No strategies are objective. Outside to what search engines usually advise, a large part of what we know about SEO is based on sheer speculations, personal experience and, well, "expert opinions".
Perhaps, that’s the reason even till this day, after more than a decade, "how to increase website traffic" oddly remains an inconclusive question.
So, in the mix of this ambiguity, it’s easier to buy into lies and myths. In fact, there’s a good chance you’ve fallen to at least one of such false narrations.
Here are 5 SEO lies that are potentially destroying your digital game:
1. SEO is dead
In the past 4-5 years, the market pundits have pronounced SEO as dead, cherishing (or chastising) its existence with great eulogies. Don’t buy into this.
93 percent of all online experiences begin with a search engine. Google alone process 40,000 searches every second. Nearly 80 percent of users ignore paid ads in search results. There's virtually no concrete number available that, even in a tiny way, suggests SEO is dead.
Search engine optimization has sure changed radically since the early days. It isn't dead. For as long as search engines exist, the SEO will exist - no matter where we're heading, to voice or VR.
2. Get as many backlinks as you can
Backlinks are still one of the key ranking factors. But, over the period, their relevance has definitely taken a big hit. No more are they "it" in SEO.
Today, theoretically, in Google’s own words, content is just as important, if not more. To that, with Domain Authority becoming the ‘talk of the town’, where you get your backlinks is quite critical. To have any positive impact on your search ranking, you require backlinks from websites with higher DA.
Remember, all backlinks aren’t created equally. Some carry more weight, others even carry negative cred. So, a backlink from some shady irrelevant website can do you more harm than good. (Why do you think Google offers disavow links tool?!)
In addition, getting a backlink from top websites like Forbes, HuffPost or NYT is better than getting 100s of backlinks from mediocre portals.
As cliched as it may sound, in 2019, the quality of the backlink is more important than quantity.
3. Including keywords doesn’t work anymore
If you’re not optimizing your web contents with relevant keywords, you’re doing big disfavor to yourself. Because, contrary to what the commentators say, keywords are still (very) important.
The only difference today is that you have to be incredibly careful about the relevancy and intent of the keywords you’re using. Instead of being bot-centric, they must be focused on the real problems and needs of the end-audience.
The key here is being smart in the keyword research process. Primarily, there are four types of keywords, in different size variations: informational, transactional, navigational and commercial.
Depending on your needs, niche, and goals, you must choose your keywords carefully. And, most importantly, you must use them correctly, ensuring the keyword density and proximity looks natural and not forceful.
Yes, search engines are smart. They can certainly find and identify the quality of your contents. But assisting them in the process can help you here, putting you ahead in the line.
So, don’t lag in the keywords-end. Spend more time, in fact, in keywords research to find the best long-tail and LSI keywords.
4. (Blindly) Creating contents help
When keywords stuffing was still prevalent, SEOs were running out of place to stuff the "hot phrases". This marked the beginning of blogging for SEO. (Or so the legends say ;)
For long, blogging has been a key component of search engine optimization. However, contextually, it was solely meant to appease the search spiders, for the sake of quick crawling and higher indexing.
So, in the process, the quality of the contents was usually, at best, mediocre. The practice of producing such mediocre blog contents is still prevalent. And many believe this help their ranking.
Are you one of them?
We’re at a time when content marketing is dashing into all the aspects of digital marketing. SEO, now, is more about content marketing than what it once was. Search engines, today, obsess user experience more than anything else.
And what a good content marketing strategy and better user experience demands are contents of high quality, higher value.
No more blogs are just about search engines. They are now all about helping users find solutions for their pain points. If you’re producing short-form, keyword-spilled, baseless blog posts, the poor UX value will signal search engines of their poor quality. This, in turn, will hurt your ranking.
Have an editorial calendar. Write long-form articles. Be engaging in the post. And, above all, help the readers.
5. Social media doesn't affect SEO
This debate never ends. But, in 2019, we’re closer to a conclusive answer than ever.
Both Google and Bing, today, are prioritizing brands over the average-Joes. Google any phrase in your niche right away; you will almost immediately recognize most of the results by their brand name.
Highly recognized brands are less likely to produce poor contents and offer bad products. This naturally makes them a foremost preference for search engines.
And this is where search and social overlaps. Social media plays a significant role in building brand value and trust. So, to understand a brand’s reputation, among various factors, search engines also care about its social components.
So, having a solid standing on big channels like Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Twitter helps your brand value, which will cascade to help your search ranking and conversion. Meaning, having the best SMO company in Bengaluru by your side has many more benefits than what it may look like.
Conclusion
These are 5 SEO lies that are possibly destroying your digital game.
Stop taking every advise and opinion at face value. The best way to move ahead is to either hire the best SEO company in Gurgaon, India or see results first-hand yourself.
Direction:- https://goo.gl/maps/iQNGWa4K2Rr
