Opinion: SEO myth busters - stop doing this to rank higher

The internet is swarmed with tips and tricks by SEO experts, each hack promising to be even more effective than the last. Even though most are harmless, some may even actively harm your reputation with Google. 

 

We break down some of the most popular myths that have pervaded the SEO industry in the last decade.

 

● Myth 1 - Just focus on Keyword density

 

There is a common notion amongst marketers that using excessive keywords in the meta tag, title tag, and h1 tags generate a lot of CTR’s, it is true that adding keywords in title tags help in CTR to an extent, but don't obsess over it. That alone isn’t going to garner the kind of traction you are looking for. It all boils down to writing compelling content, writing appealing titles to stir the reader's curiosity to click through, read and get hooked to the content, use keywords in your titles where ever necessary, the right combination of both keywords and quality content is going help you rank higher on the search engine results page.

 

● Myth 2 - Use only highly competitive keywords

 

Head term keywords can drive a lot of traffic to a website; however, they don’t drive sales compared to long-tail keywords, long-tail keywords is like icing on top of the cake, it is required for you to generate organic traffic and to stay on top of your competitors, in simple terms longtail keywords have proved to be better at conversion rates, they might not get the traffic you want but are more useful driving sales.

 

● Myth 3 - Content is content (on mobile or desktop)

 

Over the last few years, desktop vs mobile CTR decline has been a debatable topic. According to a recent study, mobile phones contribute over 50 per cent of searches done on Google. Google’s primary focus is to provide better user experience and will continue to do so, it is focusing on creating content, web design specially for mobile devices rather than just posting the same content everywhere. It is best for marketers to keep abreast with Google's pace and start to use mobile-optimised themes, ensure structured markups are added to the websites to reap maximum rewards. This method will ensure brands do well in the long run.

 

● Myth 4 - Churning out content every day is necessary

 

Without analytics guiding your content, it is difficult to know the number of visitors you are getting, the type of content that is striking a chord with your visitors. Analytics helps in optimising your site and SEO is all about proving better user experience. Regular auditing helps you understand your website's growth rates, bounce rates and time spent on the website. Use your analytics to guide your content strategy and the post frequency that works for you rather than blindly churning out content.  

 

● Myth 5 - Create new content (Don’t mess with existing content)

 

Probably a simple SEO trick that helps in significant traffic increase, a trick which most of them fail to capitalize on. This strategy does not require extra efforts to rank higher on the SERP page, it gives faster results. By updating your content, you are more likely to draw more people to your website. There is a saying marketing, the more links you build, the better your search traffic will be. But this simple trick can do wonders for your website traffic. A lot of topics and content might become outdated, times change quickly and information which was accurate some time ago might not be relevant today. So, updating your content regularly will make the website more appealing and Google is more likely to rank you higher than other websites. 

 

● Myth 6 - Guest Blogging works for everyone

 

Understanding your audience is key to guest blogging, if you are in B2C niche you should probably refrain from guest blogging as the ROI is little to none, however, guest blogging is most effective for B2B niche. Just guest blogging isn’t going to get you traffic or conversions, engage with other guest contributors, write comments, share feedback on the points they haven’t touched upon, share your website link on the comments section. This is more likely to build curiosity among readers and draw them to your website. 

 

The author is vice president - marketing at Neil Patel Digital India.