At Digital Destination, we are often asked about the myths and misconceptions from the SEO world. So, in this blog, we have decided to gather and share some of the most common SEO myths that could keep you from improving your search rankings and site traffic for your Chicago business. Take it from a Chicago SEO agency: here are some SEO myths that you should not buy into.

Myth #1: SEO is Dead in 2020

Some people are of the belief that “SEO is dead” in 2020. What these people do not understand is that SEO will continue to live on as long as search engines are around. SEO is certainly not “dead” as some people say. Like all things in the digital world, it just continues to change and evolve as the years go on. When comparing the past SEO methods with the present SEO tactics, there are many improvements. It can be frustrating when a strategy used for your SEO efforts is not successful and does not deliver the expected results right away. However, it generally takes 4 to 6 months to start seeing SEO improvements, so patience is key.

Myth #2: Valuable Content Will Automatically Rank

The popular phrase “content is king” is not totally correct. If it were, then those who spin the same content over and over again should rank on top in search engines. However, it does not happen that way. A lot of spammers use this strategy to try to get high ranking on search results, but it is useless. It’s important to keep in mind that unique content, plus a great SEO strategy, leads to a higher position.

While it is true that search engines value fresh, valuable content, this does not necessarily mean that a page will be indexed right away. Eventually, the crawler will find out about the content and index it, but that’s not always enough. To draw search engines, crawlers need to be assisted in discovering recently published content. The creation and submission of a sitemap to Google will help its bots efficiently crawl all active pages on a domain. This means that Google will know where every page is positioned on a website, and they can quickly add those pages to their search engine results.

Myth #3: Links are not Needed

Some online marketers claim that “link building is dead”, while others claim that “link building is dangerous”. There are also some people who avoid link building altogether due to the fear that some of their links may become invalid in the future, which could hurt your SEO efforts. In reality, though, links are crucial, and they continue to be one of the more important ranking factors.

Link building should be an essential part of an SEO strategy. However, they should be real links that are relevant to the website in order to truly add value. Including low-quality links on your website is risky. It is best to develop a great network for building backlinks, and also make use of informative, high-quality content that is valuable to your website visitors and encourages other sites to link with your content.

Make the Most Out of your Website’s SEO Efforts in Chicago

With its dynamic nature, SEO can be a bit complex. But don’t let that, or the myths that surround it, limit your online presence. If you would like to partner with a top-rated SEO agency in Chicago, contact the team at Digital Destination today. We can develop a custom SEO strategy that will help your business grow and rank highly on search engines.