As we highlighted in a few of our past blogs, SEO is ever changing. As the dynamic around SEO continues to grow and evolve it brings with it questions about what pieces of information are still relevant today and what pieces have lost their validity over time. At Transformation Marketing we know the importance of researching and integrating the latest news and updates regarding SEO into our marketing plan. We hope to transfer some (if not all) of this information over to you by outlining a few of the most common myths and misconceptions surrounding Search Engine Optimization today so that you can use it in your strategy as well.
1. All SEO is spam.
One fairly common misconception in the SEO world is that all SEO is spam. This is simply not true. It is true that some websites will use spam-like methods (such as keyword stuffing or creating false back links) to boost their rank on the SERP, but their rank will not last long as search engines update their algorithms to spot sites doing things like this and penalize them for doing so. Websites that use these methods often project the idea that this spamming technique is the only way of increasing your rank and the number of visit your site receives. However, they forget to mention it only works for a short time and does not build long-term business relationships. If you happen to find a page using SEO techniques involving spam you can report the site to Google, which will help to further rid the area of spammers and lay rest to this misconception.
2. Quantity of back links is more important than quality.
This myth relates in with our first in that it came about as a result of spam. Individuals thought they had found a way to boost their ranking on SERP by going to other sites and posting a link back to their website. Their idea was that the more times your site was referenced on another page, the higher your page would rank on a search engine. Now their idea isn’t completely false, it does do you well to have back links from other sites coming to your page. However, just like in the case of keyword stuffing, search engine algorithms are smart enough (most the time) to realize you used this spam technique to generate traffic. In this case, it is more valuable to have 1 or 2 back links from respected and relevant sites than it is to have 10 from sites without as much credibility.
3. Keyword stuffing will get you more views.
Keywords can be very useful in establishing a high ranking on SERP. The misconception here is that you can simply insert a bunch of these keywords on your page (most of the time hidden from viewers) and this will boost your rank, in turn boosting the views your page receives. The problem here is that these keywords do not hold the same power as they do when they are used in and supported by relevant content. Search engines are beginning to tune their algorithms to pick up phrases and sentences surrounding keywords in hopes to eliminate pages that “keyword stuff”.
4. The size of font on your pages makes a difference in SEO.
This is another myth isn’t entirely un-true. Search engines have begun to use differences in fonts, colors, and design to decipher what information is most important on a page (but not comparing your page to another – i.e. if you have 12 point font on your site and someone else has 14 point font on theirs, Google won’t rank their site higher because their font is larger). What search engines look at is header tags, which is what you have deemed to be more important within your site, therefore search engines are considering them most important of your content. Remember: Good content, header tags, and title tags, are what you should focus on first, leaving the style of your page to come secondary.
At Transformation Marketing, SEO is something we give a lot of time to. We hope that outlining a few of the common “myths” surrounding SEO helps to point you in the right direction and keep you on track as you travel down the winding road of Search Engine Optimization. As always, refer to our website and blog for information and updates regarding SEO and call us when you’re ready for us to help you increase your SEO efficiency.