SEO Myths often arise from clinging to old wives’ tales, leading website owners and marketers to make ineffective SEO strategies.         

A penny when dropped from a building can kill a person standing on the sidewalk. Ah! What?! Is a penny so powerful that it can slay a person’s life? Or is the person feeble that he/she cannot bear a penny?  

This is one of the general myths you might have heard about. Likewise, in the SEO world, there are too many myths rolling out even today. They neither fall under a specific logic nor proven true as well. 

You may be an SEO consultant for B2B & B2C brands or any niche-specific business aspiring for a better SEO ranking, or an SEO blogger, or any designation related to SEO. No matter what, you need to have a clear-cut idea about which SEO practice you can try and which you must ignore.

Here, we’ve put together the SEO myths that we consider to be irrational. All the myths covered in this blog are not just random picks, our SEO service team has checked all these thoroughly.   

Without any delays, let’s get into the blog. 

Debunking the Myths about SEO   

First, we’ll ask you a question? What do you understand by the term ‘SEO’? 

We all are aware of its abbreviation – Search Engine Optimization. In simple words, it is the process of building your website with features and elements to gain better visibility on the web for relevant search queries.        

Infact, when we say SEO service, it incorporates your website design, development, and digital marketing. Confusing, right? We’ll explain it to you.      

There is a common belief that it’s enough if you build a website, it will start showing up on the web – it’s never like that. Without the help of the beloved friend – SEO, positioning your site on the web will only happen when pigs fly.       

To handle SEO like a pro, you should have a clear picture of the search engine’s ranking algorithms, updates, and guidelines. Some misunderstand these and introduce some SEO approaches which are considered unrealistic, also called myths.     

Popular SEO Myths 

When you go through the SEO myths, you’ll get an idea about,  

• Ranking factors that are currently in use
• Areas to concentrate for better visibility
• Removing the outdated SEO elements from your website
• Improvising your SEO performance

Here, we’ve rolled out a few myths in the SEO world that you should ignore in 2024 and beyond.

15+ SEO Myths that you Need to Avoid

SEO Myth #1: SEO is a one-time setup      

SEO company requires consistent maintenance. If you implement a strategy and do expect the outcome in a day or two, it would be like dieting for one day and expecting to lose weight in pounds. Will it be possible? Absolutely, no. Dieting is a regular practice, even so, SEO.   

Why do we call it a myth? 

You might ask – one-time SEO has its own pros like – quick process & cost-effectiveness, then why do you call it a myth. Though you can see the changes right away, due to lack of maintenance, it won’t retain for more time. Also, you can see these results dissipating quickly and you’ll again be at the first square of the puzzle.  

• Content cannot be reviewed regularly and customized based on the reader’s interest & traction 
• Site cannot be monitored weekly 
• No creation of monthly analytics reports  
• No monthly performance review calls 
• Discussion on analytics is not possible 
• No backlink generation
• No competitor analysis 
• Adapting updated strategies and techniques is impossible   

SEO Myth #2: Create a new website and you’ll be in the #1 position  

Websites that are upgraded with trending elements, plugins, themes, animations, and regular maintenance have a bit more chance of winning the SEO rankings.  

SEO Myth #3: Consulting an agency will place you in the first 3 positions of SERP  

It’s not like that. By partnering with a dedicated SEO expert, probabilities are high to gain better visibility on search engines.  

SEO Myth #4: Multiple usage of keywords will take you to the #1 position in SERP   

Multiple keyword usage, also known as keyword stuffing, is one of the evil practices that search engines hate. Instead, incorporate keywords naturally. 

SEO Myth #5: Maintaining social media activities block your organic traffic 

A recent Oberlo 2021 stat reports that there are 3.78B+ social media users worldwide. Hence, maintaining active/influential visibility on social media can drive in more users.

Also Read

SEO Outsourcing to India : Pros and Cons

SEO Myth #6: Keyword research isn’t that important

Ignoring keyword research would be a nightmare. Mostly, people use long-term queries with a maximum of 3 words to search for any specific information. 

One major advantage you’ve to try long-tail keywords is that they will hold also short-tail words, and this serves both the purposes, say like – you can be ranked for both short-tail keywords and also long-tail keywords.          

SEO Myth #7: Having more links is better than having more content 

The quality of links matters more than the quantity. Unnecessarily placing many low-quality/no-quality links just for ranking is not advisable.     

SEO Myth #8: Local SEO doesn’t matter  

Local SEO plays well in splitting up your local audience from global. It mainly caters to the needs of nearby residents. So yes, local SEO is again a crucial tactic that narrows down your target audience, which you should never miss out on.   

