Search engine optimization has come a long way and there have been so many alterations that it’s very easy to develop certain myths on the way. These false notions tend to keep content marketers and bloggers from improving their search rankings.
Here are some of the most common myths – busted!
The hummingbird update completely revolutionized the Search Engine Optimization world. IT prompted content creators to adopt a new mindset and create content for the end users rather than target certain keywords. However, this does not mean that it’s the end of the keywords era. Keywords in the content still matter. It only changed the fact that – your content must add true value to the end user too. If your content shows up in the search results, but readers do not relate to it, it’s ultimately affecting your business! These readers will instantly browse away!
Well, an XML site map does not directly boost rankings. However, an XML site map is necessary for your website if you want to build a perfectly crawlable site. Each time you create a new page or post for your website, it is necessary that your website has an updated XML sitemap. XML site maps do help search engines crawl and index fresh pages faster, but it does not directly have an impact on your rankings. They just provide better and structured information to Google.
Meta tags provide instant information about your website to the search engines. They are used to show snippets of information for specific web pages. There are three specific tags that we talk about in SEO – the title tag, the meta description and the meta keywords. These tags do not directly impact rankings, but this does not mean that they don’t matter. They tell the search engines what your web page is all about.
Google does eventually find your content, but crawl optimization is getting more and more important. There are things that you can do to help Google discover, crawl and index the your freshly created pages. Search engine bots are on a constant look out for fresh content. But to get the ball really rolling, you will have to help Google bots a little. Otherwise it will take up to two days for them to take notice!
No! This is not what it is! Guest blogging is simply one way of content generation. Whether you invite an expert to contribute to your blog or you contribute to some other relevant site, guest blogging is not dead. Especially content on high authority sites could be beneficial for your business too!
Paid searches and organic searches are completely different. There is no apparent correlation between the two. They function on different terrains altogether!
Well, be aware of all of these before you create your next content strategy!
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