5 tips for seo

5 SEO "Rules" That Need to Retire

Many website owners are still trying to follow old SEO guidelines that could hurt them in the long run. Let's take a closer look at five widely-repeated "rules" for SEO and the problems they present.

Rule #1: Content Cures All

As search engines become more advanced, they move toward reading websites like a human user rather than focusing exclusively on keywords. This means, in order to rank well, a website needs relevant, well-written content that either interests or educates readers. A website that doesn't create new content-or one that posts shallow, keyword-stuffed content-won't be rewarded in search results. As a result, many marketers have adopted the saying, "Content is king."

Why It's Wrong

While it's true that having strong content on your website is extremely important, it's short-sighted to believe that creating content is the only thing necessary for ranking well. There are two major problems with letting this idea dictate your SEO strategy.

First, people often take the "content is king" mantra to mean that they should create content as often as possible regardless of quality. But the truth is that quality will always trump quantity where content is concerned. Posting every day (when you have nothing new or relevant to say) doesn't make you any more appealing to readers, which means you won't be appealing to search engines either.

Second, every aspect of your website affects SEO, which means it all deserves your attention. Think of content as the quarterback for your website-hugely important and highly visible, but without teammates (like web design and local listings) and a good coach (sitemap), you'll never have a winning season.

Rule #2: It's What's Inside That Counts

There are people who say web design isn't what matters when you're trying to optimize your site for search engines. Some claim that good content is the bottom line, and some think that the design of a website just doesn't affect the way a site ranks. Neither is true.

Why It's Wrong

Readers want websites that look good and are easy to navigate. If your site is confusing or unappealing, you're likely to lose visitors as soon as you get them, which is a big indication to search engines that your site isn't giving users what they want. If you neglect to consider user experience, it will show, and search engines will take note.

It's also important to consider how your site displays on mobile. When users search for something from a mobile device, search engines provide them with mobile-friendly sites over those that aren't. In other words, it won't matter how pretty your design is or how great your content is if they don't translate to mobile device use.

Rule #3: Paid Advertising is the Golden Ticket

It's a common belief that paying search engines to host ads will be repaid with a higher ranking on said search engine.

Why It's Wrong

A well-run pay-per-click (PPC) campaign can definitely bring new users to your site because paid results appear above organic results on the first page of search engine results. If your website is well-designed and packed with good stuff, it's possible to pick up repeat visitors from paid advertising. However, paying to be placed on the front page doesn't improve your organic placement in the results at all. Only a website that's optimized for organic search (content, design, etc.) is going to do that.

Rule #4: All Links are Created Equal

Search engines weren't always the sophisticated entities they are today. In the darker days of SEO, link-farming and buying and selling links would actually boost a site's rank. An unfortunate result of this practice is the popular idea that all links to your website are a positive influence.

Why It's Wrong

Search engines are on to these SEO "tricks" (Read: unethical practices), and they're quick to punish sites for them. Not only are organic, high-quality backlinks the only ones that will boost your rating, but bad links will actually hurt your site's rank. Know the difference between good and bad links, then live by it.

Rule #5: Social Media is the Ultimate Quick Fix

Social media is a (relatively) new and exciting part of the digital marketing puzzle, and you're unlikely to find top-ranked companies that aren't active on the different social channels. However, the rise of social media and the hope of "going viral" has led a lot of marketers to tout social media success as a replacement for good old-fashioned SEO, which is a mistake.

Why It's Wrong

Presence on various social media platforms is a huge part of connecting with customers and peers-it's a simple and (usually) free way to give your business a personality and presence online, which is why a good SEO firm will urge you to work on having strong social.

However, while retweets, likes, shares, and follows are wonderful for customer engagement and can drive new traffic to your site, none of that directly factors into the way search engine rank is determined. At least not yet. It's possible that this could change in the future, but for the time being, social media is more about making connections and sharing content than boosting search engine rank.