to know which words and phrases your target audience will use to search for what you offer online – and which of these will be of most value to you in terms of search engine ranking. Keyword research is imperative for this – so that you can understand and select which will be right for you and then embed these into your website, other digital offerings, and social media appropriately.

Failure to conduct effective, accurate keyword research leaves you at risk of:

• Choosing and targeting ineffective keywords
• Choosing keywords with too much competition to realistically rank for you
• Missing opportunities afforded by including local keywords or those you’d not necessarily consider

MYTH 2: “Black Hat Techniques are a Good Idea”

Black hat SEO techniques are those sneaky shortcuts that attempt to game the system and trick the Google algorithm to ensure you rank. They include keyword stuffing, inappropriate hash-tagging, spamming, copy-cloaking, buying domains and redirecting them to your website, buying social media followers, and more. While these naughty strategies may initially seem to give you a ranking boost, this won’t last. Rather, Google WILL get wind of what you are up to – and your website will be penalised for breaking Google’s guidelines. You just can’t afford to risk it.

MYTH 3: “Title Tags and Meta Descriptions Don’t Matter”

On the contrary, title tags and meta descriptions are crucial first impressions users receive about your website on search engine results pages (SERPs). They are critical for SEO and the first pieces of information online users will see about your website. They entice clicks once you begin to rank and should reflect well on your website.

They must:

• Be concise
• Be relevant
• Include relevant target keywords
• By no more than 60 characters for titles
• Be no more than 155 characters for descriptions

MYTH 4: “Content Doesn’t Matter”

Content is the foundation of SEO. Without cultivating high-quality, adequate written content that appropriately incorporates keywords, Google will have nothing to track and target. Furthermore, User Experience or UX is a key ranking indicator – so is your website delivering the content your audiences seek?

Content must be:

• Relevant
• Engaging
• Informative and/or entertaining
• Well-written
• Grammatically correct
• On-brand for your business
• Curated for your target audience
• Include SEO target keywords at 1-2% saturation

MYTH #5: “I Don’t Need to Update My Website”

Have you taken a “set-and-forget” approach to your website and online presence?

If you don’t care enough to nourish it, why should Google pay attention to it?

Being dynamic online is essential. You can achieve this by:

• Refreshing or updating your website/content
• Adding new products
• Publishing a new onsite blog article at least monthly
• Linking social posts to your website
• Ensuring your website is optimised across mobile and desktop devices
• Improving site features such as navigation, loading speed, etc.

MYTH #6: “Links Don’t Matter”

Google focuses on link building to determine whether or not to rank a page. Quality internal links throughout your website position you as professional, trustworthy, and signal search engines that the content you offer is of high quality, authenticity, and worthy of citation. External links from other websites are also incredibly valuable. Encourage this by creating and providing high-quality, unique content, partnering with others in your industry to share links, and having your customers review your products and services.

MYTH #7: “Any Digital Marketer Can Do SEO”

A lot of digital marketers claim to be – and even believe themselves to be – SEO experts. While for some of these, it may be true, many are not. A little bit of knowledge does not an expert make!

SEO is a very specialised niche and being a genuine SEO expert requires tangible industry experience, unique insight and understanding of the ever-evolving aspects of search engine optimisation, including the “games” that Google plays with its algorithms, and aligning these with the unique needs of the client. It requires a bespoke approach to each client rather than a cookie-cutter approach to general SEO.

Comprehensive SEO campaigns that get real results are ongoing, feature in-depth onsite and offsite considerations and strategies, and adapt as needed.

Get in Touch with Us for Economical SEO!

SEOcycle is an Australian-owned SEO company based in northwest Sydney. We have been operating in this niche since 2013 and our CEO has run businesses in the digital marketing sector since 2001.

We approach SEO differently than a lot of other providers, including:

• Our focus areas are specifically SEO and website development.
• We strive to deeply understand your business and your goals from the outset.
• We aim to work closely with our clients as part of your business rather than as an add-on service.
• No long lock-in contracts – we work on your campaign on a month-to-month basis.
• Affordable White-Hat search engine optimisation.
• Onsite and Offsite SEO for a complete SEO solution.
• We deliver you weekly reports – so you can see what actions we are taking on your behalf on an ongoing basis.
• Excellent communication with our manager – you deal with the same person throughout your entire SEO journey with us.

SEO is not a quick fix – and it should be an ongoing endeavour for lasting results. We have served hundreds of SEO clients across all industries and we are very proud to have very satisfied clients – some of whom we work with today have been with us for a decade.

We also offer web design and web development services, as well as high-quality content writing and blogging services (created by our head writer and partner who is tertiary educated and a Native Australian English speaker). All of our websites are created from the outset with SEO in mind should you decide to undertake an SEO campaign in the future.

Contact us today to have a chat about your online visibility and for a keyword and/or website analysis.