Absurd Myths about SEO

Building a website without SEO is like building a road without a direction

— Anonymous

SEO is just like any other marketing channel namely PPC, Social Media etc.but people have some stone age perspective. While some consider it to be a part of the Ancient Mythology , others thinks it’s a Ponzi Scheme. True, we SEO experts operate from Castles protected by Gargoyles. Paid marketers beware!!

I have been in this field for almost two years now and have come to realize, whether you are an online business or an offline business people are gonna search for you on Google (or any other Search Engine for that matter) . There’s no doubt organic search contributes the maximum amount of traffic, but even then we have a few people with certain preconceived notions. There are two possible reasons : lack of interest or lack of information.

Well here are the most absurd SEO myths i have come across :

Myth #1 : SEO is all Content.

I get this a lot.

People constantly ask “Are you a content writer?” . Obviously i say no. Then comes the million dollar question, “Then what do you do in SEO?” with an extremely inquisitive expression. I wish they would’ve googled it. (SEO Pun)

Well, content is a part of SEO, an essential one but still just ‘a part’. Yes, Google uses content as one of the factors to rank you on the SERP but that doesn’t imply that SEO experts = Content Writers. There’s more to this than meets the eye.

Myth #2 : SEO is like Pest control & Needs to be done only once.

It would’ve been fun if SEO would’ve been a one time affair, lots of vacations for all the SEO experts around the world.

Well, websites need to be maintained continuously. Google changes it’s algorithm around 500–600 times in a Year i.e. around 1.64 times in a day. Hence, you need to monitor nearly 200 factors constantly in order to be competitive enough. Apart from the SEO factors, one also needs to look at the constant change in technology. Gone are the days where one can create a keyword stuffed static page and expect it to rank. It’s a bigger ball game now.

Just to give you some perspective, here’s a link to my friends website, where he has summarized the major Google algorithm updates : Nethit Google Algo Summary

Myth #3 : Comparing Paid Channels and SEO.

This one is my favorite!!

There are two comparison points according the above Myth holders : Traffic and Conversions. Well , a conversion from organic traffic has lower chances as compared to paid channels, because most of the users on an Organic channel try to seek some information. The intent of a conversion is lesser even though the traffic boost is really high. On the other hand, on paid channels marketers can build various segments/audiences based on their behavioral data which automatically increases the chances of a conversion.

To be fair, both channels need to be used in tandem for greater profits. You just cannot put one against the other.

Here’s another article by a friend stating the above : Changing Trends? The SEO vs SMO Debate

Myth #4 : If you are an SEO expert , why aren’t your keywords ranking 1?

I have a brilliant answer to this, “ I don’t believe in showing off my skills” . And then i act like Batman and say , “ I’ll do it , whenever it’s necessary” .

Dear friends, try and understand the following :

• I am not the only SEO expert in the world, that means there are other SEO experts within the same industry who are either doing something new or replicating exactly what i am doing on the competitors website.
• As stated earlier, there are regular algorithm updates and these do impact the rankings. We try to find a solution every time, but there’s a 50% probability of it to be a hit or a miss.
• There are a lot of things that need to be done : Off page SEO , On Page SEO , technical SEO etc. And even these do not guarantee the top spot.

Myth #5: SEO rankings are immutable.

This one’s annoying..

Whenever you get to the top spot or for that matter either of the three top positions on a SERP, people assume that its fixed and no one can throw you down. Well, get your facts right. Rankings are not fixed at all. Fluctuations can be caused due to algorithm updates, competitors efforts to outrank you, penalties, tech flaws etc. Fluctuations are pretty normal.

If ranking fluctuations is not your cup of tea, photoshop a SERP, place your website on the top rank(You can photoshop it above paid ads as well), get it framed and keep dreaming about it.

Myth #6: SEO is automatic.

Yes, the moment you create a website , out of nowhere a Googlebot decides to visit your website and does all the necessary optimizations itself.

Maybe sometime in the future some AI tool does SEO automatically, but till then it’s all manual. Whosoever shared this myth , thank you! I have a startup idea now!!

Myth #6: SEO is Dead.

To be honest , SEO can never die. Search engines hold a lot of importance for the following reasons:

• Internet penetration
• Necessity of information research
• Evaluation of Alternatives

If Google becomes too ambitious about their profits, there might be a possibility in the future that all the links on the 1st page of the SERP would be Paid Search links and organic links might appear second page onwards. Killing SEO doesn’t seem like an option, at least for a few decades.

The best place to hide a dead body is page 2 of Google Search Results

— Anonymous

Conclusion

Read the myths again, stop being delusional and get back to work.

Originally published at www.socialfriendly.in on May 4, 2017.