Search Engine Optimization Myths You Should Leave Behind

Myth 3 — SEO is shady. 

This is a really common SEO myth people believe. SEO isn’t shady, it is actually incredibly bright! 

The reality is that search traffic converts 9% better than social media traffic. This means SEO marketing services are only as shady as the person doing them. Like many things in life, there are underhanded ways to get it done. And doing it the wrong way will have severe consequences. 

Take the Google algorithm for example. There’s a reason it gets updated as much as it does. People we consider ‘black hat’ SEO specialists don’t look at every update as a new opportunity to build a better website or write better content. Instead, they sneak their way into finding a loophole to exploit. 

There used to be a shady practice called link farming. Yes, it’s exactly how it sounds. For a fee, a website would generate hundreds of links for your website. Google loves when websites link to another website. Therefore in theory, link farming raised a site’s value in Google’s eyes. 

This didn’t fly under the radar for long and now Google can detect link farming. If detected, Google will severely punish your search ranking for doing it. 

SEO is a skill and a legitimate practice. Great SEO promotes better websites, not the kind that looks to exploit Google. 

Myth 2 — There’s no such thing as too much SEO.

Too much of a good thing can be a really, really bad thing. SEO is no exception! Think of SEO as a specialized form of marketing. We’ve all seen compelling marketing – ads that make us turn our heads and convince us to buy something. 

Anyone else swipe up on an Instagram ad recently?

While there are quality marketing campaigns, there is also marketing overload. Those deafening ads on the radio that seem to play every single commercial break or those billboards on Highway 97. Google hates marketing overload just as much as we do! 

Keyword stuffing is a great example of over-optimizing a website. For SEO, keywords are kind of like those billboards on the side of the highway. One every now and then is effective. Good ones work really well. But too many in a row is just obnoxious, and we’d rather see the views of Okanagan Lake (and quality content on the website). 

We always ask this question when it comes to SEO: does doing this make my website better to visit? If the answer is yes, it’s often in line with SEO best practices. If the answer is no, it’s overkill and Google will try to filter you out.