With this in mind, we have selected the four main SEO myths that make the path of digital marketing professionals misleading. In this post, we are not only going to debunk these myths, but we will also try to give you practical advice to help you in this discipline.
These are the 4 SEO tips for 2018 for what are now myths
1. About the content
Myth : The only way to rank high in search engines is to publish long-form content on my website.
Fact : While content length does contribute to SEO ranking, there are a multitude of factors that contribute to consistently maintaining a high rank in search engines. These can include backlinks, page speed, mobile friendliness, and user experience.
Tips
Determine what your target audience is searching for . You can use Google Trends to identify new markets, measure brand popularity, and examine the keywords your audience is searching for. You can create high-quality , in-depth content based on your Google Trends findings.
To organize and scale this audience-targeted content , you can create a content strategy. A content strategy is a tangible, iterative plan that allows you to clearly define the process, timeline, and stakeholders needed to create, coordinate, and distribute your content.
Search engines prefer domains that frequently publish new content . This shows that the business is active and is constantly attracting consumers. You will need to publish original content or update existing content on a regular basis. Original content attracts new customers and is often shared via social media . Whereas, updated content gives your customers a reason to revisit the domain, spend more time on your website, or explore additional pages.
Now that you have new or updated content , you need to make sure your audience can find this content. Every page on your website should contain clear technical cues to help search engines rank them.
You can accomplish this by creating a content and keyword map. This is a list of all the keywords you plan to target compared to all the content you currently have on your website. A content and keyword map helps fill in keyword gaps in your content.
Here are some ideas for creating your keyword map:
Tools to use : Start by using Google Sheets or Microsoft Excel. Or, if you're in the corporate world, Searchmetrics or Conductor.
Goal : Your goal is to map all the keywords you're trying to target to the content you already have. You may have areas where a URL doesn't have a keyword. This process will help you make sure that keywords are being identified for each page.
Tracking Metrics – There is no right or wrong metric to track. You can track many different metrics in columns, such as search volume to analyze engagement, page navigation rate, time on site, or anchor text to analyze internal and external links to your page.
Building this map will allow you to identify problem areas and prioritize opportunities to improve your site. Some of the opportunities maps can uncover are holes where there is no content aligned to certain keywords, links that need to be developed, and the overall performance of your content. Addressing the opportunities gambling data singapore highlighted in your sitemap will help search engine bots map out your website and determine how pages relate to each other, in turn improving search engine rankings.
2. Key words or phrases
Myth: Over-optimizing my keywords will get my website penalized by search engines and negatively affect my rankings.
Fact: Over-optimizing your keywords, also known as “keyword stuffing,” is the practice of trying to rank high in search engines by using multiple keywords that rank high in search engines. Regardless of whether they are related to your website or not. This practice will result in being penalized and is frowned upon in the industry. However, there are ways to stay within the rules and maintain a high search engine ranking by using the right keywords.
Tips
Discover the best keywords for your audience and business , rather than just focusing on the keywords that rank the most. Make sure they are relevant to what your audience is searching for and your company’s mission. There are many tools you can use to find high-ranking keywords, such as SEMrush, Green Lotus Tools, Keyword Tool, and SEO Rank Monitor. For example, just because the term “SEO” is a top-ranking keyword, it doesn’t mean you should use it. If the target audience for this article is marketers or startup owners, you could look for keywords that relate to “common SEO myths marketers have,” or “SEO tips startups should listen to.”
Prioritize content over keywords . As I mentioned in the first tip, focus on providing the most value to your audience by creating relevant and engaging content. As you write a draft, assign keywords to that content. This ensures that you are putting your audience and content first, rather than manipulating it to fit higher-ranking keywords. For example, the top-ranking keyword for this blog post is “SEO.” I could have stopped there, and just defined SEO in this article. But, after doing some research, I found that many marketers are overwhelmed by SEO myths. Mapping keywords associated with “SEO myths” may not rank as highly as “SEO,” but this article will hopefully provide value to our target audience.
3. Collaborations
Myth : Collaborating with other websites through authority links, guest blogs, and social media mentions cannibalizes my marketing efforts. Collaborations drive visitors away from my site and do not boost my SEO.
Fact : Your top priority should be to educate your audience and equip them with the best information possible. In order to provide your audience with the best information, you may need to link out to an authority site or invite another credible author to provide information. The secondary benefits of linking out or inviting a credible guest author are increased search traffic, validation of your business mission, and attracting new like-minded audiences (and potential customers) to your website.
Tips
The co-citation principle ensures that the websites you link to reinforce your search engine rankings. Therefore, only link when necessary. Make sure you are not only linking to safe and credible websites, but also to content that reinforces the content already on your website.
Direct buying of backlinks is frowned upon . Acquire backlinks naturally. You can do this naturally by creating and publishing content that others want to engage with. Businesses will want to organically link to and talk about a website with engaging content.
Search engines don’t use social media metrics directly in search rankings. But successful social engagement can have secondary benefits on your SEO efforts. Make sure you’re engaging with users and websites you aspire to be and that relate to your business’s mission. When these influential users share your page on social platforms, you can experience a considerable increase in search traffic and brand awareness .
4. Domain names
Myth : A top-level domain is the only way to rank high in search engines. Therefore, I can't rank high with a ".biz" or a ".guru."
Fact: Yes, 98 percent of search results are “.com” domain names. But it’s important to note that keywords in the domain also greatly affect search engine rankings.
Tips
Make your domain consumable . Make sure your domain is short, professional, and memorable. Avoid domain names with numbers, too many of the same characters, or unusual spellings.
Make your domain name relevant to your business . For example, if I name my website inboundtips.com, people will assume that my website is dedicated to advising organizations using the inbound methodology .
You can modify your domain . If your preferred name is not available, you can add a prefix, suffix, or hyphen. For example, if inboundtips.com is taken, I can choose theinboundtips.com or inbound-tips.net.
Now it's your turn!
I hope these tips are of great value to your SEO strategy. You are now a little more prepared to scale up and invest in your SEO efforts for the long term. Remember, SEO success requires commitment and consistency. Above all, make sure that everything on your website, from keywords to domain name, provides value to your target audience and promotes your business’s mission.
