Dispelling Seven (Potentially Dangerous) SEO Myths

Okay, I agree our industry doesn’t have concrete proof for everything. But there’re some myths in the air that shake every fiber of our being. Myths that misinform/mislead newbie SEOs as well as our prospects. Myths that need to die so we can better concentrate on tactics that actually work.

Let’s get started.

Myth #1: Enterprise SEO, Local SEO, International SEO are all but one thing

While the SEO basics always remain the same, enterprises, small businesses, and businesses that serve people with multiple languages have way different challenges and hence require different solutions.

Small businesses are recommended to make the most of local listings so searchers can physically visit them with ease. Enterprise-level sites, on the other hand, often face problems with indexation, duplicate content, etc., so they rather need to focus on that. Furthermore, international SEO helps people better serve multi-language readers.

Myth #2: Page speed doesn’t matter to Google

It’s 2013 and if you still think page speed is not a ranking factor, then you’ve been living under a huge rock for well over 3 years.

See, Google wants happy searchers and if a searcher clicks on a result that takes ages to load, well, Google has a problem with that. Google recommends webmasters optimize site speed – it also provides a tool to help better it.

Also Read: Techniques That Improve Page Load Speed Of Your Website

Myth #3: PPC doesn’t have any impact on organic clicks 

Note that PPC doesn’t have any impact on organic rankings but when it comes to organic clicks it’s otherwise, especially since the advent of the knowledge graph.

Let us explain.

When you Google Sachin Tendulkar, a knowledge graph box comes up on the right-hand side of search results.

And every time knowledge graph comes into play, it drives our attention away from organic results, doesn’t it?

Do you remember the knowledge graph is in the same place where Google shows PPC ads for queries?

Maybe Google’s making us habitual to see at the right side of search results so more and more people notice and click on ads.

Myth #4: Links don’t matter anymore, for it’s the world of content, social, and authorship

I’ve heard some modern SEOs saying that links are passé. Now, even though we personally consider this would most likely be the future of SEO but if you talk about the current scenario, links are still the most important ranking factor. Even Moz’s 2013 ranking survey puts links above all.

Also Read: Why Link Building Is Not A Black Hat Tactic (And How To Do It?)

Myth #5: It’s hard to compete with high-authority sites

Okay, it’s a half-truth. You can of course move the needle by leveraging local listings. Since that ain’t the best solution for all businesses, walk uphill and make your website a high-authority one. How do you ask?

Gain deep links from authority sites. Build amazing content that gets read and shared. Make a strong social presence. And be remarkable at what you do.

Myth #6: Being #1 on Google doesn’t matter anymore

Though rankings have become a moving target nowadays, they’re still important, because personalization doesn’t have any major impact as of now. But yes, it’s not a sound idea to invest only in rankings. Think about other performance metrics as well, such as conversions, CTR from SERPs, crawl rate depth, link value, URLs indexed, etc.

Myth #7: If you’re paying for links, you’re spamming

No, you’re not, until of course those links pass PageRank. So do invest in sponsored links as long as they’re getting you quality traffic and conversions. But don’t forget to get them no-followed. 🙂

Here’s to burying these SEO myths alive. Forever.