SEO, known as Search Engine Optimization, can really improve how your site attracts traffic. It will help you get new customers and sales. But SEO can’t do everything.

Some who don’t know much about SEO, are under the impression that it is like having a magic wand, that SEO can do everything. We’d like you to be more savvy, so you know just what SEO can and cannot do. Because while SEO can work its magic – it’s not capable of doing everything that the rumors about it say it can!

#1. Getting You to the 1st Page of Google – Quick!

If any SEO agency makes this promise, don’t write them a check or take a meeting. Instead, run the other direction – as fast as you possibly can!

Because there is no practical way that any ethical agency can get you to the top organic spots in a very short amount of time. Most agencies will tell you that they can make improvements in your search engine optimization, so your rankings will be higher. But reaching the #1 spot is something that comes with hard work and effort. It also takes patience, because ranking with a search engine can take a bit of time.

#2. An XML Sitemap is Going to Improve Your Rankings

There are rumors that an XML sitemap will improve your rankings. But in reality, it doesn’t. What WILL help your search engine rankings is great content and making your website easy to navigate. A good XML sitemap is helpful, but your rankings won’t improve just by having one in your website. Your website also needs to load quickly. Even if your website has tons of photos, videos and images, it needs to come up quickly. Your website will also rank higher if it’s mobile friendly, one that is readable on cellphones and tablets.

Those few tips will actually work much better for you than hoping a XML sitemap is going to fix everything!

#3. Using “Black Hat” SEO is No Problem at All

There are 2 different types of SEO: “black hat” and “white hat”. Yes, it does sound like an old-fashioned Western movie, with the good guys in white hats and the bad guys in black hats! That’s exactly what it is. Now, some black hat tactics do work – but keep in mind that their results are short-lived. They just aren’t going to last and then you and your website (and company) will get into trouble with the search engines. If you’ve signed up for Google Ads and have used “black hat” tactics, they may ban you from their program for life – that’s right, forever! So if someone tempts you with black hat tactics – be sure to say “No Thanks!” Visit this link to find out what makes a good SEO expert.

#4. Don’t Worry About Meta Tags

If you are not a detail-oriented person, then doing Meta tags may frustrate you. Because you need to add them for every web page or blog post. But these actually will help you to give your SEO a nice boost! Take the time to do your Meta tags. If you’ve done pages without Meta tags, go in and spend twenty minutes doing a few pages every day or so. That way your site has all of the Meta tags optimized.

#5. Using Keywords in the Anchor Text Not Important

Don’t ever believe this! Keywords are always helpful. When you use them in the anchor text, this helps search engines to review and rank your web pages or blog pages.

Always remember to use keywords and don’t engage in keyword stuffing, that is, using too many keywords with the hopes of ranking your pages higher. Your anchor text is important, so you’ll want to be sure it has them in it.

#6. It Doesn’t Matter if You Ever Add Fresh Content

This is one of the hugest fallacies we’ve ever heard about SEO! A terrific way to boost your site’s SEO is to keep adding fresh content regularly. That’s a huge reason to keep a site blog, so you have a good spot to put content each week that your customers will notice.

If you want to add content to your site, a blog is the simplest way to do this. We highly recommend you use WordPress, there are literally thousands of templates and widgets to use for your blog, which will also help immensely with your SEO efforts.

#7. You Don’t Have to do Keyword Research

Don’t fall for this myth! Now, not everyone likes to do keyword research. If you don’t, there are actually professionals you can hire who specialize in it. But don’t neglect your keyword research, because it can make all of the difference between finding your exact audience or not reaching who you want. Remember – keywords are simply words or phrases that people type into search engines to find what they are looking for. If this is in your content, then what you’ve created will come up in the search results.

As you can see, SEO does not have to be super complicated or tricky by any stretch of the word. But in today’s world, every company must consider it to be a practical necessity. While it can’t do everything under the sun, SEO can do lots of things that will help your business attract new customers and sales. Talk to a professional SEO consultant about adding SEO to your marketing plan today.