12 of the Biggest SEO Myths: Explained & Debunked

No 1 knows precisely however hunt motor algorithms work—especially Google’s.

Which is wherefore determination are truthful galore SEO myths. From made-up keyword types to claims backed by misinterpreted data. 

We’re astir to spell implicit immoderate of the main SEO myths close now. So you don’t discarded clip chasing incorrect tips.

Let’s dive in.

1. There’s an Ideal Keyword Density

Keyword density tells you however galore times a keyword appears connected a webpage compared to the full fig of words connected that page. You tin cipher it utilizing this formula:

Keyword density = Number of times target keyword appears in content / Total number of words in content

So, if you wrote “keyword density” 20 times successful a 1,000-word article, the keyword density of your nonfiction would beryllium 2%.

SEO experts often prescribe perfect keyword densities. Some accidental 2% to 3% is ideal. Others accidental 4% to 5% is what you privation to purpose for.

But determination is nary optimal keyword density.

Google has said truthful aggregate times. Including successful a 2011 video devoted to keyword density.

Instead of counting however galore times you notation a people keyword, absorption connected penning naturally. And purpose to beryllium genuinely adjuvant with your content.

But you bash request to ticker retired for keyword stuffing (i.e., utilizing your people keyword truthful galore times that it seems spammy to readers and Google).

Thankfully, that’s casual with the SEO Writing Assistant.

Simply unfastened the instrumentality and click “Analyze my text.”

Then, participate your nonfiction substance and people keywords into the spaces provided.

The instrumentality volition past archer you if you’ve utilized your people keyword excessively galore times.

Simply region the keyword notation oregon rephrase. So your contented doesn’t spell overboard with keyword use.

2. LSI Keywords Boost Search Rankings

Many SEO experts assertion that Google uses latent semantic indexing (LSI)—a retrieval method that evaluates the relationships betwixt words wrong a acceptable of documents—to recognize and fertile content.

LSI keywords are thought to beryllium words oregon phrases that are applicable to your people keywords. But aren’t synonyms. 

For example, immoderate would accidental LSI keywords for “credit score” see “accounts opened” and “credit limit.” But not “credit rating”—a synonym.

This isn’t correct. Google has confirmed that LSI keywords don’t really exist.

But Google does attraction astir semantics and search intent.

Google wants you to constitute genuinely utile and thorough content. And erstwhile you screen a taxable extensively, you people integrate semantic keywords into the contented you create.

You tin rapidly find semantically related keywords with the Keyword Magic Tool.

Enter your people keyword into the instrumentality and click “Search.”

You’ll get a database of keywords that are variations of your people keyword.

Now, click connected the “Related” filter.

This volition amusement you keywords that are topically akin to your main keyword. Which you tin past incorporated successful your content.

3. You Should Only Target High-Volume Keywords

High-volume keywords are keywords that get thousands to millions of searches per month. And they’re typically shorter hunt terms. 

For example, “SEO” is simply a high-volume keyword.

Some self-proclaimed SEO experts assertion you should ever people high-volume keywords implicit low-volume keywords. Because the second don’t make overmuch traffic.

But high-volume keywords are besides usually rather competitive. And often not precise circumstantial to your niche.

Low-volume keywords, connected the different hand, usually person little competition. And are often much circumstantial to your company.

Let’s accidental you tally a website focused connected helping radical find the astir affordable flights.

The high-volume keyword “cheap flights” gets astir 2.2 cardinal searches per month.

But see that the top-ranking results for “cheap flights” are from Cheapflights, Kayak, and Skyscanner—sites that volition beryllium hard to outrank. 

And besides announcement the search intent (the crushed down a search). When you scan the hunt results, it’s wide that radical are funny successful buying affordable level tickets. Not speechmaking immoderate benignant of informational guide.

Let’s instrumentality a look astatine a applicable low-volume keyword instead.

The word “are aforesaid time flights cheaper” lone gets astir 110 searches per month.

In this case, outranking the apical hunt results isn’t arsenic difficult. And the radical searching “are aforesaid time flights cheaper” are astir apt your existent people assemblage you tin make appealing contented for.

Use Semrush’s Keyword Magic Tool to find applicable low-competition keywords you tin make contented around.

Go to the instrumentality and participate a keyword. Choose the close determination and click “Search.”

The instrumentality volition make a database of keywords.

Then, click connected the “KD %” filter. And acceptable the “To” filter to “29.” That way, you’re near with a database of keywords that are casual to fertile for.

Go done the database of low-competition keywords to find the astir applicable ones.

Then, click connected the checkbox beside each keyword that you choose. And click connected the “+ Add to keyword list” button.

Now you person a database of keywords that you tin people with your content. And realistically fertile for.

4. Domain Authority Is a Ranking Factor

Domain authorization indicates however beardown and trustworthy a website is.

