Top 3 SEO Myths I’d Like to Crush

O ver the years I’ve heard many negative comments about SEO services or companies, and I honestly can understand the frustration. Search engine optimization is misunderstood and misrepresented, but the industry still has many SEO companies that know what they’re doing and go above and beyond for their clients’ success. While scanning the internet for search engine optimization advice be extremely selective of the SEO tactics that you take on. Some companies have novice interns/outsourced writers creating articles about intensive subjects because of content creation demands and some companies just don’t want to give any actual secret sauce ingredients out. So, with all that in mind, here are the top 3 myths I’ve heard about SEO this year that I’d like to keep on crushing.

As with get-rich-quick schemes, if it seems too good to be true, it usually is. In a hyper-competitive market, let’s take real estate in Miami or Fort Lauderdale, a lot of time and resources go into getting websites into the top 5 in Google Search results (SERPs) of the chosen search terms. None of those top 5 results got there overnight, in one week, or in one month. Some of the top 5 results are directories with SEO efforts years ahead of yours, paid advertisements, and Google local business results. Search engine optimization does work, but getting into the top 5 and with a $49/month plan definitely won’t get you there. Sometimes even a $500/month plan, depending on the competitiveness of the search term, won’t get you there either. SEO isn’t a scam, it is a marathon that professionals train your website for, and you don’t get to run that 5k until you’re ready. And yes, that can take 6-12 months.

No, they are not! SEO is a marathon–let’s go back to that training analogy. Just as you wouldn’t go to the gym for two months and then expect to keep your newly evolving four pack to keep attracting potential partners or compliments for years to come, you wouldn’t expect two months of SEO to keep you ahead of competitors that are applying daily potent search engine optimization services with vigor. Google’s content appetite is also quite insatiable and depending on your goals, creating just one article a week and expect results, may not be an option. A tailored plan based on your competitive environment, realistic goals, and your budget are where the results become tangible.

How?! I personally am very bad at magic tricks, but I can hand you a solid analytics report of your campaigns’ successes. I don’t like opinions or feelings when it comes to business, I like numbers and educated decisions. With that said, optimizing your website and content for ranking factors that the Google team themselves have published for your viewing and showing you the results is the best way to go. I believe what this myth is referring to are manipulative or black-hat tactics, which is what Google will penalize your website for, and then there will be no more smoke or mirrors. SEO is technical, content-based, and human behavior centered. If an SEO company doesn’t combine those elements, backed with years of experience, then I can see how to a non-SEO professional it can seem tricky or ineffective.

The most important aspect of implementing SEO services is to make sure that you find the right company for your needs. A professional will not shy away from your concerns about the industry and ethical practices. We believe that if done with the best white-hat SEO intent, your marketing efforts will support your business goals and create a foundation for long-term success. Take short cuts and we all know you end up doing twice the work. You can always ask your SEO company to show you progress and if they aren’t cooperating with reports, or you can ask other professionals of their opinion. As with any highly-specialized industry you have to trust your SEO professional. If you have any questions you can always ask one of us here at Azoolu, or give me a shout!