SEO has long been the cornerstone of successful online marketing strategies — but as search engine SEOAce algorithms and SEO best practices continue to evolve, it has also become a breeding ground for outdated information, half-truths, and misguided tactics.
Some of the biggest SEO myths still hanging around in 2024 can potentially cost you a lot of time, effort, and resources.
So stick around and we’ll chat about everything from local SEO to the impact of AI, and set the record straight so you can create a more effective and sustainable SEO strategy this year.
Why Do SEO Myths Exist?
SEO myths persist for a variety of reasons, including the fact that Google algorithms are continuously being changed and updated. This results in SEO techniques that are no longer effective (even if they were effective in the past) and people interpreting that as “SEO doesn’t work.”
In addition, SEO is a complex process that requires considering many ranking factors and techniques, making it easy for misinformation to spread.
As Bill Slawski, Director of SEO Research at Go Fish Digital, puts it, “There is a lot of misinformation in the world, and some SEOs are much more interested in writing popular clickbait rather than something that may be more accurate.” (via Search Engine Journal).
Local SEO is Not Worth It
Before you reject local SEO for your business, think about this: Local SEO is not just for brick-and-mortar businesses that depend on walk-in clients.
Even if you’re a completely digital business that isn’t location-specific, you can still benefit (and greatly!) from focusing on local SEO. Simply put, local SEO it’s yet another essential strategy that helps you identify and reach your ideal client.
Local SEO, or local search engine optimization, is the process of optimizing your online presence to attract more local customers to your website or physical location. Bluehost defines local SEO as “the process of optimizing your site to achieve better rankings for searches focused on a specific location.”
New Content is Required to Rank Higher
Content plays an important part in Google rankings, but this doesn’t mean you need to be writing new content constantly to rank better. What you need is fresh content — which is not necessarily the same thing.
In 2011, Google announced that fresh content would, from then on, be used to determine ranking. This is because information is always changing.
So, according to Google, if “you’re researching the best SLR cameras, or you’re in the market for a new car and want Subaru Impreza reviews, you probably want the most up-to-date information” and not something published five years ago.
Low-volume Search Terms Are a Waste of Time and Money
There are actually many benefits to targeting long-tail keywords and niche markets, and low-volume search terms often return surprisingly high conversion rates.
Long-tail keywords are a good example of financially-smart SEO choices. They are low-volume search terms that aren’t as popular but have the benefit of having less competition than more generic, high-volume keywords.
Google Will Be Replaced by AI
The advent of ChatGPT and other AI platforms might feel new to us, but the truth is that artificial intelligence has been shaping the search experience for a long time.
For example, AI is how Google is able to provide voice search and image search, and AI-driven chatbots have been around for years (RIP SmarterChild).
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