Last Updated on May 29, 2019 by Numinix Developer
When beginning to optimize your website for the search engines, there are a number of so-called experts out there that will fill your head with all of the things that must be done to be SEO. There are a slew of common SEO myths that will waste your time and money. You will want to avoid those. I’d like to talk to you about my top 5, and hopefully clarify things for you. This will help you save your time and treasure for only the most important of SEO endeavors.
Myth 1: SEO is expensive!
This myth, and it’s cousin, (SEO is cheap) can leave you feeling either overwhelmed or disillusioned. Which emotion you feel depends on which statement you choose to believe. The fact is that optimizing your website is neither of these two extremes. It all hinges on how well your site was originally designed, who you choose to optimize your site, and how much you want done. Just remember in most cases the old adage “You get what you pay for” is true.
Myth #2: SEO is difficult
Again, this one can be flipped on it’s head to say SEO is easy. Just like the cheap vs. expensive argument, the truth lies somewhere in the middle. Anyone can learn to optimize their website for the search engines. It does however require a certain amount of time, energy, and money. SEO is not difficult to do. It is however very time consuming. Like all skills, you can’t be a champion overnight. This is why many business owners choose to have someone else do their Search Engine Optimization.
Myth #3: Linking out (especially to Google.com) will boost your PageRank
This is true only if you haven’t been linking out at all, and linking to other relevant sites for your business is looked on with much more favor than linking to Google itself. What you really want is vice-versa. You want other sites to link to you. Then you will see your ranking grow.
Myth #4: SEO is a one-time activity
Wrong, wrong-o, wrongy dong dong. This is not the Showtime Rotisserie and you are not Ron Popeil. There is no “set it and…forget it” here. Just like anything in our tech driven world, search engine optimization is a constantly evolving art. That would be like learning how to change a diaper and burp a baby and thinking you had parenting down completely. As the child grows, so you must learn and apply new skills and techniques in otder to be effective. Same thing with SEO. More is being learned about the algorithms that the search engines use to index and rank websites and so your website must be tweaked here and there as new information becomes available. It is much easier to keep rankings than to get them, but if you aren’t #1 on the list everytime you are probably not where you want to be.
Myth #5: Your results are guaranteed
This one definitely chaps my hide. Since when is anything in life guaranteed? Unless your SEO guys owns or works for the search engines, he has no way of knowing what goes into the complex ranking algorithms they use. Even with tons of skill and experience, no one can guarantee resutls for your website. I would steer clear of any site that guarantees they can provide a certain ranking result. That is untrue and unethical.
Clearly, my top five myths don’t even begin to scratch the surface. I felt the need to bust these myths in the interest of saving you both time and money. I trust that you have either learned something or been put at ease. Stay tuned for more great information about optimizing your website. Y’all come back now…ya hear?