On-site SEO Myths that You Probably Believe

By Selina Jenkins, SEOServiceUSA

Technically, search engine optimization splits into two; on-site optimization and off-page optimization. While someone might not say categorically that one is more vital than the other in achieving SEO dominance, there is no doubt that on-site optimization forms the basis of SEO strategies. For this strategy, most of the steps taken have lasting effects. That is why most people go out of their way to ensure effective on-site optimization. However, for many people, their knowledge is based on lies and this explains their futile efforts in attaining SEO dominance. Some of these myths include;Duplicate Content is bad for your RankingThe term ‘duplicate content’ is enough to make some SEO professionals shiver; it is unacceptable. Over the years, duplicate content has been dubbed as one of the factors that greatly hurt search engine rankings. It might not necessarily be so. Duplicating one’s content and using it as your own might not be a good thing; entirely. However, most duplicate content cases result from canonicalization errors. They make Google identify one page as two separate pages. With rel-=canonical tags, you can easily fix such errors. Unless one is blatantly plagiarising another writer’s content, you should not stress yourself over such errors because they have minimal effects on rankings. 404 Errors are to be avoidedYou probably know the feeling one gets when they encounter a 404 error while trying to access a given page; it’s annoying. It is more disturbing when you are in a hurry and in need of quick-fix content. That is why many professionals recommend 301 redirect fixation of such errors. Others go to greater lengths of content restoration. You might not have known, but there are certain functional uses for 404 pages (some which might work to your advantage) and they might not necessarily hurt your rankings. That said, you have no business tracking down all the 404 pages on your site and clearing or redirecting them. A couple of 404 error pages on your site might not kill your rankings the way you have been made to believe. Keyword is Necessary for All Titles and DescriptionWhat normally appear in search engine result pages are the title tags and meta descriptions. Such information provides essential details about your content and page in general. If you seek SEO services in USA for your company, you will probably hear many SEO professionals telling you to include the main keyword for every Title or Meta description in your pages. With Google’s indexing and provision of content using semantic search, this might not really be necessary. Instead, more focus should be put on outlining the title and Meta descriptions using the best words that will entice people to click through them. Ideally, the greater the click through rates for a site, the higher the chances of better rankings in search engine results. A page for every target keyword is greatAt a time when keyword optimization was literally taken as it sounds, this technique was so popular. Many people focused on creating not only content but also pages for each keyword they were targeting in order to increase their rankings for such keywords. It might have brought forth results back then but now, the impacts will be minimal. Instead, you should focus your efforts on creating pages suiting particular themes or topics as opposed to keywords. Possible content for such pages can include ultimate guides or tips that are relevant to readers. With such pages, you can comfortably include all related keywords that can go a long way in boosting your search rankings. If useful, the readers will go through, engage through comments, and even share them out to boost your campaign. In the end, you will also get back-links to your site because of the informative content provided. Lengthy Content is the way to goIf not once then twice or more, but you have certainly heard that focusing on lengthy content boosts your campaigns. Well, there is nothing wrong with including a couple of hundred words of quality content on your pages on a regular basis. If you can manage 1100-1300 words without compromising the quality of content, that is good for you. However, sacrificing quality and other essentials at the expense of lengthy content wouldn’t achieve you the desired goals. At no time should you forget who you are providing the content to; viewers and not search engines. As such, all your efforts should be directed towards giving value to your readers. If it will mean using fewer words in a more creative way, let that be. It’s better to have it brief, captivating and well optimised content than lengthy and less effective content.On-site SEO isn’t for Experts It may rank as one of the most widespread myths. It is almost undeniable that there are certain complex SEO elements that might be quite complicated. Such may require advanced reading and further scrutiny of site for code alterations. Truth be told, however, one does not need to be a web guru or professional web developer to be able to effect certain on-site SEO changes. Certain aspects of online site optimization might be as easy as copying and pasting relevant codes. Take the case of including Google Analytics tracking script or altering robots.txt file. There might be varieties of technical knowledge in on-site optimization. However, most of them are learnable. With limited years of digital and SEO exposure, you will be good to go. Ideally, it is something for both experts and non-experts alike. Forging forwardYou probably believed in one or a couple of these common lies but now you know. Going beyond these myths puts you in a better position to achieve your SEO dreams the easier way. With all on-site SEO lies behind your back, you can focus on deeper facts that will step up your campaigns. You will be able to channel your energies to result-oriented SEO strategies. Most importantly, always remember that on-site technique simply sets you off the game. There is much more waiting in off-site optimization. [author] Selina Jenkins in the SEO industry for a decade She has been involved with digital and SEO exposure. You can get in touch with her for any inquiries or when in need of SEO services. [/author]