The online marketing world is full of grand promises and too-good-to-be-true sales pitches, bombarding your email several times a day. Unfortunately, most of these promises are far from reality, and those behind them rely on myths to make a quick buck.

Although the SEO world is not a young arena, it can be easily exploited by companies that are looking to take advantage of businesses attempting to gain a footing in the search engine rankings. It’s important that you spend some time to learn about some of the common myths of SEO, so the next time you are approached by an “SEO Expert” that can help your Milwaukee business, you can make an informed decision.

Myth: You can be 100% sure you will get certain rankings in Google

One of the most common promises of ‘SEO’ companies is that they guarantee you a top spot in Google rankings. When it comes to SEO, this is 100% false.

No company — no matter how professional, experienced, or successful they are — can guarantee any spot-on natural search engine rankings. Search Engines use sophisticated algorithms to determine (for themselves) which websites rank in the top spots for any given key phrases.

While an experienced SEO company can take capable steps to tailor your website to achieve high results, there are no guarantees that Google will choose your site over another. While a good SEO company can likely guarantee an increase in rankings, it is just not possible to be specific as to what spot you will achieve.

Myth: Performing SEO makes your website ‘Spammy’

Unfortunately, the SEO world is filled with ‘spam’ and many unprofessional promotional methods. This leads many businesses to believe that these same tactics will be used to promote their websites. However, this is not necessarily the case.

SEO is not about using spam as a way to increase search engine traffic. If you are performing SEO on your website, that does not mean that you’ll be sending out thousands of emails a day, or that you’ll have your website infested with annoying pop-ups. While some individuals may engage in these tactics on behalf of their clients, it is important to hire a professional SEO company specializing in more proven methods.

A very large number of enterprise-level businesses allocate budgets towards SEO services. Professional SEO services improve your website visibility without endangering your brand reputation.

Myth: Results happen overnight

It is disappointing to see many businesses fall prey to the fake promises of “rank first on Google overnight”. It is impossible for a website to go from nothing to the top spot in a matter of days, let alone overnight. In the majority of cases, the companies offering these services are disguising their service as SEO, when, in reality, they are offering to set up a paid advertising campaign on Google.

SEO usually takes weeks, if not months, to start seeing results. However, once performing well, you’ll gain the benefits of being in the top spot without paying the premium of paid advertising.

Myth: SEO is a one-time thing

Many business owners assume they do not need SEO services because their web designers went in and changed some elements of their website to make it SEO-friendly. While this is one part of an SEO campaign, SEO is an ongoing process.

The creation of tailored content and relationship building requires months of ongoing work that simply can’t be done over a weekend, or by using an automated tool.

Myth: A good website is the same as good SEO

Having a well-built website does not necessarily mean you have a Search Engine Optimized website. While good function can make a website attractive to search engines, it is only one small part of the whole SEO process.

You may have a beautiful, interactive website, but there may be some elements of the site that are barriers to search engines. It is important that you hire a professional SEO company that can analyze the elements of your website, tweaks them, and perform relationship-building processes that gain you traffic and rankings.

Make the Most Out of Your Website’s SEO Efforts in Milwaukee, Wisconsin

If you would like to partner with a top-rated SEO agency serving Milwaukee, Wisconsin, contact the team at Digital Destination today. We can develop a custom SEO strategy that will help your Milwaukee business grow and rank high on search engines.