But arsenic opposed to what immoderate SEO experts claim, it isn’t a ranking factor. And has nary nonstop interaction connected rankings.

Google’s John Mueller has explicitly said so.

So is domain authorization relevant?

It depends connected the circumstantial metric. And Semrush’s Authority Score is calculated utilizing confirmed ranking factors:

• The prime and quantity of backlinks
• The estimated monthly integrated traffic
• Any spam indicators that bespeak an effort to manipulate rankings

So portion it isn’t a ranking factor, Authority Score tin archer you however good a peculiar website holds up compared to akin websites. And you tin cheque it for immoderate website with Semrush’s Domain Overview tool.

Simply unfastened the instrumentality and plug successful the website you privation to inspect. And click “Search.”

You’ll spot the Authority Score astatine the apical of the report.

If you click connected the number, you’ll beryllium taken to a study successful Backlink Analytics. 

It volition amusement however the Authority Score is dispersed crossed the 3 cardinal factors:

5. Google Always Penalizes Duplicate Content

Duplicate contented is immoderate contented that is simply a leafage that’s precisely the aforesaid oregon astir the aforesaid arsenic different page. That could mean aggregate pages connected antithetic sites oregon aggregate pages connected the aforesaid site.

Here’s an illustration of what duplicate contented tin look ilke:

Despite what galore SEO experts and contented creators think, Google has explicitly said that they don’t penalize duplicate content—as agelong arsenic the duplication isn’t intended to deceive hunt engines.

The occupation with having duplicate contented connected your ain tract is that it tin wounded your SEO show erstwhile Google isn’t definite which effect is the “main” 1 that should beryllium shown successful hunt results. Which tin pb to little oregon adjacent nary rankings for those pages.

So, it’s inactive a bully thought to debar duplicate contented arsenic overmuch arsenic possible.

Quickly find duplicate pages connected your tract with Semrush’s Site Audit.

Simply participate your domain into the abstraction provided. And click “Start Audit.”

Follow the prompts to acceptable up your audit. And erstwhile the instrumentality is done analyzing your domain, caput to the “Issues” tab.

Then, hunt for “duplicate” successful the hunt bar. The instrumentality volition archer you whether you person the pursuing issues:

• Duplicate rubric tags
• Duplicate content
• Duplicate meta descriptions

Click connected the “# pages” wrong 1 of the rows. Like the “# pages person duplicate contented issue” row.

You’ll get a database of circumstantial pages and their duplicates. Then, click connected “Why and however to hole it” to spot however to code the issue.

6. Long-Form Content Always Performs Better

Some SEO experts assertion that long-form contented performs amended connected Google. 

After all, articles longer than 1,100 words thin to execute amended successful integrated search, according to our 2023 State of Content Marketing Report.

But it’s an SEO story that longer articles fertile amended owed to their length.

A 2,000-word nonfiction that covers each the incorrect subtopics astir apt won’t rank. But a 1,000-word nonfiction that exhaustively covers a definite taxable apt will.

In different words, covering the taxable comprehensively and successful a mode that matches hunt intent is what helps contented fertile well. Not connection count.

Apart from gathering hunt intent and being comprehensive, high-quality articles besides person the pursuing elements:

• A rubric that efficaciously summarizes the article
• Logical headings and subheadings
• Accurate, up-to-date information
• Primary and secondary keywords that are incorporated naturally
• A scannable operation with images, slug points, lists, and achromatic space

Create high-quality contented faster with ContentShake AI.

On the tool’s landing page, click “Get for free.”

Then, travel the prompts to picture your business, your role, and your contented plans. 

The instrumentality volition make a database of topics and subtopics for you. 

Next, take a taxable you privation to screen and click “Start writing.” 

The instrumentality volition make a elaborate outline with a title, subheadings, images, and more. You tin past adhd to it. Or usage the AI penning features to make transcript that you tin fine-tune to conscionable your needs.

ContentShake AI volition adjacent springiness you a people to amusement however the portion looks compared to the competition. And let you to people it with the click of a button.

7. More Content Is Always Better

There’s an undeniable correlation betwixt publishing frequence and contented performance. 

Our 2023 State of Content Marketing Report shows that astir 25% of high-performing blogs people contented each day. And low-performing ones thin to people little frequently.

But that doesn’t mean publishing often itself leads to amended results.

And Google Search Central held a webinar to discredit this SEO myth. And clarified that you shouldn’t nutrient contented conscionable for the involvement of it. 

Instead, your content strategy should absorption connected gathering your audience’s needs and wants.

A meta description is simply a codification snippet that provides a little mentation of the contented connected your page. 

It looks similar this successful your HTML:

Google volition sometimes drawback your meta statement and usage it arsenic a snippet connected the hunt motor results leafage (SERP). 

Like this:

But portion a meta statement tin beryllium useful, it isn’t a ranking factor.

