Unraveling the Mysteries of SEO for Small Businesses

In SEO, we continue to see updates that further change search results. At Intact Info, we are here to guide you through those changes and help you outshine your competition in search engine results. I recently wrote about debunking SEO Myths for 2015, and I am back for another round of SEO Myths debunked!

Myth 6: SEO is only about rankings.

SEO, or Search Engine Optimization, is the process of building traffic through organic search results. Although there is a strong connection between higher search rankings and more traffic, it is not all about rankings. Quality SEO is about creating user friendly websites that provide solutions to problems. It’s about giving your audience what they are looking for. If you can do this successfully, you will not only improve the amount of traffic your website gets, but your conversion rate as well, which is most likely your ultimate goal.

Myth 7: My IT department can take care of my SEO.

While search engine optimization does require some technical expertise, it also requires plenty of marketing savvy as well. IT professionals can assist you in coding a website, making it crawlable, and setting up more technical aspects such as redirects, but most IT professionals contain a different set of skills that do not necessarily involve incorporating the best SEO strategies that appeal to both users and search engines. If you can, you should consider having an in-house SEO analyst or consider outsourcing. The same way you wouldn’t hand off accounting to your human resources department, you shouldn’t be handing off SEO to your IT department.

Myth 8: Keyword optimization is a vital part of SEO.

Once a upon a time, keyword optimization was at the top of of the list when it came to SEO. In fact, Yahoo! and Google once believed that the more often they saw the keyword on a page, the more relevant that search result was. Well, it did not take long before people started abusing this and we ended up with landing pages read, “I love orange. Orange is my favorite color, do you like orange? Let’s wear orange tomorrow!” And who can forget stuffing keywords in the Meta Tags or using color schemes to hide words on the page?!.

Now in 2015, not only will you get penalized for using these black hat techniques, but there are also absolutely no benefits in even trying it. Google knows what you are trying to do, so it’s not worth it. Focus on creating relevant, well-written content that provides answers to users rather than trying to stuff keywords in every sentence. It’s just not natural.

Myth 9: My keywords need to be an exact match.

In 2015, keywords are still very important and should be used correctly in your content, but they do not need to be an exact match. Both users and search engines have come a long way from searching for exact keyword matching. Google encourages you to choose synonyms for your keywords and incorporate long-tail keywords. Why? Because Google’s algorithms do not search for exact keywords, they search for variations of that keyword. When a user plugs in a search for “basketball summer camps” you will get all searches related to basketball, camps, summer camps, and so on.

• Long-tail Keywords: These tend to be longer words or phrases that are specific to your industry.
• Broad Keywords: These are short words or phrases that can apply to your industry but can also apply to other companies.

Building long-tail keywords have more of an impact for your business because there is less competition.

Myth 10: My homepage needs a lot of content.

Your homepage is your first chance to make a good impression, so use it to let your users know who you are and what you are all about! However, the content on your homepage does not need to be lengthy. Why? Because users these days tend to avoid reading long and bulky paragraphs. Try to include visuals such as images, banners, and icons to engage your audience, but don’t try to fit too much on your homepage.

The most important aspect of SEO is to remain current on the latest Google updates. Currently, the best strategy to continually improve your website is based on providing unique and quality content. Your rankings and conversions will follow.

For more information about how to develop a successful website, contact us. We can help!

Stay tuned as I continue to debunk SEO myths of 2015 in part 3 of my series!