Top SEO Myths That Business Owners Should Know in 2022

Sticking to traditional marketing strategies in today’s day and age can threaten any business competing against high-ranking websites. Many business owners now invest in SEO to break this digital barrier and expand their reach while establishing authority in their niche.

But along with the increasing competition in the search engine results pages is the rise of myths surrounding SEO, both hilarious and harmful.

Listening to myths and following them won’t help you stay on top of Google SERPs. That’s why we brought together the top SEO myths in 2022, so you know which SEO tactics will do more harm than good to your pages.

1. SEO is Set-and-Forget

A prevalent misconception about SEO is that you only need to set it up once, and then expect remarkable results in no time.

Google consistently updates its algorithms to improve search quality and address search intent intuitively. That said, it’s wrong to think that you only need to implement SEO once before noticing a rise in traffic and leads.

Business owners should think of it as losing weight by dieting. You need to follow your nutrition program regularly for an extended period of time to gain sustainable long-term results – results that will stick. So while one-time SEO sounds attractive and cheap, it’s pretty much also considered as black hat SEO in sheep’s clothing, because for business owners, it’s more often than not a waste of time.

2. Posting Fresh Content Frequently Will Boost Your Rankings

We all agree that updating your website with newsletters, product pages, and blogs will improve your crawlability and user engagement. But it doesn’t mean that increasing quantity directly influences your page ranking, there are a lot more factors at play.

Many business owners fall for the myth about frequent publishing with keyword stuffing and link spamming. Google sees keyword stuffing as a valid ground for penalty and frowns on similar black hat SEO tactics.

While it’s true that posting new content helps your SEO, be careful not to go overboard and compromise on quality for consistency.

3. You Don’t Need XML Sitemap to Rank

There are tons of webmaster tools to build your XML sitemap for you. But never take your XML sitemaps for granted. Google is indeed becoming smarter in indexing a website. But XML sitemaps still help the search engine understand page content and index your page on the right keywords.

Besides, optimising your XML sitemap for search engines and posting dates will tell Google about your fresh content, which is crucial in preventing SEO decay. We strongly advise against falling from SEO agencies’ myths about not needing XML sitemaps to rank.

4. SEO is Possible Without Keyword Research

At first sight, you can already tell this is a myth. That’s because keyword research and SEO are inseparable terms, and implementing one without the other can only go so far from ranking #1 in Google SERPs.

Most search users today use about three words in their search query. Three words are often enough to convey user intent, which is what you should pinpoint through keyword research.

Moreover, going after long-tail keywords lets you leverage short-tail queries and rank on multiple search terms at once. Talk about cost-efficiency.

5. Local SEO is Optional

It’s quite arguable that not all websites need local SEO, especially if their business operations are entirely virtual and global. But for most business owners, you need to separate your local and global audiences from one another.

That’s where local SEO comes into play. It does an excellent job catering to nearby customers and pointing them to your physical location. Keeping your business visible across Google Maps and local packs from SERPs will narrow down your target customers, especially mobile phone users, which you shouldn’t leave untapped.  

6. You Can Get Away With SEO Without Optimising Images

Optimising your on-site visuals and navigation is just as crucial as keyword research or competitor analysis. When you fail to optimise for UX, you’re risking the buyer journey, your chances of converting, and ultimately, your SEO rankings.

7. Guest Posting is Impractical for Link Building

You might have heard some businesses say that guest posting is a fool’s errand. Or that it takes too much time and effort for a small gain.

However, our data-driven approach to SEO can prove that guest posting still does wonders as long as you’re posting on reliable sites and getting valuable backlinks. Guest posting will also go a long way if you let other excellent websites post their content on your pages.

Either way, you want to establish brand awareness and topical authority so you can enjoy sustainable growth and expand your brand following. Google will recommend your site if it finds authoritative links on your site or pointing to your pages.

Final Thoughts

Some myths last longer than the news and facts surrounding them – including SEO. So even if the myths listed above once held any value, Google’s algorithm updates have already left them obsolete or impractical.

What matters more is how well you can keep up with Google’s algorithm updates and implement a data-driven SEO strategy that drives organic traffic straight to your business.

Moreover, partnering with a time-tested SEO agency in Sydney can go a long way in ensuring every penny you spend goes into actionable strategy and not some SEO myths.