Although more and more business owners rely on search engine optimization (SEO) strategies to help their company improve their ranking on search engines, there is still widespread misunderstanding about how SEO works. The myths surrounding SEO may lead business owners to make potentially damaging decisions based on misinformation. The strategies involved in search engine optimization may be confusing at first glance, but an experienced digital marketing agency can help your company utilize validated SEO tactics and find measurable success. Learn more about some of the myths about SEO and how your business can use SEO to your advantage.
1. SEO works quickly
Many people assume that the effects of SEO should be instantaneous if implemented correctly, however, SEO is rarely a quick fix. The time it takes to produce valuable, authoritative content, publish that content on a website, give search engines time to crawl those pages and compile those results to see what is working adds up to weeks of work, at least. For businesses with little to no online presence, it can take several months to build up enough credibility in the eyes of search engines for your web pages to rank on the first few search engine result pages (SERPs). The time required for SEO success varies depending on each company’s unique situation, and a skilled digital marketing agency specializing in SEO can give you a more detailed time frame.
2. SEO will immediately translate to business success
While some businesses expect SEO to work quickly, others may expect high rankings to immediately translate into higher conversions. However, though correlated, SEO does not directly affect sales. SEO implementation focuses on helping companies find the customers they are targeting more effectively. Business owners who are confident in the quality of their product and are ready to generate more leads should work with a digital marketing agency that can implement SEO successfully.
3. All I need to rank well is content
A quick tour of any website that ranks well on SERPs will make it clear that content can produce successful results. However, content alone is not enough to bring a web page to the number one spot on a SERP. Your linking strategy matters. Links to your site from credible sources have a notable impact on your web pages’ abilities to rank well among top search results. Additionally, a well-implemented social media strategy can improve your company’s visibility and promote a wider range of links with user-generated content leading to your company’s pages. It can be challenging for a busy company to implement these time-consuming strategies independently, which is why so many successful organizations are turning to digital marketing agencies that focus on creating original content to produce results.
4. Stuffing keywords can improve rankings
There was a time in the history of search engines where business owners could stuff all of their desired keywords in white text on a white background, and websites would rank almost immediately. For better or worse, search engines have gotten smarter. Keyword stuffing will not only prevent your page from ranking, but sites are often penalized by search engines if they are found to be keyword stuffing. However, the number of times a keyword must appear on a page to rank well on a SERP varies from situation to situation. A digital marketing agency with a skilled content team can create high-quality content with valuable links and keywords to get your company’s content to rank over time.
5. Buying Google Ads will improve my organic searches
Businesses new to the world of optimizing their online content may be confused at the similar language used between the distinct operations of paid and organic search. Investing in Google Ads can promote valuable brand awareness and increase website traffic, but these paid ads are wholly unrelated to organic searches. Your Google Ads budget will not guarantee your website any placement on a SERP, so your business must develop effective content that can rank well in organic searches. A skilled digital marketing agency can help you develop both of these strategies, so your business can succeed in both paid and organic searches.
Implementing effective SEO strategy is not easy. There are countless elements that must be considered to help your business create an impactful online presence, and a digital marketing agency can help your company go from theoretical success to tangible results.
Bearpaw Partners is a top digital marketing agency in Atlanta, Georgia, with experience in SEO, original content development, social media, website design, and more. Our competencies are tailored to meet the unique needs of each client and are designed to produce high-quality results. Learn more about how the experts at Bearpaw Partners can develop an all-encompassing digital marketing strategy to help your business succeed.
