Debunking Common SEO Misconceptions

Trying to navigate the complicated world of search engine optimization can be tricky, especially for beginners. One of the problems that many SEO rookies from Utah to the East Coast encounter is separating myths from facts. Often this can be tricky because something that used to be good form for SEO might no longer work, or it could even hurt your site’s ranking. So here is a little advice to make sure your optimization efforts aren’t myths.

Keywords

Of course keywords are important, but a lot of rookies don’t understand how to use them properly. When you write an article, story, blog post or other media, make sure you don’t stuff it full of keywords. A long time ago, stuffing used to work, but that time is gone. While there is some debate on how much is too much to use keywords, three percent of your word count is a pretty firm maximum.

Social Media and SEO

Many SEO beginners in Utah and across the nation think that because Google doesn’t count the people who interact with a post within a social media site, it is not worth it to put effort into Facebook, Twitter and other social networks. There are several problems with this thought process. First, social media is an excellent way to get content noticed and when it gets noticed, it often results in traffic to a website.

If you are producing good content that garners peoples’ attention, the second thing it does is encourage more people to look for your website. This again turns into more interactions on search engines and improves your site’s authority. Speaking of authority, if the content you share is good and gets picked up by bloggers and reporters, this will again build the credibility of your site and increase traffic once again.

Once Upon a Time

Too often people think that once the initial SEO goals for a website have been accomplished that the task is done. The problem with this line of thought is that even in states like Utah, markets are always changing, links go bad, information changes and Google might release a new update.

Just as SEO is not a one-time thing, neither is learning about it. It is important for any professional — regardless of if he works in Utah or another country entirely — to continue learning his craft in order to remain an expert. Hopefully by following these tips and staying current on changes, you will be able to get your career to the top and stay there.

Ryan Muir writes for Fusion 360, an SEO and content marketing agency. He writes for many other clients as well. Follow on Twitter.