1 March 2013

SEO Search Engine Optimisation

Don’t Be Fooled; The 5 Most Common SEO Myths

In the past 2 years, SEO has dramatically changed as search engines have altered the way in which they rank websites. With this in mind, marketers have to adapt to the new algorithms (such as Google’s Panda and Penguin updates) to ensure their rankings don’t subsequently drop.

Many myths are floating around about SEO and in order to be successful in 2013 marketers need to wise up!

SEO is no more

Just because Google has updated its algorithm, it does not mean that SEO no longer applies, that it’s pointless or dead. Many people make this false statement without knowing that SEO is actually more important today than it ever was.

Many marketers have in fact proved statements such as these to be totally wrong, as they have worked with the new algorithm updates and have improved their natural search using Google’s webmaster guidelines time and time again. So to say SEO is no more is an incorrect statement. It’s actually more of an evolution in internet marketing, and not the downfall.

Search Engine Land found that a staggering 100 billion searches are done on Google every month and in 2013 alone, marketers spent around £16 billion on search marketing to attract, engage and convert internet users into customers.

The fact is that as long as people are still searching on the internet and website content can be ranked there will always be a place for SEO. Business’s should not be fooled by this myth; let’s face it, if a business can rank highly in SERP’s then there is a greater chance of a sale or enquiry being made, this whole idea of being in the top positions in search are fundamental to SEO.

Success only comes from having as many inbound links as possible!

It’s much better to have quality backlinks rather than quantity, as it is the quality of a backlink that will affect how you rank in SERP’s, as Google takes other factors such as domain age, context and relevance into consideration. That being said the backbone of SEO still rests within the backlink portfolio a website holds. Backlinks form the basis of any good SEO campaign, but at the same time the right type of backlinks are the ones that are going to benefit a website. With best practice in mind, businesses should try to obtain links that are relevant to their service, product or brand and not go for volume alone. 

It is only beneficial to rank number one

A study was carried out by HubSpot which showed that the first 3 search results (and the listings at the top of subsequent pages) actually have a quite similar clickthrough rate. The main reason behind this is search results are now being shown with author profiles and rich snippets and this is the reason to why the clickthrough rate is still respectable even if the sites do not appear at the top of results.

All I have to focus on is good content

Having good content is only one factor in ranking highly on SERP’s. While it is good practise, it will only get you so far because it’s not the only ranking factor used by Google’s crawlers. As recommended by Search Engine Journal, to rank highly in SERP’s, good content should be combined with other SEO ranking methods, such as quality backlinks and on page coding.

Usability doesn’t need to be a factor

When creating a website you should ensure that it is user friendly. HubSpot reckon that SEO is not just about being found but also about improving how readers engage with the content that is in front of them. Optimise your website so users will actually want to visit your page and stay there! For example, the content should entice your target audience, making them want to read more. The more you can relate to them the better!

Written By Sarah

Image By Paloma Gómez