Navigating the launch of a new small business can be a slippery slope, and there are dozens of potential mistakes to be made that could damage your chances of success. Many small businesses do not survive their first year for many reasons, but one of the most common is because their owners failed to understand the importance of search engine optimization. Some say that SEO is dead when in fact it is more important than ever, and these three SEO myths can seriously damage your chances of success if you accept them as fact.
Myth #1: SEO No Longer Matters
Some small business owners have taken this myth to heart because they have confused the death of SEO with its evolution and are focusing more on their site’s security instead. While it’s true that cyber security is an important element for any small business, as MVU Online reports, some new SEO practices have risen and must be recognized, especially in the case of Google’s SEO rules.
While having high-quality content can help your business site rank high, if you fail to optimize your page for keywords that are relevant to your business, no one will be able to find it. The fact is that SEO does matter; what no longer matters are outdated SEO practices like keyword stuffing, spun content, and creating duplicate content on several different URLs, all of which may result in stiff penalties from Google if they are used today.
Myth #2: SEO is Too Changeable to Learn It Completely
One common SEO myth is that it is not worth the time to learn about SEO or go for a master’s degree in information systems because optimization is too changeable for anyone to keep up with. However, pursuing such a degree, such as the one offered by UAB online, can give you the skills you need to deal with SEO changes and understand how those changes may affect your businesses’ operating systems. Take time to learn more about UAB’s online mis degree and how it might allow you to improve your SEO skills through learning about today’s internet technology.
Myth #3: Social Shares Are More Useful Than SEO
Mobile-friendly sites and social media sharing are becoming more relevant than ever, but unfortunately, this has led many small business owners to focus more on them and forego SEO because they believe it is not as important. While having social media accounts can improve brand awareness and searchable hashtags may bring in new business, optimization of your social media is just as crucial. Whether you promote your content on Twitter, Instagram, or a Facebook business page, optimization counts there just as it would for web page content.
For example, if you own a landscaping service and tweet lawn care tips and other information but do not include optimized keywords in those posts, you may find yourself constantly one step behind social trends that are relevant to your business. Staying on top of relevant keywords, marketing trends, and which SEO keywords are effective for your business will help you blend optimization with your social media marketing, increasing your chances of success.
SEO is still just as vital as ever. Dismissing it and believing these common myths could seriously damage the success of your small business.
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