You know that search engine optimization (SEO) is incredibly important. What you might not realize is it is also misunderstood. Each year, new myths circulate, leading to the confusion surrounding SEO. Keep reading to get the details on some of the most common myths and learn the truth behind them.
Myth #1 – Keyword Density Is Critical
If there was an SEO prom, the keyword would surely win the title of prom king (or queen…the gender reveal hasn’t happened quite yet). The keyword is as popular as the high school quarterback and cheerleading captain combined, and for good reason. It’s the driving force behind many SEO campaigns.
There’s one problem, though. It finally graduated from high school and realized the world has changed. Now, simply throwing a touchdown, doing the splits, or, in the case of the keyword, appearing a set number of times in a piece of copy, isn’t enough to win the crown.
SEO has evolved, so forget everything you’ve learned about keyword density. It’s gone the way of the dinosaurs. In other words, it is dead. Instead of including a specific number of keywords, it’s important to use long-tail phrases and related keywords. Stop stuffing keywords into your copy and focus on user experience instead. When you improve user experience, you can improve your ranking, as well.
Myth #2 – Link Building Is Dead
Keyword density might be dead, but link building is just hitting its prime. However, it’s quite a bit different than it used to be. In May 2013, Google released Penguin 2.0, and that changed the way that links are analyzed. The new algorithm penalized sites that had low-quality links.
This means that using low-quality link directories and buying links will get you in trouble. However, high-quality links remain one of the most important aspects of SEO. When combined with a content marketing campaign, you can reach lots of people.
Myth #3 – Meta Descriptions Aren’t Important
Back in 2009, Google made an announcement that rocked the SEO world. It turns out that meta descriptions don’t impact a site’s rankings.
Some people decided to stop spending time writing meta descriptions after that announcement, and that was a mistake. Just because they don’t affect the site’s position doesn’t mean they aren’t important for SEO. Well-written descriptions increase click-through rates, so keep on writing.
Think of the meta description as your website’s front yard. Use that little piece of real estate to increase your curb appeal, so people will walk through your front door.
Myth #4 – Older Domains Get an SEO Boost
Whiskey. Fine leather. Cast iron skillets. All of these get better with age.
Some people want to add “domains” to that list, but they need to pump the breaks. Older might be better when it comes to sipping a cocktail, but age is just a number regarding domain names.
The domain age is not an important ranking factor. Search engines aren’t interested in how long you have owned a website. Instead, the search engines are focused on what is on that site and what links are pointing to it.
There is one small exception to this rule. It usually takes Google a couple of months to index a site. Once that period is up, though, the age of the domain is insignificant.
Myth #5 – You Have to Submit Your Site to Search Engines
Submitting websites to search engines was one of the joys of internet marketing in the early days. It only consisted of a few clicks, but it sounded really important. “I’m sorry, Bob. I can’t go out tonight because I am submitting my site to search engines.” Bob thought you were a genius, but in reality, you were chilling in your pajamas, watching “Seinfeld,” and uploading a URL to Google.
It might not have taken a genius to do it, but it did take time.
You can’t get that time back, but you don’t have to spend any more of it on this task.
Search engines are much more advanced than before, and now, the bots come to you. You can speed up the process by building links. The bots will detect the links and then seek out your site.
Myth #6 – Exact Match Domains Are Important for SEO
Back when keywords were the most important ranking factor for SEO, savvy marketers bought up a bunch of exact match domains. They optimized each site around the keywords in the domain, and many soared to the top of the search results.
Now, though, an exact match domain isn’t going to win you any favor with Google. Google released the Exact Match Domain update in 2012 to prevent poor-quality sites from outranking other websites. Suddenly, just having an exact match domain wasn’t enough. Website owners also needed to have high-quality content.
You might not be able to buy an exact match domain for your industry, but you can create a website with better content. That is the key to moving past exact match domains in the searching rankings.
Myth #7 – You Only Need to Optimize Your Site for Google
If keywords are the prom kings and queens of SEO, Google is the emperor. It doesn’t seem to get any bigger than Google, so most people only optimize their websites for this search engine.
Here’s the thing, though. While it’s true that emperors rule an entire empire, not everyone lives in that empire. If you want to reach everyone, you can’t just cater to people who reside in Googletopia You need to branch out, and that means you need to optimize your site for different search engines.
Take Bing, for instance. While Google focuses on backlinks, Bing doesn’t give those links much thought. Instead, it looks at things like social signals and user engagement. You need to optimize for those factors if you’re going to do well in Bing.
Stop Falling for the Myths
These are just some of the search engine optimization myths out there. It’s important to stop falling for the myths, so you can reach more people. Once you know the truth, you can create a powerful SEO campaign that will general solid results.