SEO Myth #9: No need to optimize images for SEO 

When you fail to optimize your images – first, it impacts your page speed, this will definitely ruin your users’ engagement & UX, and consequently your SEO ranking.  

SEO Myth #10: XML sitemap doesn’t boost your ranking 

XML sitemaps help search engines like Google and Bing to understand your webpage content before indexing. Moreover, when you display your sitemap along with the dates, you’re deliberately conveying the search engines regarding the freshly updated content. 

Again, this is a thumb rule SEO ranking factor that cannot be counted as a myth. 

SEO Myth #11: Guest posting is a fool’s errand  

Guest posting tends to be a win-win digital marketing tactic. Post your promotional materials on other sites and get backlinks. Also, allow others to post theirs on your site as well.  

In either way, you can build brand awareness, grow your following, and boost brand authority. Even search engines like Google would love your brand if highly reputable websites had backlinks to your site or if it finds other authorized links on your site. 

SEO Myth #13: If you want to rank for a particular keyword, you need to do keyword stuffing 

Keywords stuffing is an evil practice that search engines hate. You’ll have to utilize the keywords as well as ensure you don’t heap keywords merely to rank higher. Your intention is what matters. 

Just start with the content, as you keep writing with the flow, you’ll know how to place keywords naturally and don’t go beyond the actual keyword density. 

You can use this formula to calculate the keyword density. 

SEO Myth #14: By limiting your SEO page titles to 60 characters, you can boost your SEO ranking 

Search engines like Google don’t recommend any particular length for title tags. But then, to get displayed 90% properly on the SERPs, most SEO professionals stick with a 60-70 characters limit. 

That doesn’t mean, if you just use 60 characters, you’ll be getting the #1 ranking position. It can just enhance the readability of your audience.

SEO Myth #15: Posting content frequently will rank you in the #1position  

As you regularly update your website with articles, blogs, newsletters, a new web page, and others, you might get a chance of being noticed by the search engine bots. 

So, it doesn’t mean that, if you keep on posting fresh content with multiple keywords, inbound, and outbound linking, you’ll obtain the #1 position in SERPs. Not like that, this activity would be counted as a black hat SEO practice, and you’ll be penalized.  

Quality and consistency both are important for SEO. 

Also Read

Google Possum Update : Has It Affected Your Local SEO?

SEO Myth #16: Mobile SEO 

Today a majority of people are using mobile devices. And, search engines always aim at delivering the best-expected results to their users. Therefore, mobile-friendly sites attract search engine bots and get indexed on the search results.    

The king of the search engines world, Google, clearly explains how to offer a better experience to your user with a mobile-friendly site, to learn more read through this article.  

Wrapping Up Our SEO Myths  

Hope we’ve done justice to our goal of bringing the latest SEO myths to light. It’s not that you adhere only to these, because, based on the ever-changing search engine algorithms, myths will be added to the list or excluded or turn outdated. 

With that being said, it’s a thumb-finger rule that you need to be aware of the updates. Looking for the latest algorithm updates and tweaking your SEO practices along with your core activities might sound daunting.  

The best solution for this is to search for a dedicated SEO agency, that is capable of preventing your website from immersing in outdated or current myths. 

Quick Checklist Before Partnering with an SEO Agency

• No fake promises with pleasing words like – “Within a period of 30-35 days, you can see your website at the first position of SERP”

• Ask them if you can talk with their previous/current clients just to know their experiences with the agency. The practical insights clients share would be helpful in assessing the agency

• Know about their position in the SERP. An agency that doesn’t have better visibility on the search engine cannot work wonders for your SEO rankings 

• Check if the agency is thoroughly analyzing your business’s nature, audience, online requirements, and other crucial details. Instead of just coming up with a quote right away 

• Make sure they have a pretty good experience in working with a number of clients, particularly from your niche. Though it’s said, experience is just a number. Experienced digital marketing agencies can handle your SEO activities and digital marketing services like a pro than an agency with little experience     

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Like this, we have so many to add to this list. But, we’ve specified the important ones. Keep these points in your checklist before partnering with an agency. ColorWhistle is a white-collar SEO solutions provider with which you can collaborate without any fear or hesitation.   

Make a call at +91 (944).278.9110 or fill in the details and submit the form. We’ll talk with you and make note of your SEO expectations. We will work beyond your expectations and help you fly on the SERPs with better visibility. 

From the above list, which myth astonied you the most? Why? Leave your thoughts in the comments below.