Seek And Ye Shall Find: 9 SEO Myths You Can Stop Believing

CMO.com looked closely at what’s holding marketers back from achieving big search ROI. We discovered nine fallacies lurking around the marketing department water cooler.

Search engines serve hundreds of millions of people around the world seeking answers and solutions to their problems every day. Google, alone, handles an average of 2.3 million searches per second.

This means the focus of B2C markets has irrevocably shifted from a company’s physical location to its ranking on search lists. Yet many marketers continue to struggle with the magnitude and importance of search engine optimisation (SEO).

“We are witnessing a huge shift in the attitudes of marketers as they get a hefty ROI for minimal adjustments,” said David Lovell, SEO and business development director at Matomy Media Group, one of the world’s leading digital performance-based advertising companies.

SEO can, however, be daunting for some organisations because it demands compliance with standards. What’s more, failure to follow the rules can lead to a massive loss of Web traffic.

“Complying with SEO standards is hard due to the constant updates, algorithm changes, and complex formulas,” Lovell told CMO.com.

Google’s constantly changing algorithms means the SEO goalposts are always shifting. In the past, content was crafted with certain keywords to improve rankings. Nowadays rankings still matter, but converted leads matter more, according to Meltwater ANZ director David Hickey.

“Marketers are focusing on writing content that serves the customer first,” he told CMO.com.

CMO.com looked closely at what’s holding marketers back from achieving big search ROI. We discovered nine SEO myths lurking around the marketing department water cooler.

Myth #1: Social Media Doesn’t Influence SEO

Some marketers treat social media as a separate channel. However, Hickey said, it is important for brands to optimise their profiles with keywords, post frequently, and engage with followers. “Google is now taking social signals, such as shares and tweets, into consideration for search ranks,” he said.

Myth #2: Rank Is Key

Ranking high in search results is a myth that looks compelling but isn’t the only factor to consider. “Lead conversion should be the measured result,” Hickey said.

Myth #3: Keyword Density Is SEO’s Secret Sauce

Marketers using SEO are still struggling with proper keyword density. “While it is important to drop a few keywords on your page to let Google know what it’s about, doing so excessively leads to keyword stuffing, a ‘black-hat’ tactic,” Lovell said. Instead, use keywords only when it makes sense to do so.

Myth #4: Link Building For Websites

Embedding hotlinks in content is essential for SEO because it increases the number of quality inbound links to a Web page and improves the search ranking of that page or site. “[But] many SEO companies in APAC go straight into link building without taking even a quick look at the most basic on-page factors,” Lovell said. Hickey said he believes it is more important to build links by establishing relationships with authoritative sources than applying a scattergun approach.

Myth #5: Update That Content

Quality content is more important than quantity. The more informative the content, the more useful it will be and the more traction it will gain regarding the time people spend on your site, enquires, and interactions.

Myth #6: Quality Of Content Doesn’t Matter If SEO Is Good

When people turn to search, they are looking for answers to their questions, and great content deserves to rank first on search engines. This is primarily why Google continually updates its algorithms–and to catch content producers trying to beat the system. SEO tricks may work for a short time, but long-term success needs to be built on a quality-first, SEO-fiddling-second strategy.

Myth #7: SEO Is A One-Time Activity

The bad news is the search industry is in flux. “As the engines are improving, the quality of results and social media is evolving,” Lovell said. “It is crucial to stay up to date on all trends.”

Myth #8: We Are A Big Company–We Don’t Need SEO

Good rankings depend on how established you are online. Search engines don’t know what–or how well–you are doing offline. “No matter the size of your company, SEO heightens your visibility and will drive more qualified customers to you on a consistent basis,” Lovell said.

Myth #9: SEO Will Deliver Results Overnight

A number of factors are involved in a desired SEO outcome. It is not possible, therefore, to achieve success overnight, according to Kamaljit Saini, head of digital marketing at Puretech Digital. “SEO is a result-driven exercise, but making it time-bound can hamper the outcome,” Saini said.