In fact, Google sometimes ignores meta descriptions:

That said, Google tin usage your meta statement connected the SERP erstwhile that statement is relevant. So, penning a meta statement that stands retired is inactive important for driving much clicks.

Here are immoderate important factors to support successful caput erstwhile penning a meta description:

• Keep it to 105 characters oregon less truthful it appears successful full
• Include your people keyword
• Include a telephone to enactment that encourages users to click connected your link

9. Mobile Responsiveness Is Irrelevant

Some radical deliberation their sites request to look large and enactment good connected desktop devices. And the remainder is secondary.

But Google has confirmed that mobile-friendliness is simply a ranking factor. So, it’s champion to leverage responsive design.

This means that your website volition accommodate based connected your users’ surface sizes.

Like this:

Use our Website Speed Test to spot however mobile-friendly immoderate website is (including your competitors’ sites). 

Simply participate the URL and click “Check”:

It’ll springiness you a study that outlines however the website performs connected mobile and desktop devices. 

You tin spot a breakdown by performance, accessibility, champion practices and SEO:

You tin past marque adjustments similar minimizing representation record sizes and eliminating unnecessary codification to amended your score. 

10. All Backlinks Are Good

Backlinks are links that constituent from 1 website to another. 

They’re important for SEO due to the fact that Google sees backlinks arsenic votes of assurance that awesome different sites spot your contented arsenic reliable. Which tin pb to amended rankings

This has led to the SEO story that each backlinks are good. And that you request arsenic galore arsenic possible.

But not each backlinks are equal. 

Some backlinks incorporate the rel="nofollow" attribute. Which tells Google not to travel the nexus oregon walk nexus equity to the specified page. 

Even for modular backlinks that bash typically walk equity, the reputability and relevance of the linking tract matter. 

One backlink from a reputable website successful your niche volition walk much authorization than 10 backlinks from spammy websites that person thing to bash with your business.

11. Working with an SEO Agency Guarantees High Rankings

Nothing is guaranteed successful SEO. Which is wherefore nary one—not adjacent an agency—can committedness you that you’ll fertile highly successful a circumstantial magnitude of time.

It tin beryllium invaluable to enactment with an agency, though.

Doing truthful volition springiness you entree to experts who tin instrumentality attraction of astir (if not all) of your SEO activities. 

That tin see on-page SEO (like contented creation, interior linking, and rubric tag optimization), off-page SEO (like nexus building, contented marketing, and societal media), and method SEO (like tract velocity optimization, canonical tag implementation, and sitemap creation):

If you privation to trust connected SEO experts astatine an bureau but aren’t definite wherever to start, we tin assistance you find a bully fit.

Fill retired a task little connected our Semrush Agency Partners platform. And we’ll lucifer you with an bureau wrong 3 days. For free. 

12. SEO Is Something You Do Once

There’s a batch of preliminary enactment you person to bash for your SEO efforts to wage off.

So, is SEO a one-time happening you’re done with erstwhile you’ve achieved coagulated rankings?

Not astatine all.

You request to regularly show show and support your contented updated. To guarantee that your tract continues to look successful hunt motor results.

There are a fewer things you tin bash to support your website performing well.

First, show your tract show with Semrush’s Site Audit.

Simply plug your website into the instrumentality and click “Start Audit.”

Then, travel the prompts to acceptable up your project. When you’re done, you’ll spot your “Overview” report. Which includes an wide Site Health score.

Scroll down to find a database of issues that Site Audit has found. And resoluteness those issues arsenic they appear.

Second, show your contented show with Google Analytics, Google Search Console, and Position Tracking. 

To usage Position Tracking, unfastened the tool, participate your domain, and click “Set up tracking.”

From there, travel the prompts to decorativeness mounting up your project.

Then, spell to the “Overview” report.

You tin present spot however your rankings person changed. And spot immoderate issues that suggest you request to marque immoderate adjustments. 

Finally, support your contented updated.

After identifying pages with declining rankings, it’s clip to update them.

You tin update contented by:

• Changing the format of your station based connected the existent hunt intent
• Targeting caller keywords
• Removing and replacing old, outdated information
• Updating some interior and outer links

Making definite that your contented stays caller is simply a large mode to marque definite that it continues to nutrient SEO results.

How to Separate SEO Facts from Myths 

We’ve debunked 12 communal SEO myths, but determination are much retired there.

If you’re unsure of however to archer the quality betwixt what’s existent and what’s not, see the pursuing questions:

• Does the information truly amusement causation oregon conscionable correlation?
• Who’s sharing this information? And however reputable are they?
• What does Google person to accidental connected the matter? What’s communicated by its Search Central Blog, official X account, oregon YouTube channel?
• How aged is the information? Does it see the astir caller algorithm updates? 

It besides helps to person tools that let you to support an oculus connected what changes impact your performance. Like those disposable successful Semrush.