These 5 Myths Need To Be Left Behind In 2015

Google has changed, and continues to regularly change, the rules when it comes to SEO; only one thing has remained constant over the years, and that is why it has been adopted by SEO professionals as a kind of mantra. It's all too easy to imagine the industry-leaders gathering together in a darkened room somewhere, surrounded by flickering lamplight and chanting “Content is King" like we belonged in a Lovecraftian piece of fiction.

Seriously though, content is king and content is always going to be king when it comes to digital marketing. But there are myths just like these that need to be dispelled if search engine optimisation is ever going to be the completely effective and fair battleground that we'd like it to be.

The 5 Myths That Need To Be Forgotten

1. A High Page Rank Means SEO Is Unnecessary – Google have recently put PageRank at the bottom of the indexing algorithm. Why, you might ask? Well, a lot of shady figures wearing black-hats started exploding the ranking system, exploiting loopholes and making a lot of money by selling out links.
   
   So, let's get into the details a little. PageRank is still a part of the Google algorithm for relevant search results. However, it is no longer the band's lead singer, if you get our meaning. This is because of a few reasons:


1. It's Easy To Manipulate
2. It Doesn't Correlate With Search Engine Rankings As It Should
3. There Will Be No More Reliable Metrics For It, Seeing As The PageRank Toolbar Will No Longer Be Updated


2. Social Media Has No Impact On SEO! – Google doesn't index likes and comments, so many business leaders wonder why social media needs to be included in their SEO efforts. Social media offers a range of advantages to any business, and can really act as the making or breaking factor of a business.


1. It Gets Your Brand And Message In Front Of A Wide Audience
2. Other Content Publishers Might Reference Your Site In Their Next Article
3. It Builds Engagement And Reputation, Two Concepts Which Are Very Important For Google
4. It Can Produce An Ongoing Cycle Of Activity On Your Web Page, Which Can Signal To Google That Your Content Is Important To People


3. Content Alone Is King, Queen And Country ¬– Your Contact Us page is content, as are the Disclaimer, Terms And Conditions pages. Do they say anything about your business to Google, except for the fact that you comply with legal requirements?
   
   Of course not! Your customer is the boss, and you need to make sure that your content appeals to them before it is optimised for Google. Whilst Content most certainly is King, it is nothing without proper context, promotion and relevance. Otherwise, everyone would get away with their rogue, black-hat SEO tactics of using titles for content which has no relevance to the rest of the website.


4. The Magic Keyword – Magic keywords are just as much of a myth as the Tooth Fairy, Father Christmas (sorry kids), vampires (sorry teenage girls) and Master Chief (sorry Xbox fans). People don't want their searches reduced to one keyword. No one searches simply for smartphones. Instead, people want to find Android smartphones with great cameras, the best iPhones with speakers or pre-owned smartphones in mint-condition.
   
   You need to create content which is based around topics, rather than one keyword or more. Long-tail keywords are more important than ever, but nowadays the best content comes in well-themed content that is enticing to the reader.


5. But I've Already Done SEO! – Every SEO professional will have heard this from a business leader, usually followed by an uncomprehending or an angry expression. So, you'll no doubt want to say, you've written some new content, done a little work on meta-tags and data, worked on a little link building… and you expected that to keep your website on the front page of Google until Armageddon, did you?
   
   SEO isn't a one-off occurrence. It's something that you need to be doing every single day, with every piece of content that you post and something to keep in mind every time you make an alteration to your website.

An Industry-Leading SEO Company In The UK

When it comes to search engine optimisation, you need to remember that Google doesn't exist to serve your business – it exists to serve the customers. You need to convince Google, as well as your visitors, that your website is worth visiting and that your company is worth their time.

Here at Promote, we are one of the UK's leading digital marketing agencies and the best SEO company in Berkshire. For more information on how we can help your business' online presence to grow, get in touch with our specialised team today on 0118 380 1002.