Debunking 10 Common SEO Myths: What Really Works?

SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is one of the strategic factors that any person who wants to have a good presence on the internet should apply. However, there are many myths and misconceptions about SEO which one has to face through the virtual world of internet which may lead to path of improper standardization. This guide is going to explain 10 SEO myths, accompany them with examples, and illustrate them with real data so you can stop wasting your time on things that won't make a difference.

Myth1: SEO is a One-Time Task

Reality: SEO is an ongoing process.

Explanation: In its model, it is very clear that SEO is not one of those where once you have implemented, you leave it and wait for results to happen. Used search engines are dynamic; they occasionally overhaul their algorithms, thus what works today may not work tomorrow.
Example: That is why in February 2011, Google released an update known as the Google Panda which is aimed at fighting with content farming. Websites that had made efforts to serve their audience with high quality and valuable content stood to benefit form the change while the other websites which had not posted good quality content saw their websites rank go down.
Data: According to a Moz's research it was established that Google adjusts its search algorithm 500 to 600 times per year. This means that it is important for you to try and keep yourself updated with any such changes that may occur in an effort to maintain and in fact enhance your positions in the SEO.

Myth2: Many people use this technique by cramming keywords into their Web pages and content to help improve rankings.

Reality: Keyword overuse can actually penalise your site.

Explanation: Keyword stuffing is a bad practice and using too many keywords in your content is not beneficial rather it is bad for your SEO.
Example: The Penguin update was released in 2012 so as to punish the sites that used keywords excessively, or that engaged in link schemes.
Data: What's interesting, when it comes to over optimization of anchor text, Ahrefs found out that it negatively impacts the rankings hence, there is need to apply moderation and use of natural anchor text with the keywords.

Myth3: It suffices to glance at meta tags to know that they are no longer important.

Reality: Although they seem rather archaic, meta tags still have their role in the process of search engine optimization.

Explanation: Although keyword meta tags used to be very important, they are not almost as important today, but meta descriptions and title tags are essential for CTR.
Example: A web site engaged in selling of products on the internet managed to raise its CTR to the standard rate of 2% from 1. 6% by incorporating results-centric title tags and meta descriptions.
Data: In one of his articles titled ‘title tag optimization,' Backlinko determined that title tags have higher rank if they start with the keyword.

Myth4: More Links = Better SEO

Reality: Quality over quantity when it comes to backlinks.

Explanation: Not every backlink that is out there is good, but not all are bad too. Quality links, that are shared from authoritative web sites which are related to your site, are far more effective than a numerous volume of resultant or nonrelated links.
Example: The situation when a widely visited website fell in rank in 2017 after purchasing a large number of irrelevant links. A subsequent cleanup of such linking and acquisition of quality links resulted in revisiting the ranking levels.
Data: The SEMrush report reveals that 42% of the companies noticed an uplift in their search engine ranking after the disavows toxic links.

Myth5: The amount of content that you write dictates the degree of success in Search Engine Optimization.

Reality: It is much better to produce a brief but informative and pertinent piece rather than long and extraneous article.

Explanation: Although it is seen that longer content tend to perform better, the real factors are quality, depth, and the users' satisfaction.
Example: A blog post that answers the question fully at 800 words has the potential of ranking higher than an article spanning to 3, 000 words but with irrelevant content.
Data: From the experience of HubSpot, it is revealed that the content length of 2,100 to 2,400 word articles ranks better, but what is important here is that the content should be able to provide all necessary information and solutions.

Myth6: This is because SEO guarantees that that person will get a certain number of sales, leads or clicks in the next seconds, minutes or hours.

Reality: This is one of the secrets that most people tend to forget when it comes to SEO: it is not an instant solution.

Explanation: I use the term SEO because it is a long-term process of designing a business website in a manner that will attract customers or clients to it. The negative impact may start showing after a while and it may be at least 6 months before you notice changes on your ranking.
Example: A business venture involved in writing quality blog posts in order to attract web backlinks. After the six months of the period they were able to shift their website from the third page to the first page for the desired keywords.
Data: According to the data obtained in Ahrefs, it was possible to note that merely 5. It is worth to state that 7% of newly published pages can get to the top 10 of Google within a year.

Myth7: Social Media Directly Impacts SEO

Reality: Social media indirectly influences SEO.

Explanation: Although ‘social signals' such as likes and shares do not directly influence the rankings of websites, having a highly active social media presence can have positive effects on the number of visitors and level of engagement, which is the key to SEO.
Example: Perhaps, a business blog post was shared on social media, and this boosted traffic and subsequently search ranking.
Data: A study conducted by Hootsuite highlighted that articles with social media engagements rank better – a factor that can be attributed to the flow of traffic and backlinks rather than raw signals.

Myth8: HTTPS is not a necessity in the SEO process and is only necessary in certain cases.

Reality: The use of the Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure, otherwise known as HTTPS is a factor that can influence rankings.

Explanation: Google has had stated before that HTTPS is an important ranking factor. Sites not often secured are likely to be deprioritized in rankings and lose customers' trust.
Example: Changing to HTTPS was estimated to have a beneficial impact on the overall quantity of site traffic by 5% as well as an advancement on ranking factors particularly on specific keywords.
Data: A research conducted by Brian Dean shows that around 64 percent of websites that feature on Google's first page are HTTPS.

Myth9: Having duplicate content on your site will also lead to receiving a penalty.

Reality: They concluded that duplicate content does not result in penalties but can affect the rankings.

Explanation: Google actually does not penalize for duplicated content; instead it decides which of the materials is to be shown, which may not necessarily be your page or the one you wanted.
Example: Some product descriptions in a company were synchronized with those on other pages. Thus, they observed more traffic on their page and more page views, as they set creative descriptions individually.
Data: According to a study conducted by SEMrush, 50% of websites have duplicate content problems, but most of them are eventually fixed by search engines without being penalized.

Myth10: Local SEO Doesn't Matter for National Businesses

Reality: Local SEO can boost visibility even for national businesses.

Explanation: Local SEO is useful to make business firms visible in local searches because although the firms belong to certain local areas, they may have operations all over the country or even world.
Example: A national retailer of stores used a range of targeted SEO strategies that led to a 15% expansion of the store's online presence and foot traffic in their premises.
Data: According to the same research done by Google, “near me” searches have risen by more than half a percentage in the last few years, and this is why local SEO is crucial.

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Gathering together and analyzing practical concrete experiences of the effectiveness of strategic management was the purpose of the article titled “What Really Works?”