Improving your website’s search engine rankings takes focused, on-going effort, so the last thing you should do is waste your energy following misguided beliefs. Get clear on today’s common SEO myths and you can get on with what actually matters.
Myth 1. Keywords Aren’t Important
Over-using keywords is definitely a thing of the past, but keywords still affect your ranking. Nowadays, placement and context matter more than frequency. In a blog post about luxury multi-family housing, use variations of that term in your title tag, one or two headers, article body, and one link’s anchor text, but also include related terms such as “in-unit amenities” and “shared spaces.” Most likely, those terms will show up naturally as you write. Take time for keyword research, too. It helps you spot topics your audience wants to learn about.
Myth 2. Link-building is Dead
It’s true submitting your articles and links to general directories won’t help much, but backlinks from high-quality websites are as valuable as ever. If you specialize in office building construction, links from authoritative sites on commercial property investment, facilities managements, and related topics tell the search engines you’re an authority in your field.
To get backlinks like this, reach out to website owners in non-competing businesses that share your audience. If you create a useful resource, such as a free video course, drop a line to website owners letting them know you have something that might benefit their readers. Ask the owners of popular blogs if they accept guest posts.
Myth 3. Social Media Won’t Help Your SEO
Search engines pay little attention to backlinks from social media, but social media can help you get backlinks that do matter. Posting your work and interacting with your ideal prospects gets you in front of a wider audience. There’s a good chance some of those readers will find your work valuable enough to link to from their own sites, and it’s those links that boost your search engine ranking.