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Search Engine Optimization Myths in 2018 (Part 4)
Introduction
If you have been following this series from the start, you have made it to the end. My baby has finally grown up. If this is the first part you’re seeing here is Part 1, Part 2, & Part 3. In this final part of SEO myths in 2018, we will go over why your website needs to be mobile optimized, who should do SEO in your organization, and more. So without further delay, here are SEO myths in 2018.
SEO Myth #17: Websites don’t need mobile optimization
Mobile optimization is a necessity in today’s SEO environment. Websites used to only be viewed on a desktop or laptop until the late 2000s when tablets and smartphones became a staple. In April of 2015, Google released its mobile-friendly update. The algorithm update, SearchEngineLand.com called “Mobilegeddon“, rewards mobile-friendly websites and penalizes those that aren’t fully mobile optimized. This meant if your site wasn’t optimized for mobile devices, your rankings will be immediately impacted. It was a huge update that affected the majority of websites. If you are wondering if your website is mobile-friendly use Google’s Mobile-Friendly Test. Conclusively, the best answer to fix mobile optimization is responsive web design. Responsive web design is when a website can change based on the size of the screen it is being viewed on. If your website needs an update to be mobile-friendly, check out our web design page.
SEO Myth #18: SEO is something IT should handle
Many people believe that SEO is purely a technical skill set. Don’t get me wrong, there is definitely a technical aspect of SEO. The reality is SEO is made up of producing great content that attracts and keeps visitors to your website. It also is making sure that the technical side of your website is up-to-date on many technical aspects. IT departments can definitely help with your SEO by making sure your website is crawlable by Google, creating XML sitemaps, etc. but when you think about it, IT departments do not produce content. They don’t have the entire skillset to run a successful SEO strategy. SearchEngineLand.com has an article that helps break down a good fit for an SEO team. 
SEO Myth #19: Old domains give me a good ranking
The common belief is that a domain that has been around since 2000 will get better rankings than a domain that was made a year ago. This isn’t necessarily true. Domain age is a factor in ranking but it’s extremely insignificant. According to Google’s Matt Cutts, domain age only actually affects brand new sites. This is due to the fact that most new sites do not have a lot of content and may have not been crawled by Google yet. One way to help with getting your brand new site ranked is to purchase the domain and launch it as a “coming soon” page so that Google can index the site while it is being built. Overall, your focus should be on the core principles of SEO such as high quality, consistent content.
SEO Myth #20: Google is unforgiving
Google has hit you with a penalty. Uh oh… you think to yourself “I’m permanently on bad terms with Google.” Fortunately, this isn’t true. You can find out if you’ve been hit with a penalty, or a “manual action”, by looking at your Google Search Console. Google gives you the ability to correct any wrongdoings and then submit a reconsideration request. Google will confirm that you fixed the issue and then remove the manual action. Check out more about what Google says about manual actions. Now, it doesn’t necessarily mean you will go right back to the same spot on the SERPs but it is a possibility. Always remember, your search visibility is constantly changing even without manual actions. Google made a short video about rankings and manual actions you can check out here.
Conclusion
In conclusion, SEO has a lot of misconceptions. As the years go on, more myths will be formed. SEO is a continually evolving process. Blue Water Marketing has learned over the series that SEO isn’t just about being highly ranked on Google. SEO is about creating relevant high-quality content and using technical website design together to create results. If you have any questions or are interested in Search Engine Optimization services, give us a call.
Blue Water Marketing
Stuart, FL