SEO, or Search Engine Optimization, is an ever changing field and always has been. Lately the changes have been happening more rapidly and that tends to leave behind some old tactics – both bad and good – that no longer have the impact they once potentially had. We’d like to give you a heads up on some of those SEO myths which aren’t doing you any good.
Buying a Rank
This has been around as long as SEO has – just like thieves have always been around commerce. It’s simply not true. Google does not sell rankings and any company that tells you that they do is flat out stealing from you.
More Links Mean Higher Rank
Another old myth that won’t die because there are still companies out there taking money for generally worthless links that can potentially harm your website. This is a big NO-NO! Don’t buy links and think that having thousands of links to completely worthless sites will do you any good. The reality is, Google may “punish” your website for fraudulent practices like this. While things may change in the future, it’s still a good idea to legitimately link build with reputable websites.
Page Rank Equals More Money
We’ve heard in the search and web development fields for years: “I want to be #1 on Google”. This was the goal of every website, regardless of whether that actually mattered to their business or not. That concept still lingers but isn’t necessarily true. The number one website may not have what the consumer or visitor wants so they’ll quickly leave and find what they’re looking for. Having a compelling website filled with what your “target” visitors want is what gives you that profit and click through you really are after.
Meta Descriptions Don’t Matter
Ah, this is an age old dispute. While it is true that Google has announced that the meta descriptions do not have any bearing in their search algorithms, they’re actually still very important. Consider this snippet in the search results as your first contact with a potential customer. You want to make sure you’re making the best impression possible and hit the highlights that your customer wants – just like the door-to-door salesmen of the past. Your best bet here is to hire a professional writer or marketing company like Filament to create these important sales pitches for you.
Use Every Keyword You Can Imagine
Keywords are an important aspect of SEO, but they may no longer be the most important aspect. Search engines still rely heavily on keywords (or just words in general) to categorize a webpage, so if you’re selling widgets you certainly need to mention the word widgets on your page. And if there’s anything special about your widgets, you should certainly let people know. But now you no longer have to come up with creative ways to use every version of “widgets for sale”, “for sale widgets”, “widget sales”, “selling widgets”, etc., as was necessary in the past. The search engines are now smart enough to figure all of that out and you may actually be harming your website’s stats by fattening (or “stuffing”) it with excessive keywords. Say what you want to tell the customer in a smart, effective, concise way, and you’ll be ahead of the game. It’s that easy.
Want to refresh your content strategies with a bright eye toward SEO? Let Filament help you make that lasting impression that wins over new customers!
