As the digital landscape changes, so too do the best practices for successfully marketing your business online. Many businesses are still operating on outdated misconceptions when it comes to SEO. These myths have been perpetuated by marketers who have no business experience whatsoever. The good news is that they’re easy to dispel once you know what they are. Read on for some common SEO myths and explanations about why they're not quite as true as they seem.

SEO is difficult to understand for non-techies.

This is one of the most common SEO myths out there. It’s unfortunate because it’s also the one that’s almost entirely false. SEO is a science, yes, but it’s also extremely accessible for businesses of all sizes. The only things that are difficult are specific technical SEO tactics that aren’t necessary for the majority of businesses. For example, if your business sells products that are shipped from a warehouse, you may want to make a custom site for that. You also may want to incorporate things like images or videos that are optimized for SEO. However, if you don’t know what those are, you don’t need to worry about them.

Too much content will put you on a Google penalty.

There’s actually an opposite of the above SEO myth. The misconception here is that you don’t need any content if you’re going for an SEO strategy. While it’s true that Google can’t rank content that doesn’t exist, it also doesn’t want you to have a website that’s just a bunch of links. Google wants to serve searchers with useful information. There are ways to create content that’s helpful without going overboard, though. One thing that can help is the creation of long-form content. This is content that’s at least 10,000 characters long, though it can be as long as you want. Short content is what Google wants to rank, and it’s easy to find plenty of it online.

You can’t rank for local businesses without paying for advertising.

This is another one of the most common SEO myths. While it’s true that you can’t rank for local businesses if you don’t have an advertising budget, there are plenty of ways to get around this. Local SEO is constantly changing, so it’s important to stay on top of those changes. It’s also important to use the right keywords in your content. This is a great way to get your website noticed without having to spend a ton of money.

There’s one “right” way to build links.

This is another common SEO myth. There are many ways to build links, and they all have their own benefits. You can build links manually, purchase them, or create a link-building service. The best way to go about it is by researching the types of links that work best for your website. If you’re not sure which types of links will help your website, SEO services can help you determine which ones to pursue.

Creating a blog is easy and free.

This is one of the most annoying SEO myths out there. It’s also one of the most common. Many businesses assume that creating a blog will automatically help them rank, but that’s simply not the case. There are plenty of businesses that have excellent content and aren’t even on the first page of Google. You can’t rank for everything, so it’s important to choose your keywords wisely. You also need to make sure that your blog has good SEO practices in place.

SEO is something you do for your competition.

Once again, this is one of the most common SEO myths out there. It’s unfortunate because it’s also completely false. SEO is for everyone. It helps businesses connect with customers and drive sales. It’s also something that you can do for your competition. It’s not selfish, and it’s not something you do for other websites. It’s something that you do for yourself and your customers.

Bottom line

These are just a few of the many SEO myths that exist. It’s important to keep an open mind when it comes to marketing. You can’t expect to succeed if you’re stuck using tactics that aren’t effective. That being said, it’s also important to be realistic. SEO is a long-term strategy that requires patience, and it’s not as easy as you might think.