Search engine optimization is a hot topic when it comes to raising the awareness of a website. SEO is a valid and essential part of any web design project. Without it, no-one will be able to find your website!
Many web designers and Internet marketers follow the news from search engines like Google. That’s because they often tell folks about changes to their search engine “algorithms.” It’s those algorithms that determine how high up your website ranks under specific search terms.
In the wonderful world of SEO, there are plenty of myths that experts and newbies alike come across each day. As search engine optimization is so fast-paced, how do you know which “facts” are just myths?
Today’s blog post covers some of the most-common SEO myths of 2014. Be sure to read this article in its entirety before you resume your SEO efforts for your website!
Myth: you need to get to the top of Google
Daniel Turpin, an expert Internet marketer that specializes in Dallas SEO, spoke to me about this myth. He says that SEO professionals shouldn’t make it their life’s goal to rank all their clients in the top spot.
Websites that rank in second or even third position on the first page do well and gain just as much traffic as their competitors. Statistics show that links on the top-half of the first search engine results page will drive lots of traffic to your website.
Myth: why SEO a website when you can just use social media
I’d hate to break this to you, but SEO and social media both play an equal part in the success of your website’s popularity!
SEO ensures that your website is easy to read and useful for both human visitors and search engines. Social media is another way to drive traffic to your website, and only works if you use good SEO techniques.
Myth: videos are a waste of time
That myth used to be fact – back in 1996! These days, most people own smartphones and tablet devices. They use them to email, surf the Web and chat to their friends and family.
Videos help to make website content more rich and interactive. Looking at a website with a mixture of text and images is OK. But when you add videos into the mix, it makes those sites more interesting to look at!
Embedded YouTube videos can also get seen on YouTube itself. Especially when the right “tags” get used in the description.
Myth: HTML standards compliance is essential
You might know this fact, but there are plenty of popular websites that are full of HTML errors!
Web browsers do a great job of correcting any invalid HTML markup. You could spend extra time making perfect web pages, but you run the risk of becoming yesterday’s news.
As long as web pages render OK in various browsers, it’s not something you need to worry about from an SEO point of view.
Thanks for reading today’s article!