Search Engine Optimization Myths in 2018 (Part 3)
Introduction
Welcome to SEO Myths in 2018 Part 3! Click here if you missed part 1 or here if you missed part 2. This week we will be getting into local SEO, user experience, featured snippets & more! Read below for 5 more SEO myths.
Myth #11: The More Pages, The Better
Still stuck in the old “the more, the better” mindset? Just like with links stated in SEO Myths Part 1, quantity is not better than quality. If you have tons of pages but the content on said pages is sub-par, you will not rank well. Google’s Matt Cutts said in 2013 “I wouldn’t assume that just because you have a large number of indexed pages that you automatically get a high-ranking. That’s just not the case.” So there it is straight from the source.
To elaborate, not everything you publish will be indexed. Also, sometimes pages are indexed but do not remain there. This happens because search engines decide that two pages of content may be too similar to already indexed pages. Lastly, just because pages are indexed that does not mean they will drive the right audience to your website.
Google’s Panda algorithm, released in 2011, continues to get better at recognizing content that doesn’t help visitors. Google will also penalize your site if your content is extremely poor.
Myth #12: Good User Experience Is Not A Requirement
Google judges your website off of user experience by taking a look at its analytics. How long did your website take to load? Do users immediately exit your site when then enter (bounce rate)? How long are visitors staying on a page? Are your users going to other pages on your website? Google uses this information to determine if your site has quality content. So once again, quality content is king when it comes to SEO.
Myth # 13: Local SEO Is Not Important
This right here is key for small and local busin
esses. If you’re a local business, you want to do local SEO. Local SEO takes the location of the user into account when performing a search. The majority of local searches come from a mobile device. According to Nectafy.com, “88% of consumers who search for a type of local business on a mobile device call or go to that business within 24 hours”. This statistic proves the importance of local SEO.
In July of 2014, Google released its Pigeon algorithm. The algorithm changed the way that Google looked at local search rankings. Google now views local search rankings like tradition search rankings. This algorithm also evaluates the distance of the user and the businesses when determining rankings. Local SEO is more important now more than ever.
Myth #14: Google Doesn’t Know If I Have Bad Sites Linking To Me
Like Big Brother, Google knows all (creepy, I know.) Just like the old saying goes, one bad apple (link) can spoil the whole bunch (website.) So puny, I know. The point is Google knows which websites are credible and which are not. You only want credible sources linking to your website.
Ever since Google’s Penguin update, you can be penalized for having bad backlinks. It’s okay if this happens to you because there is a fix for that. Disavow those links on your site and your problem will be solved!
Myth #15: Images don’t require any optimization
Image optimization is a very important aspect of on-page SEO. Image optimization is a fairly broad term but essentially it means making sure your images are a small file size, have a proper file name, alt text is added, and using captions when appropriate.
Search engines can’t see images on websites. To make your image visible to a crawler, you need to add a relevant file name and alt text to it. If you don’t do this, you are missing out on a huge opportunity to be seen by Google. For example, an image with the file name ade343.png versus the file name puppy.png, which do you think would perform better on a search engine? Google also looks to see if you mention the image in your text using similar keywords that are used in the alt text and file name. Google can only index certain types of image files so make sure your images are one of the below:
- BMP
- GIF
- JPEG
- PNG
- WebP
- SVG