As a business owner, you will hear from loads of people claiming several different statements on Seo. For example promise you can be on page 1 results, terrify you with Google penalty threats and bamboozle you with panda , penguin pigeon talk.
Trying to sort through these claims to separate fact from fiction can be exhausting and daunting , especially if you are new to SEO and genuinely need some help.
So what can you do?
Well for starters why not teach yourself the basics of SEO using Google’s official SEO starter guide?
Then in the meantime arm yourself with the following information to help you avoid 5 of SEO’s biggest myths:
Myth No. 1 : “I can get you to number 1 on Google within X months”
Unless the person claiming this a wizard or Magician you need to take there promise with a pinch of salt.
Google rarely reveal the exact details of their search engine algorithms, however, they do provide guidelines and best practices. All any SEO company or web design company can do is follow these steps, monitor the results and adapt their SEO efforts over time.
At best, the only solid assurances an SEO company can provide is that your search engine performance can be improved over time – usually over a period of around 3-6 months at a minimum.
During this time you would expect to see a gradual improvement in organic traffic, search engine rankings and customer conversions – such as bookings, signups and sales.
Myth No. 2: I have a contact at Google.
If any SEO professional tells you that they have a contact at Google and the conversation leads to search engine optimization, he is full of it.
Our agency is a Google Partner and we do have a contact at Google. This is for Adwords though, the online advertising beast that generates billions of dollars for Google yearly.
Google doesn’t have employees who can help businesses with their SEO. That’s the fascinating component about this industry; you have to follow the latest trends to make sure your SEO strategy aligns with Google’s constant algorithm updates.
Make sure to follow Barry Schwartz, Glenn Gabe and Marie Haynes. All are great SEO experts whose insight and opinion I highly value. There is also Gary Illyes, a webmaster trends analyst for Google, who provides best practices and insight.
Myth No. 3: You can get on page 1 of Google for $99.
Everyone that is reading this will of received the constant email pitches and phone calls about “1st Page Google Ranking for just $99.” There is a lot of B.S. in the SEO industry. There is no “quick solution” to get onto the first page of Google.
Myth No. 4 : HTTPS isn’t important unless you’re selling stuff
Website starting with URL https are secured and encrypted so that your personal information can’t be hacked while making payment. It is also known as SSL or Secure Sockets Layer.
Google has said that it will give preference to websites with the HTTPS prefix over others in Google ranking. You can read this blog we did on the importance of SSL here
That’s because the encryption within HTTPS provides benefits like confidentiality, integrity and identity. It simply means that your website’s ranking could drop if you still use the standard HTTP
Myth #5: Google Ads (PPC) Give An SEO Boost
Can AdWords PPC help in organic rankings?
5th myth I hear frequently that advertising on Google gives your website an SEO boost. This is not true. It doesn’t matter how much you spend on Google Ads. It will not help your website ranking in organic results. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t advertise in Google.
Recommend most businesses to test Google Ads because it’s one of the best marketing tactics available to small businesses.
However, advertising is separate from search engine optimization and you should not expect to suddenly start ranking high in Google just because you’re using Google Ads.
There are loads more SEO myths we could add to this list.
Hopefully, we have debunked a few myths for you. If you want us to do this as a series of blog posts you can email us or connect with us on Twitter.
