For businesses, a ranking in Google’s top search results is prime real estate. It’s no surprise that the value and demand of Search Engine Optimization (SEO) has increased in recent years. With increased popularity and demand, there is a lot of misinformation out there about SEO myths. With a month and a half remaining in this decade, we believe the myths should be left behind. 2020 is coming, so let’s start fresh and discuss a few of them!
Myth 1: SEO is Only Important in The Early Stages
A lot of people believe that SEO is useful in the beginning when you’re trying to get your website up and running. Some believe the website needs to be optimized with keywords and then the work is done. This is simply not true. SEO is a never-ending process that involves planning, strategy, time and effort. It’s not something where you will see results instantly. As with everything, it takes patience and perseverance.
Say, for example, you begin running a SEO campaign and a month passes and you see no results, so you pause the campaign. Rather than pausing the campaign, it would be better to understand why your campaign isn’t working. It’s kind of like learning to ride a bike: it takes some time, but once you learned, you get more comfortable and know what you’re doing.
Alternatively, say you had success with the campaign but decide to stop it because you achieved the results. You may be wondering: “what could go wrong in this case?” Search engines consistently update their search results algorithm, meaning that, while your results are commendable, they’re short-lived. You always have to be thinking about updating your content and web pages. Search engines change fast. You don’t want to get left behind. Especially if your competition starts producing content that’s more relevant than yours.
SEO is Only About Achieving High Rankings
Achieving the first position ranking should not be your only goal.
SEO is not like the Olympics: just because you’re on the top spot on the podium does not necessarily guarantee success, especially if you’re inserting irrelevant keywords. Spending a significant amount of money just to rank higher is a waste of time and money.
SEO strategy should emphasize relevancy. Are your keywords relevant to your business? If so, your customers will be able to find you much easier, which may ultimately create more leads and traffic for your business.
Mobile Isn’t Important
In an earlier blog, we discussed the impact SEO has on design.
A shift began in 2017 when Google announced that it was going to prioritize mobile sites over desktop. In the past, desktop was always indexed first, so this was a big change.
Not only do most people have access to a smart phone these days, but most people a good deal of their business on it. People pay bills, go on social media and browse sites, meaning that your mobile site deserves extra attention.
A recent study indicated that 57% of mobile users will not recommend your business if it is not a mobile-friendly site. Mobile optimization is not just an option for your sites, but it’s necessary.
Mobile is now an essential tool of marketing. Use your mobile version as your main point of reference because Google certainly will. Plus, designing your site with mobile in mind will make your SEO better.
Images Don’t Need to Be Optimized
In the past, people underestimated the importance of images on sites. Now, on-page SEO has become essential and imagery not only makes your site attractive, but it helps SEO too.
Search engines can’t read images on a website, so including image alt text and a proper file name will help Google understand what the image is.
Alt text, file name and the location of your image should be included. Descriptive titles and captions are what Google likes.
SEO Isn’t Relevant Anymore
As long as search engines are still relevant, SEO is too. It has just changed and updated over time. It can be frustrating when your approaches to SEO and campaigns don’t seem to be working. Try to seek out areas of improvement. If you’re using outdated SEO tactics, you won’t be achieving positive results.
Need some help with SEO?
At Netgain SEO, we’ll get your SEO right. Contact us today or give us a call at 1-888-797-2455.