Search Engine Journal on Five Seo Misconceptions

May 18, 2021 

First, of course, the usual warning applies. Readability can be a red flag here; when SEO gets real, there are a lot of asterisks (and the asterisks have asterisks).

Having said that, this article stayed nicely in tune with the notes we’ve seen from SEO authorities in public channels over the past couple of years. Here’s a quick overview of the five SEO misconceptions

That Social Signals Impact Ranking.

In reality, Google is aware that social media doesn’t work like the rest of the web, and that social signals often don’t translate to the sort of “merit” SEO cares about.

That SEO is Dead.

Child, please. Search traffic, online content, average daily screen time—all simple indications that SEO has never been better. Some of this “myth” comes from older SEOs whose gold-rush tactics were tamed by some Google update or another in years past.

That Duplicate Content Hurts Your Rank.

Not really. Tons of duplicate content happens for normal, innocent reasons. Google just doesn’t show duplicate content multiple times in their search results, that’s all.

That Content is King.

It’s absolutely true that content matters AND that quality of content matters. But in 2020, quality content no longer guarantees an audience; your content is ultimately at the service of an audience.

That Keyword Research Doesn’t Matter.

Sure, it can seem like a lot of homework whether you’re a numbers person or a words person. But you might be missing some low-hanging opportunities—or worse, you might not be understanding what your audience is truly looking for.

For more information on Search Engine Optimization feel free to reach out to us directly with any question!