Common Misconceptions of SEO

Strong SEO for your company’s website can be the difference between being lost within Google or Bing and ending up as the highest-ranking organisation on page one. But it’s very easy to misread SEO which can have negative consequences, so we have detailed five of the biggest SEO misconceptions below.

1. Too many keywords is never enough

Let’s say you’re in the car insurance business. It’s advisable to remind people of this by using the words “car insurance” or a related combination where possible. However, nobody who visits your site will want to see “car insurance” several times a sentence, or in every single sentence. It becomes distracting and suggests you are trying too hard to get your point across. So, use keywords where possible, but only in moderation, because overuse can become misuse. Over-optimising your website for keywords can actually damage your SEO, as search engines can see this as unnatural.

2. All you need is … backlinks

While backlinks play an important in SEO and influence search engine results, content remains key. Search engine’s algorithms are complex and rely on 200+ ranking factors. Backlinks are just one element of this. It is better to focus on getting a link from one high quality domain rather several links from low quality domains.

3. Analytics are optional

Okay, so your business can exist if you don’t use analytics, but how else will you be able to determine the viability of your SEO? Without analytics, it becomes a guessing game as to why you have obtained new customers or, conversely, why you haven’t. SEO without analytics is like an exam without results; if you’re going to concentrate on the former, you have to provide similar investment for the latter.

4. Local optimisation doesn’t matter

Some companies with a focus on national or international trading believe that including local optimisation within your SEO isn’t a big deal. After all, you’re looking beyond your specific region. But it’s very important, especially if you have a location which you want people to visit, because the first customers – the early adopters of your services, if you will – are going to be those closest to you. Therefore, why not provide local optimisation to theoretically increase business within your area?

5. Guest blogging isn’t advised

Of course, you want your name to be most associated with your business when people are searching for you, therefore one can understand the trepidation concerning guest bloggers. But the more blogs and content that your site has, the better. It can only be of benefit to your company if your site is regularly adding content no matter who the author is; and if your business is high-profile enough to attract celebrities to serve as guest bloggers, why would this be a bad thing?

6. SEO is a one-off activity

In an ideal world SEO would just be a case of making a few on-site changes and get a handful of high quality backlinks then you’ll be in first position. Unfortunately, this isn’t the case. It is important to remain consistent. On-site changes need to be monitored, new content is required, off-site needs constant attention and you need to be aware of any search engine updates.

If you have achieved good results with SEO then it is likely that your competitors are eyeing your position. You’ll need to remain consistent to protect your traffic.