SEO Myths: 8 preconceived ideas that hold you back

SEO Myths: TOP 8 preconceived ideas that will hold you back in 2023

Have you ever had X number of people tell you they know the miracle solution to make your site N°1 on all the main queries in your sector? Well, OK, it's possible, but to stay there, you've got to do a hell of a lot of hard work. So let me share with you my TOP 8 misconceptions about SEO (Search Engine Optimization). I don't think you'll be disappointed.

SEO Myth 1: A high bounce rate = poor SEO

Bounce rate is not a sign of poor SEO. Sometimes it's quick for the user to find the answer to their question. While this may not immediately boost your sales, if the user quickly finds what he's looking for thanks to your content, that's a very good thing.

SEO Myth #2: Content length impacts SEO

You've probably already seen it somewhere : "you need a minimum of X words for Google to take your content into account and reference you in the first pages". STOP 🛑 In this article, we're going to put an end to preconceived ideas. Google hasn't affirmed any of these statements or rules. There are just numerous studies that have been done, which claim that the minimum number would be 500, 1000 or even 2000 words. But these studies depend on so many factors! The format, the industry, the audience, the timing - all these factors are constantly changing. So a study carried out during a health crisis will not give the same results as one carried out 2 years later. It's all relative. Search engine optimization is not an exact science, and you need to be aware that a key figure based on a certain panel of sites is not necessarily representative of your sector of activity.

Of course, to appear on Google's No. 1 page (formerly, because now we're on infinity scroll), you have to respond to a user's problem or need. Google connects and links all your indexed pages to offer the most relevant result to search engine users. We consider that for a blog or a sales page (other than a product page), it would be interesting to have a minimum of 500 words to provide a clear answer. But once again, text volume isn't everything.

At Afffect, for example, Stéphanie is used to writing the famous 2-minute news items that soar up the SERPs (search results), yet rarely exceed 1,000 words.

SEO Myth 3: Page URLs must contain lots of keywords

Another SEO myth circulating everywhere... But this time, I'm not going to be as harsh as Louis de Funès in Fantomas, because the URL has a small impact on SEO. Simply include your main keyword in the URL of your page or directly in your query.

The most important thing about your URLs is that they should be both readable and simple, so that Google can easily pick up your page and display it in the SERPs. If your page is well matched to users' queries, you'll have a good chance of acquiring qualified traffic and leads.

SEO Myth #4: Meta descriptions have an impact on search engine optimization.

Yes, I can see where you're coming from, but just because it appears in the search results doesn't mean it has any impact on your site's SEO! I'm talking, of course, about the meta-description! Sorry if I'm upsetting some people. But let's get a few things straight.

The purpose of the meta-description is to make the user want to click on your site. So there's no need to fill it with keywords without it making any real sense.

PS: There's no point in putting your title tag in the first few words of the meta-description. Users have already read it before, so why repeat it?

SEO myth no. 5: Position 0 guarantees traffic

I rather like this SEO myth. So that we're all on the same wavelength, let me show you what Google's position 0 is.

Position zero is Google's response to the user's query through the various sites indexed on its platform. If it finds relevant content, Google will place an extract from your page at the very top of the SERPs (before the first Google results, and after sponsored sites).

Google sees itself more as an answer engine than a search engine. So if it finds the answer to a user's question directly, the algorithm will position you in position 0 in this format.

Why isn't this a sign of traffic?

Simply because Google gives the answer directly. Sometimes these are longer, so the user has to click on the site to access the content and find what they're looking for, but this is less and less the case.

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And then you understand that the user will type in his query, and won't even need to know the whole of your article to get his answer.

Of course, it's all relative: you're bound to get some traffic in position 0, but perhaps not as much as you might have expected.

SEO Myth 6: Simply repeating the keyword is enough to optimize the page

I may disappoint some of you, but there's more to SEO than that! You'll have to dig a little deeper and give yourself the means to ensure that your content is well referenced.

In 2023, it doesn't work like that. Repeating a single keyword throughout your page won't cut it. Meaning comes first, and over-optimization will lose you. So stop using this technique and concentrate on the lexical field around your main keyword. This will bring together the different ways in which users may call the same thing. Where some say a chair to sit on, others call it a seat or a cayelle.

