SEO Myths & Facts
Myth #1: I have to submit my site to be crawled by the Google gods.
Fact: You don’t HAVE to, but you SHOULD. It’ll happen eventually, but why wait for better SEO?
When Google indexes a website, it’s made available to searchers. It increases your SEO because once it’s indexed, Google knows that your site is available to show to searchers.
Google sends out their spiders and they crawl the web. They pick up on the fact that you created a new site and then they index it. They crawl your pages and the links your site contains, they see where those links go, and so on.
It’s true, you can let the spiders come to you and your site will be indexed, though this does take some time. OR you can submit the site to be indexed yourself and cut to the chase. So you don’t have to, but you should.
Submit your site to Google here.
Myth #2: Listing keywords repetitively will boost my SEO even more.
Fact: Never sacrifice quality content for presumably better SEO, because repetitive keywords aren’t what they’re cracked up to be.
We’ve said it once, and we’ll say it again. Never sacrifice quality content for crappy content when you can have both. What does this look like? It looks like writing for your readers – not for your ranking. Focus on what your audience needs and the ranking will follow.
It makes me cringe when I read blog posts that repeat the same keyword over and OVER. It won’t help your ranking. There’s no hard rule on how many times you should use a particular keyword per page, but you should know that the first few times you use a word will help, and after that it’s neither here nor there. So don’t get crazy.
If you don’t trust yourself in writing your own content, you might want to consider hiring a copywriter who is experienced in keyword copywriting. An experienced copywriter will know how to create content that serves both your audience and gives some TLC to your SEO. For the do-it-yourself-ers, this might be buckling down on your brand message and figuring out the keywords that resonate with your audience and then producing worthwhile content.
Myth #3: Linking to social media is all the outbound linking I need to do.
Fact: Quality outbound links and back linking improve your SEO by telling Google that your site contains worthwhile content and that they should send traffic your way.
If you’re relying solely on social media as the only source of outbound links, then you’re selling yourself short. An outbound link is a link that begins at your website and leads to another website. Inbound links / backlinks start at an external website, and leads to your website.
Why is this important? Backlinks are among the main building blocks to quality SEO. Consider a back link like a vote of confidence from an outside source. It’s like SEO karma. The Google gods register the inbound links as other people saying, “these guys are alright.” The more people that link to your website, the more search engines view your content as worthwhile.
This often happens through community and connection, but you don’t necessarily have to wait around for that. In the mean time, if you’re creating a website make sure you’re putting your “signature” at the bottom and linking back to your homepage.
Myth #4: Having a secure (HTTPS encrypted) site isn’t super important for SEO.
Fact: Google rewards secure websites. It’s better for you and safer for your customers.
A HTTP site is different than a HTTPS site. That extra little “s” tells Google that you’ve taken an extra step to keep your customer’s information safe. In return, Google rewards you by giving you a little extra somethin’ somethin’ in the way of ranking.
The “s” in HTTPS stands for SSL: Secure Sockets Layer. It tells Google that your site is encrypted so unauthorized individuals can’t access your data and the sensitive data you collect from customers. This is especially important for those that receive payments online and other sensitive information.
Even if you don’t really sell things online, this will still boost your SEO ranking.
If you have a Squarespace website, they have a nifty feature that will create a SSL connection for you in seconds.
Once you log in go to Settings. Scroll down and select Security & SSL. From there you’re going to want to select the Secure (Preferred) option selected. Once you’re done with that, refresh your website home page and you’ll see the coveted “s” that makes your site like all the other cool kids.
Check out this source for more information on SSL.
Myth #5: I have to pay a SEO professional to have good SEO.
Fact: You can start learning about SEO right now! There is a ton of information out there that you can start researching on your own.
We understand business owners because we are business owners. Entrepreneurs are the go-getter and DIY type. There’s nothing we can’t figure out and we’re not afraid to try and tackle it ourselves.
Of course we’re a business and we want to serve more clients, but at the end of the day we want other business’ to succeed and thrive. Because of this, we encourage you to start implementing good SEO practices on your own! There are plenty of free information sources that provide tips and tricks to help you start your SEO journey (like this blog ;).
This is great for those that are concerned about budget or maybe have an interest in search engine optimization – in this case, we say GO FOR IT! Start researching, asking questions and exploring.
Ultimately, we want you to dig into your business and grow. We’re always here for the bigger jobs that require extra work and a more experienced touch.
Need some help with SEO, a new website, copywriting or something else? Check our services and always feel free to drop us a line or ask questions!
Thanks for taking the time to read, and I hope this content is helpful in your SEO efforts. 🙂