SEO Misconceptions: 7 Common Myths about SEO in 2020

You may have come across the term SEO or Search Engine Optimization many times by now. SEO is a digital marketing strategy that focuses on your website’s performance and presence in search results or search engines. Understanding how SEO works allows you to expand your visibility in search engines and help you reach more potential customers. Since SEO has become widely used, several SEO misconceptions have surfaced. In this article we’d like to debunk a few common SEO myths we’ve noticed in 2020.

SEO Misconception 1: SEO is a one-time-only thing

SEO is not a one-time-only thing, it is a process. Consistency is very important when it comes to using SEO. You can’t afford to lose momentum because your keyword ranking on SERPs (Search Engine Results Pages) will ultimately suffer.

Google makes numerous changes to their algorithm every year, this is why you need to consistently optimise your pages, post new content, attract links, drive traffic, and improve your site’s overall structure to prevent mobile usability and coverage issues. You may also improve your website ranking by resolving on-site SEO issues.

There is a huge possibility that your website ranking will drop if these issues are not resolved immediately. If you are willing to consistently invest your time and resources to SEO, there is so much that you can accomplish. 

SEO Misconception 2: SEO is all about links

SEO is no longer about links alone. We now understand that the quality of the links is what actually matters and not the number of links.  

Backlinks are important because they make your website more credible in search engines and propel your webpages higher in searches. However, it is vital to pay attention to the types of backlinks you are generating because not every one of them will help you, and some can even get you penalized.  

SEO Misconception 3: Keywords mean better ranking 

Previously, keywords were thought to be as important as links when it comes to SEO. Anyone could get a better ranking by creating tons of low-quality content that was filled with keywords, otherwise known as keyword stuffing. 

Keyword stuffing is when you’re deliberately spamming your page with keywords to rank higher. Fortunately, keyword stuffing is long gone. Google can now detect when you are keyword stuffing and this will put your website at risk of being temporarily banned.  

To gain ranking through organic search in 2020, you must apply a keyword research process as well as create high-quality content that provides value to your audience. You need to optimise your content and post content on a regular basis to ensure effectiveness. 

Well-researched keywords that are accurately placed in your text, headlines, subtitles, images, video descriptions, and links are your way to success. 

SEO Misconception 4: Content marketing replaces SEO

You can no longer attract, convert, and retain customers without content nowadays. Websites that stop posting valuable content would eventually experience massive drops in organic traffic, leads, and conversions. However, this does not mean that content marketing has completely eliminated other digital marketing methods, including SEO. 

To ensure that you will be providing valuable content to your audience, all content must be optimised. They should:

• Incorporate several selected keywords (2-3 per 500 words)
• Feature a main keyword in the headline, (in H1 tag)
• Include relevant keywords in subtitles (with H2, H3 tags), Alt tags, and meta descriptions
• Include internal links and outbound links to other on-site pages and outbound links to trustworthy resources

SEO Misconception 5: High ranking SEO results are possible without a blog 

The most effective way to build brand awareness, while providing useful content to your audience is through consistent blogging. Blogging is one of the most viable SEO strategies, which means that you should consistently create and share high-quality content. 

A blog that is updated regularly with blog posts that are high quality and on topics relevant to your audience can make a huge difference in how your site performs in search engines. All major search engines appreciate fresh, relevant content. 

A blog keeps people on your site for longer, and a quality blog gives other sites more reasons to link back to your site. 

SEO Misconception 6: Long-form content improves ranking 

Long-form content does not guarantee that your website will rank high on search engines. You can write 2000-word blogs or articles and still see your site dropping and losing readers. When it comes to SEO, there are many more factors to consider than just the length of the content. 

A long blog article is useless if it will just stray from the main point of the article. That will only make the article boring and would drive your readers away from your site. Always remember that your reader’s attention span should be highly considered when posting content on the digital space. Still, quality and user intent are more important. 

SEO Misconception 7: Meta Descriptions are a ranking factor 

A meta description attribute or tag is an HTML element that describes and summarizes the contents of your page for the benefit of users and search engines. This snippet of text may appear in the search engine results under your headline, though sometimes, search engines will pull a snippet of text from the main body copy of the page instead.

A while back, Former head of Google’s Web Spam, Matt Cutts, confirmed that meta descriptions are not a ranking factor for web search. Meta descriptions can, however, impact a page’s CTR (click-through-rate) on Google which can positively impact a page’s ability to rank. 

For that reason, you shouldn’t focus on packing your meta descriptions with keywords. Instead, make sure they’re informative, intriguing, and that they bring value to the person searching.