Let’s bust a few website and SEO myths
There are lots of website myths out there — and even more about SEO — so it’s time to bust a few of them.
In this article, we’re walking you through some of the most common misunderstandings about websites and SEO. You’ll also find some useful tips on how to make the most of your own website.
1. Once the website is built, you can leave it alone
It’s easy to think that once your website has gone live, that’s it. Done and dusted. You can just sit back and wait for enquiries to start flooding in.
Here’s the main problem:
Abandoned websites don’t perform well on Google. Without regular content updates, they sink down the rankings and, eventually, become invisible to potential customers.
Search engines love fresh content. It waves a friendly flag at Google which says `My website is worth visiting’. Each piece of new content is solid proof that the site consistently provides informative stuff for its users.
And, here’s the second thing:
Your business doesn’t stand still. It’s constantly evolving — new products and services, changes to the target market and a more finely tuned offering. As the business moves forward, the website should keep up with the pace.
If you’re worrying that regular content updates sound like hard work, this brings us onto myth number 2.
2. Website content is all about quantity
You don’t have to bust a gut producing fresh content every 5 minutes, or even every day. Quality will always beat quantity.
Rather than creating content for the sake of it, slow it down. Publish a useful, engaging blog just once a month — and don’t be afraid to give away your knowledge.
Choose a subject which solves a common problem, and stand out from the competition by giving readers a comprehensive guide. Go for blog topics which last the distance. They deliver long-term value by attracting website traffic and increasing your credibility as an expert.
3. SEO is difficult and expensive
As you’ll have noticed, some SEO agencies charge a fortune for making search engine optimisation sound as complicated as possible.
Contrary to popular belief, on-page SEO isn’t rocket science. In fact, it reflects the way humans behave on the internet. Put simply, we have zero patience.
Let’s imagine you’re looking online for kitten food. Google sends back a page of results and you click on one.
How far would you scroll down the page looking for the words `kitten food’?
In truth, you wouldn’t scroll down the page at all. On any website page, the first thing we see must match the search term. It confirms that we’re in the right place for what we need.
It’s not expensive to do it yourself, and not difficult. Here’s an example. Take a look at this website page.
The first thing you see is the H1 heading. It says KITTEN FOOD, the main keyword. You’re in the right place.
Then the text itself quickly backs that up — but in a naturally conversational way. If it weren’t for our big red squares around the relevant words in the copy, you probably wouldn’t notice that the keyword has been used twice.
4. My website content has to explain EVERYTHING!
You don’t have to chuck everything and the kitchen sink at your website content. With B2B websites in particular, the written content has just one job.
It puts people in touch with you.
Your website content is a bridge — and you have to make it as easy as possible for people to cross that bridge for a real-life conversation. If you go into every nitty gritty detail, website visitors will leave before getting to the contact button.
You’re aiming to get this reaction:
“That sounds interesting. Tell me more.”
If you’d like some help with this, read 7 tips on how to write website content that converts.
5. Website data isn’t important
It’s a common myth that website data is uninteresting and unimportant. In fact, it makes a crucial difference to your bottom line. Without analytics, you’re flying blind.
- Which pages are website visitors landing on?
- Where is the traffic coming from?
- How do readers behave when they’re on the page?
- How can I improve the performance of my website?
Analytical data gives you the answer to those questions. You’ll know which keywords are worth focusing on, and which ones need a re-think.
You can discover where visitors are coming from — via social media, organic search or paid ads. You can also track their journey through the website and, importantly, find out where they click the back button to leave.
Armed with this information, you’ll know where and how to improve your website’s performance — and where you can just leave it alone.
Talking about website improvements, we’ve reached the final myth.
6. Improving your website costs a fortune
Does it really cost a fortune to improve the performance of your website?
Well, to be honest, it depends on who’s improving it. With us, it doesn’t cost much at all.
Rather than reinventing the wheel, we start with what you already have. Just a few simple tweaks can make all the difference. For example, we can:
- Add keywords to attract people who are looking for your products and services, both locally and nationally.
- Strengthen both your off-page and on-page SEO signals.
- Make the content easier to read and more persuasive.
- Train and support you to make changes yourself.
How many new website enquiries will you need before the improvements pay for themselves? Is it one client? Two?
Depending on how much you charge, the cost of our services could be a small fraction of a single client. Just their big toe.
We don’t want to leave you pondering your customers’ feet, so we’ll finish in the usual way. Get in touch for a quick chat. You can phone Neil and Sonya on 01489 590 092 or send us a message. We’d love to hear from you.
