Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) has endured some pretty bad PR recently. And the content marketing sector is partially to blame.
We’ve all been guilty of propagating ‘content is king’ – as if other marketing techniques, like PR, social media, and (most importantly) SEO, are second-class citizens in the marketing monopoly.
The problem with the ‘content is king’ argument is that it’s actually quite misleading. It suggests that if you have great content, then that’s enough to attract audiences and generate business. Sure, it’s a good start… but it’s not really going to do much on its own.
Great content needs support. And this is where SEO and link-building come into play.
Still not convinced?
Here is our list of the 6 most popular misconceptions about SEO.
6. Content marketing doesn’t need SEO
Lots of people believe that SEO and content marketing work in opposition to one another. As if you can only choose one or the other.
But why is this?
Ever since Google changed its algorithm in 2013, there has been a renewed importance attached to relevant and engaging content.
In the past, quality content was defined by how it ranked on search engines – rather than how useful the content was for digital audiences. Lots of businesses achieved SEO success by simply spamming their webpages with links and pages that had no real direct relevance.
Unsurprisingly, Google got wise to this technique and made it impossible for these websites to rank highly. Hundreds, even thousands, of SEO and link-building businesses went bust overnight – and content marketing took on a renewed importance.
For these reasons, SEO and link-building are sometimes seen as dirty words. But the truth of the matter is that these two art forms don’t exist in opposition. They are interwoven entities with the same objective: to drive business.
Here is a nice way to think about it. SEO brings customers to your webpage – and content marketing makes them stay.
5. Traditional guest blogging is dead
There’s been plenty of speculation that guest blogging is long gone. But the definition of this, outwith the world of SEO, could be described as murky at best.
Think about it this way. How many prominent digital publications, like Entrepreneur and Forbes, have contributing authors? Or how often does Buzzfeed use freelance writers for their articles?
The answer is simple: a lot.
But this then begs the following question:
Can Google determine the individual motivations behind each blog post?
At this moment in time, the answer is no. Instead, search engines treat guest blogs like any other type of content. Google and Bing want to know (1) if they content is relevant and (2) if the content is useful to audiences.
If they pass the test, then there’s no reason why the guest blog can’t perform just as well as any other digital content.
So perhaps the traditional method of guest blogging has changed. It’s not enough to spam audiences and hope the website will rank well. Instead, guest blogging has become increasingly focussed on delivering meaningful resources to audiences – not pleasing search engines.
Guest blogging isn’t dead. It’s just undergone a make-over.
4. Link building doesn’t need to be relevant to be effective
Imagine you’re using a search engine to find relevant content about popular SEO misconceptions.
You’ve typed your query in the search bar, and you’ve been presented with a list of page results. You scroll down and you think you’ve found exactly what you’re looking for. You’re elated.
But once you visit the webpage, disaster strikes. There’s nothing related to your specific needs.
What happens next?
You leave the webpage and you vow never to return again.
This customer action can be measured – it’s called a bounce rate. Every time a customer visits your website looking for specific information, and is left disappointed, they will take their business elsewhere.
The higher the bounce rate, the less engaging the content.
That’s why relevant link-building is so important. Like content marketing, which focuses on audience engagement, link-building has also evolved in recent years. Without relevant and useful links, audiences aren’t likely to stay on your page. You haven’t given them what you promised.
So why should they care?
3. Google doesn’t reward link-building anymore
We’ve already talked about why relevant link-building is so important for engaging with audiences.
In conjunction with the changes in Google’s algorithms, linkbuilding has also had to adapt and evolve. It’s no longer enough to stuff a webpage full of links that don’t directly benefit the user.
Digital content needs to be directly relevant to the search queries of audiences – specifically their questions.
That’s where the Hummingbird algorithm comes into play. With a particular focus on semantic search, Google has encouraged marketers and SEO experts to create content that related directly to a question.
So, if I typed ‘what is SEO?’ into Google, Hummingbird has ensured that I’ll be presented with relevant and useful page results to match my query.
But you might be wondering what this has to do with link-building. Although the algorithms have changed, and will probably change again, Hummingbird has also had an impact on this particular SEO tactic.
Panda penalised low-quality content; penguin refuted low-quality link-building; and Hummingbird has attached even more importance to the audience experience. Businesses must link-build to high quality content, otherwise they will be punished in the search rankings.
If these links don’t help audiences, then they’ll go unnoticed.
So link-building is still alive and well. All that’s changed is how and why SEO experts employ this strategy.
2. Great PR is more important than SEO
You’ll always hear lots of people say that great content is its own reward. That a fantastic website, filled with beautiful content, will be enough to attract and maintain the interest of audiences.
It’s a nice thought. But it isn’t always true.
SEO is like being Ground Control at the airport. You know – the guys that stand on the runway and direct the planes. Like those fluorescent aviation kings, SEO directs audiences and tells them exactly where to go. Without it, audiences would never be able to find what they’re looking for in the first place.
It’s kind of like the chicken and the egg problem: would you share a great piece of content if you couldn’t find it in the first place?
(I promise that’s enough analogies for now).
Regardless, it’s far too risky for businesses to rely on word of mouth for the success of their marketing. Great SEO helps bring audiences directly to a webpage – without relying on guesswork.
And that’s why PR isn’t enough to drive excellent content on its own.
1. There’s no such thing as too many keywords
From a user perspective, one of the most annoying things that can happen is stumbling upon a website over-stuffed with keywords.
If we over-stuffed this blog page, it might look something like this:
‘Here is an SEO and Link-building blog about popular SEO misconceptions. Contact a marketer to find out about why SEO is important. Contact Neil Walker Digital because we are SEO and link-building specialists’.
That’s pretty awful, right?
You’d be frustrated and you would probably leave our blog. If we did that, it would be obvious that we didn’t care about your needs. Or providing you with valuable information. All we’d want is to get you on our website – then leave you to it.
Google is well-aware of this spamming technique. That’s why these types of webpages are becoming harder and harder to find.
In order to strike the balance between optimisation and engaging content, SEO gurus have had to adapt their strategy. Keywords need to fit into content in a much more organic way – helping to make the audience experience more genuine.
That’s why SEO experts and content writers need to be savvy. If they spam their web pages with too many keywords, then big-brother Google will know. And he won’t be happy.
Misconceptions about SEO
After looking at these six examples, it’s pretty easy to see why SEO and link-building have taken a knock-back in recent years.
Part of this can be blamed on search engines – companies like Google.
But is this really a fair assessment?
The reality is that search engines have forced businesses, and content marketing agencies, to work harder. Be more thoughtful. Great content is now defined by the value that it brings to audiences – not just how well it ranks on Google.
In order to adapt to this change, keywords and link-building have become much more organic and user-friendly. It’s not that SEO is dead. It’s just changed and evolved into something new.
Maybe it’s a bit more human now.
What do you think of this blog? Love it, hate it, or want to know more? Get in touch with us on Twitter @theukseo to let us know your thoughts.