So work on your page, don't make the mistake of repeating the same keyword 4,000 times! Your reader will soon realize that you're repeating it for SEO purposes rather than to make your page easier and more enjoyable to read.

SEO Myth 7: Google penalizes duplicate content

"If I take content from another site and re-optimize it by adding keywords at the end does it do it?". NO ❌! SEO and web copywriting don't work like that! And reactions like "Google's just an algorithm, it's easy to fool it", well, believe me, if you play that game, you'll lose out.

But does Google really penalize duplicate content?

Well, not really. The only thing Google can do in the face of this is de-index your page or move it down the search results pages (for those who haven't got the update yet).

If your content is exactly the same as that of a competitor's website, your page simply won't be visible in the SERPs.

So taking content that already exists and remaking it your own way doesn't necessarily bode well for your site's SEO. Be original, write with desire and passion, and you'll see that duplicate content is not the solution (nor a ranking factor).

SEO Myth 8: SEO is a quick fix for high search engine rankings.

Have you ever seen a site go from oblivion to Google's No. 1 page in just 1 day?

Yes, SEO may be a natural referencing method, with no need to invest directly in keywords like ads, but it's a technique that has the added constraint of taking more time to get better referenced. There are many ranking factors on Google, and getting a site into the top 3 positions doesn't happen by snapping your fingers or pulling it out of your bag like Mary Poppins. Google may give you a hard time, but it's (in most cases) for a good reason. Millions of pages are created every day on the Internet, so don't imagine that you'll grow quickly and sustainably overnight.

The truth is, SEO takes time. Multiple optimizations are required to ensure that your content rises in the SERPs and that the search engine suggests your website to Internet users. And it doesn't happen in a matter of minutes! It can depend on :

• Your target query (difficult or easy, one of the most important relevance criteria)
• Page loading time (user experience)
• The quality of your content
• The level of optimization of your images on the site (the SEO weight of your images is important, as is their format)
• Internal linking (inbound links, outbound links, etc.)
• Backlinks
• Your site structure (tree structure)
• HTML tag hierarchy (title tag, H1, H2, H3, H4 etc.)
• ...

In short, it all takes time! By the way, before I tell you about the various tools we use on a daily basis at Afffect, don't hesitate to download our SEO Checklist. It'll help you learn more about best practices and optimize your site so that it's both functional and referenced on Google. Who knows, maybe this checklist will help you reach your monthly traffic targets?

Our tools for successful SEO

Let's get down to business as we like it! At Afffect, and Be.content in particular, we use SEO tools! And just for you, I'm going to share with you the tools that Stéphanie and I (Maëlle) use on a daily basis.

Semji, our web copywriting ally

Starting with our Semji editor tool. It's our ally when it comes to writing blog articles, helping us to gradually move our pages up the SERPs. In fact, it's thanks to Semji that our articles bring us daily traffic to our website. And that's pretty good, I must say.

Semrush and Google Search Console

We also use these two tools in addition to Semji for our keyword research, to monitor numerous KPIs on our website (bounce rate, time spent on each of our pages), position tracking, dwell time, etc.

If you already know something about SEO or are looking to track your site's performance, these comprehensive tools will be a great help.

Our must-have SEO extensions for 2023

If you want to get traffic and optimize your site's SEO, there are several quality extensions that can help you:

• Woorank (free website audit)
• PageSpeed Insight (identify any loading problems on your site)
• Uplix and Web Developer (which allow you to easily control the structure of page titles, as well as a number of KPIs such as indexing speed, ratios between the size of your content and chosen keywords, etc.).
• SEO SERP Instant Rank Checker (determines your keyword position in seconds)
• Keyword Surfer (to find out the volume of visits to each site in the SERPs)

This is obviously not an exhaustive list of existing SEO extensions, but it's at least the ones we use most for our Be.content cluster.

So, to end this article in the best possible way, pay close attention to the sources of information for your SEO. Whether it's social networks, agencies or other sources, make sure you're well informed, and make Google your best ally.