SEO is a constant, ongoing process. This fact leaves room for various interpretations and myths. Kaspar Szymanski, an ex-Google employee, has uncovered 10 typical SEO myths.
1. Fairness in SEO competition
SEO is not about fair competition, because that would mean that there is exactly one way to achieve a good ranking. But this is not the case, and will never be the case since every website has different content and thus has to address different needs. New domains, however, have a temporary advantage, says Szymanski. Google grants them a short-lived “Google honeymoon period,” during which new websites first rank quite well. After this period, however, they are then ranked correctly.
2. There is only one way to a good ranking
No, there isn’t. SEO is not a one-time thing. There is no goal, the goal is to get moving on the ongoing process because SEO is a permanent project. Of course, planning, monitoring, and optimizing your own website performance is very important for this.
3. Backlinks…
Until now, the myth was that having lots of backlinks ensured a good ranking. However, this is not true. At least not completely. Backlinks that linked good content, on the other hand, were rewarded by Google. According to Szymanski, backlink building should aim to increase conversions.
4. User signals
The role that user signals play is only secondary. The amount of user signals would not have a direct impact on Google’s ranking, but GSC impressions and click-through rates could be used for search engine optimization.
5. Google neutrality in rankings?
Google does not distribute personal ratings. Every website is subject to the same factors that Google uses, which makes the search engine a neutral evaluator. Detailed SEO tests prove this time and time again.
6. Google AdWords
Google AdWords does not automatically allow websites to rank first through the use of paid advertising. Paid advertising is separated from organic search results by Google and treated differently, Szymanski said.
7. Keywords
In the beginning, keywords were often used to trick search engines. They appeared in the link, in the headers, and in every single sentence. There was a misconception among website owners that the frequency of certain keywords correlated with a good ranking, but meta keywords and keywords in the URL have always been disregarded by Google. In fact, it is more important to use keywords when it is appropriate within the content.
8. Continuous updating
This myth actually proves to be true! New content and its timeliness, as well as continuity in this sense, are three things that Google particularly likes. However, the type of website plays a role here, of course, and not all websites need to be continuously updated. News websites, for example, need to be updated regularly. For other websites, this point is irrelevant.
9. Consideration of social signals
Let’s come back to the topic of social signals: likes, comments, click-through rates, etc. As mentioned, they are not values that have a direct impact on Google’s ranking system. However, user signals can indicate the extent to which a website is popular or less popular with customers. Brand recognition naturally leads to higher click-through rates. The popularity of a website then naturally already has an influence on Google.
10. Search engine optimization = witchcraft
Often SEO is seen as an elite art or magic. This is not true. SEO is not a science or anything else like that. The fact that SEO is data-driven alone proves the opposite.
