Myth #1: Only the first rank is important.
Many eBooks and other materials used by business owners will emphasize the importance of being at the top of search results, whether on Google Search, other engines, or even in places like social media. However, surveys have shown that individuals frequently glance at other results and scroll down the page. Being on the first page of a second page, for example, can be very useful to traffic. Furthermore, search ranking is simply one piece of the puzzle. Google now displays alternative results on the page, such as social recommendations and local results, implying that there are many more options available to you and that being first is no longer as important as it once was.
Myth #2: You can perform SEO on your own.
SEO simply implies that you utilize a collection of tactics and procedures to boost the likelihood that web users will visit your site. It is true that anyone can learn these tactics, and if you own a website and want to perform your own SEO, you can devote the time necessary to study and use those techniques. However, SEO can be complicated and involves several areas such as online marketing, coding, technological aspects, and public relations abilities. Most business owners just do not have everything necessary to do a great job at SEO, which is why there are so many services that give assistance. If you want truly good outcomes, a simple IT worker or online marker is frequently insufficient.
Myth #3: META tags are crucial.
It used to be that META tags were required for every page on your website in order for it to rank properly. These are short pieces of code that provide Google with a list of keywords and a description. The search engine would use those to determine what your website was about. However, these no longer have any bearing on your rating. In order to index websites, Google and Bing both ceased caring about META tags. They are, nevertheless, not useless. For example, your description tag will frequently display next to the link that appears in the search result, so it's still a useful piece of the action.
Myth #4: Keyword-rich domain names are more likely to rank high.
Back in the dotcom days, the URL you used was extremely essential. Google gave a lot of weight to domain names, and if you could secure one with your keyword in it, you'd have a huge advantage over other sites. This is why, in the late 1990s, a lot of firms paid a lot of money for domain names. However, the indexing process now solely considers the actual content of your sites, rather than the domain name. That name is still essential since people see it, but it will not raise your ranking.
Myth #5: You must submit your website to Google and other search engines.
Previously, all search engines included URL submission forms through which you could send your site to Google and others. They still do, but it is no longer essential. These engines' crawlers are now intelligent enough that any new site will be discovered in a matter of days, if not hours. The only time you should be concerned about submitting your site is if it is not automatically indexed within a few days.
Myth #6: Submitting a sitemap will help you rank higher.
Google provides a webmaster's interface via which you can submit a sitemap, which is an XML file that contains connections to every page on your site. Some website owners send such a file every time they make a modification, however, this is not required. Submitting a sitemap has no effect on your rankings; all it does is add pages that have not yet been indexed. It is not required if your site is typical and provides links to all of the pages.
Myth #7: Search engine optimization has nothing to do with social media.
Prior to the introduction of Facebook and Twitter, SEO was the only way to generate organic traffic. But now that social media is pervasive, the border between the two is becoming increasingly blurred. While some marketers still regard SEO and social media as separate entities, the truth is that they are inextricably linked. Google, for example, now incorporates its own social network, Google Plus, into its search results. If you can get enough influential people to talk about your product and link to your website, their recommendations will appear in any Google search result that their friends perform. SEO is certainly affected by this. On the other hand, Facebook has begun to pursue search as well, with the recent introduction of its Open Graph engine, which searches based on friends and interests. As a result, the two spheres are inextricably intertwined, and they are getting closer all the time.
Myth #8: Google ignores CSS files.
Because the Google bot used to be pretty basic and simply saw the text, many people focused on the text portion of their website. But that engine is now highly smart, reading JavaScript, CSS, and other languages. The crawler can clearly observe whether or not your site's presentation is engaging to users. For example, if someone searches on a mobile device and your site do not have a mobile layout, you may be missing out.
Myth #9: You must constantly refresh your home page.
Some people believe that by constantly changing their home page material, they would rank higher, while others believe that by not updating it, they will rank worse. Most of the time, this is not the case, because if you have a sales page that provides a product, there is no incentive to update that page unless anything about the product changes, which Google anticipates.
Myth #10: The H1 header is more important than the remainder of your material.
Google and other search engines can examine the structure of your page, but you should be aware that many websites are built very differently. As a result, no one tag is more valuable than another. An H1 tag is merely a header that matches a CSS entry so that the user sees your page in a specific way. It has no effect on how Google ranks your website if you use H2 tags instead, or if your keywords are largely in the text rather than in a special CSS tag.
Myth #11: Linking to other high-ranking sites improves your ranking.
Some sites attempt to connect to a large number of other high authority sites in order to boost their rankings, however, this is ineffective. Google utilizes PageRank to determine how your site will rank, and because that algorithm is based on how beneficial your site is to others, it will only consider how many other people connect to you. It makes no difference if you link back to them. Otherwise, any site might easily rise to the top by linking to millions of other sites, which is not the case.
Myth #12: Using automated SEO tactics inevitably results in spam.
Many people employ automated SEO tactics that are not considered spam. Many businesses have large websites and rely on automated scripts to conduct much of the grunt work of SEO. The outcome of a method determines whether or not it is spammy, not how automated it is.
Myth #13: PageRank is the sole important element.
PageRank is the algorithm that Google employs to rank sites, and it decides how beneficial a site is to others. According to Google, the analysis also takes into account suggestions from hundreds of additional inputs. Some of these inputs are obvious, such as having your site suggested by others on Google Plus. This demonstrates that PageRank is not the only factor to consider. The corporation is keeping quiet about how many inputs there are and how crucial each is weighed, but it is evident that there is more going on than PageRank. Having said that, it is still widely assumed that PageRank is the most essential element and that a PR1 page is always preferable to a PR3 one.
Myth #14: Search engines ignore the title tag.
The text visible to users, such as what shows on the screen and is rendered in a web browser, accounts for the majority of what Google sees on your site. As a result, it's easy to believe that the title hasn't been taken up. Your title, on the other hand, is critical for SEO because it is the text that displays on the link that people will click on. Not only is it used by Google to boost your ranking, but it is also visible to visitors when they click on your website.
Myth #15: Usability has no bearing on SEO.
The entire purpose of SEO is to increase traffic and keep people on your site so they can be entertained or buy your products and services. As a result, SEO is closely related to usability, because this is what determines whether or not someone remains on your site for an extended period of time. If your site is difficult to use or navigate, visitors will quickly move on to the next search result. In addition, search engines will consider layout and usability. If your site is difficult to navigate for your visitors, it will be difficult for the crawler as well, and poor usability can have a negative impact on your results.
