Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) isn’t something many people other than experts have an in-depth knowledge of. In fairness, it’s a tricky discipline to get your head around – especially when there is so much conflicting information out there for hapless customers, which makes purchasing SEO a confusing and daunting prospect.
One thing you’ll hear about SEO, which is undoubtedly true, is that to get your website noticed online and acquire maximum traffic, you need good SEO administered by a professional practitioner. However, SEO is often presented as an ‘elusive beast’ – a sort of ‘black magic’ of the web world – which makes a lot of people nervous about parting with their cash and investing in SEO.
There are a lot of myths surrounding SEO, and here at Host Geek, we’ve heard them all. Here’s 3 SEO myths we feel you need to know about – and the truth (or lack of it!) behind each one.
1) It’s all about being number one on Google
There’s so much more to SEO than that. Good SEO involves optimising your website so that the user experience is impeccable, every piece of copy is engaging and of a high quality, and structuring the website itself and data contained in it – all of which in turn increase the chances of your website being recognised. The goal of SEO is of course to get noticed and recognised, but if you are ranking in position number 2 or 3, that’s still pretty good.
This said, it’s still very important to be on the first page of Google. Over 90% of searchers don’t bother with Page 2, so if that’s where you’re to be found, you can kiss 90% of your potential business goodbye.
2) It’s mega-expensive
SEO doesn’t need to be expensive. It’s true that getting a reputable company to take care of it does need to be budgeted for, but like with any marketing, it’s all about getting a good return for the money you spend. The good thing about SEO is that although it does need to be done properly, you can do it in varying degrees, so no matter how small your budget is, you can achieve results and maintain your website’s SEO to a good level.
3) You can do it as a one-off
Lots of businesses spend money on SEO when they first launch or regenerate their site, then decide not to make an ongoing commitment. Then days, weeks, or months down the line, they wonder why their sales are dropping and people are saying they can’t find their site. Although it’s true that if your website is well-built and receives good traffic your SEO partially ‘takes care of itself’, you do need regular maintenance to keep ahead of Google’s algorithms. You can use your social media presence to bump up your search results, but all in all it is very difficult without the help of a professional who will use their expert knowledge to keep your site top of the table.
If you’d like to learn more about our SEO services or want more information on how SEO can benefit your business, get in touch with our team to see how we can help.
