The SEO industry is one that truly evolves on a continual basis. Whether I learn a new trick from a colleague or see positive movements from a new technique, SEO constantly changes and you need to ensure you and your site stay as in line with this as possible.

No one can tell you that they know everything that there is to know about the world of SEO but some people are much better placed to offer advice and implement SEO techniques than others.

However, the fundamental principles of SEO and what it will take to rank a site where it needs to be have remained the same for quite some time now. The fundamentals are discussed further in the following article.

Through all our interactions with current and prospective clients, we tend to hear the same kinds of misconceptions when it comes to SEO and what needs to be done. As a result, please see below some of what we believe to be the most frequent misconceptions. Alternatively, get in touch with High Jump Digital who provide SEO services for more information.

1- SEO is a gimmick and doesn’t help

People’s initial reaction is that SEO is not something that helps or even more so, it is a gimmick. This is the opinion of people who have either not given the process long enough to see results or simply hear discussions regarding SEO and do not believe it is possible. If SEO has been described to you as something that games the search engines and looks to trick or manipulate them, then I would not argue with you having particular hesitations.

However if you are going about SEO in a white hat manner then this is certainly not the case. You are essentially looking at what has worked online for similar terms and industries and looking to do more of that and less of what is not working. In a nutshell, content is a huge driving factor along with building authority to your site.

2- I rank number 1! so I am fine

The amount of times I have been told I rank number 1 so I am fine is scary. This is not everything and it is even more of a concern when you are ranking of terms that carry non search volume. Do no get caught up in your rankings, instead look at the important metrics such as traffic and conversions.

Although it is true, if the correct and necessary research has been carried out and you do in fact rank for the most important term to your business which also has search volume then that is a position to be in.

Always remember, there will be plenty of other terms of relevancy that you could rank for that will in turn bring in additional traffic to your site.

3- Beware of the Google Penalty!

Contrary to what people believe, Google penalties are not given out with easy and on a regular basis. Given the direction that SEO has been moving in over recent years, you would have to be doing something pretty outdated and insubordinate to notify the webmasters and in turn get a slap on the wrists.

In the most simplest terms, follow best practices and you will be absolutely fine.

4-  SEO is cheap and cheerful

People often believe that SEO is something that you can dabble in and can often achieve results for relatively low cost, but you always have to be realistic. Results will be very dependant on your allocated budget and the time in which the results can be achieved will be even more dependant on your budget. In order to carry out some of the techniques needed to conduct SEO in not only the correct way but also the most efficient ways you need to inject capital into your campaign.

Given SEO as an industry if there is one piece of advice we can give you it is, avoid cutting corners for short term gains as this is something you will pay the price for in the longer term.

5- SEO is easy

A lot of SEO techniques are ready and available for you to read on the world wide web but there is a reason why not every business owner does not conduct SEO themselves. The amount of strategic planning and monitoring is not something that can be done once and then ignored. Not to mention the fact that the search engines and ranking factors are constantly changing. SEO is something that needs to be monitored daily or you will never see the results you quite often deserve.

6- link building is spam

Again and again, it comes down to mapping out a strategic plan of action correctly and as a result link building can be carried out incorrectly. However, if link building is done correctly, it can be a vital cog in the wheel to getting your site ranking for your desired terms. Building up your referring domain profile will and authority to your site especially if the referring domains are of relevance and quality. Link building is one of the primary concepts along side content that will add significant value to your website. As long as it is done correctly.

7- The SEO process can be standardized

This is always one of the most worrying things to hear someone say when it comes to SEO. Using something that has proven to work before and implementing it on your own site seems easy. The truth is SEO can never be delivered within a guaranteed time frame and that is because every site is a different entity and needs its own plan of action in order to achieve the desired results. Although the general focus of many sites will be the same, the route you take to achieve the results will differ and this is what makes SEO a constantly evolving world. This statement also ties into the budget outlined for the campaign, the more resources you have to play with, the more thorough you can go and also you will be able to put resources into other areas that a smaller budget would not allow you.

Although this article could go on and on, we really only wanted to highlight some of the more constant misconceptions we experience. On the other hand, hopefully this article will highlight how there are many aspects of SEO that need to be done correctly and if so the results will speak for themselves.

To find out exactly how we can help get your already existing campaign on the right track,, or help map out a strategy to welcome you to the world of SEO, get in touch or call on 0871001575.