There are still some people out there that just don’t know enough about SEO… what it is, what it’s for, how it works or whether they need it.
Not knowing about something will always lead to misconceptions because people don’t take the time to learn and understand what they are talking about.
That’s why we‘ve pulled together some of the most common misconceptions of SEO and put the record straight!
1. It’s a onetime thing
Some people that come to us for marketing advice and services actually believe that SEO is a one-time thing. But in actual fact, SEO can take weeks and even months to take effect on a website.
In some past projects, we’ve done SEO on the site for months before seeing any kind of progress but inevitably it will come if done correctly.
This can be down to how competitive your focus keywords are. For example, ‘SEO’ is a very competitive keyword and can be very difficult to rank for but with time and the right methods, it can be reached.
Another factor can be that you have started SEO on a brand new domain that has no historic data or rankings, this can increase the time to rank because Google has no way to know or trust if your site is well established and can take it’s time to give you rankings.
You can learn more about what effects the time it takes to rank on Google here.
2. SEO is just about keywords
Search engine optimisation is almost like a jigsaw puzzle, it’s made up of lots of small pieces that contribute to making an overall picture.
Using the right keywords in an SEO campaign is very important because this will decide the route of the entire campaign but this is more of a foundation that you have to build upon until you have the full picture. We could talk all day about keywords but for more information on how keywords can affect your campaign and how to choose the right ones, click here.
In our experience, making sure your client is clued up with everything you’re doing is very helpful for both parties. It helps your client understand how much and what work you are doing and it prevents any misconceptions coming your way in the future.
3. It’s a scam
I love this one because is one of the most annoying misconceptions but it’s also one of the most understandable. It’s basically down to the fact that you can’t see it, because a lot of SEO is technical and not really tangible it makes it hard for people to see what you’re doing.
One of the main ways you can show that what you’re doing it working is through progression. This is the main way to make sure that your client is happy. An example of this could be that you have increased the about of conversions on the site, this could be more phone calls or form submissions, or could be that you have increased the number of visitors coming to the site.
It’s important to set goals in an SEO campaign because this way you can show progression. If you have set your goal as to increase the number of site visitors by 50% per month then make sure you take track of your results and it can help you show your progression.
4. SEO gives immediate results
As I said before SEO can sometimes take time to provide results and it may be frustrating to a client when they pay money and don’t get results immediately.
We suggest that clients let us use 3 months to provide results, this is usually enough time for the SEO to take place on and off the site and this usually give Google enough time to properly crawl the website.
On very rare occasions you might find yourself with immediate results such as increased traffic and conversions but this is a rarity and cannot be guaranteed.
SEO is an essential part of any online marketing campaign and needs to be taken seriously if you want to make the most of the traffic out there.
There will always be misconceptions with anything that people don’t completely understand and SEO is no exception because there are no definite right answers, this is mainly a guessing game.
If you want to learn more about SEO or think that you could do with some help then just call us on 01925 563 960 or get in touch here.
