Search engine optimization (SEO) can be simple for some and confusing for others. And SEO is ever-evolving, making changes to improve how the Internet lives and breathes.

It’s easy to get caught in a tangled web of SEO. I’m here to give you the top 10 SEO myths and facts that can give you greater leverage when working on your website.

1. A Few Broken Links Won’t Hurt My Website

MYTH!

Google crawls your whole site. When it notices broken links without any redirects, Google starts to think your website isn’t managed well or is being neglected.

Even if you aren’t active on your website, you should set up a program like Moz Crawl Test to watch your site. It will send you emails with updates on any crawl issues it catches.

2. Content Is King

FACT!

Content is one of the most important parts of your website. When it comes to content, quality is much better than quantity.

Make sure your content is relevant, organized, and easily readable for the average viewer. That said, make sure you also focus on more than just content.

3. I Must Limit the Number of Characters in My Title

FACT!

It has long been said that you should limit your title length to 65 characters or fewer so that it doesn’t get cut off in search results. Google has now changed that to allow any titles up to 600 pixels in width.

So if the words in your title are skinny letters, you can get a few more characters in. If the letters are wider, you’ll get a few less.

To easily test the character limit of your title, check out this Title Tag Preview Tool by SmartSearch Marketing.

4. Google Will Instantly Crawl My Website

MYTH!

While Google does crawl sites on a regular basis, it doesn’t happen instantly.

If you add or update a bunch of pages, or if you completely relaunch your website, you can ask Google to manually crawl your site.

Why request a manual crawl rather than wait for an automatic crawl? Our friends at HubSpot explain how much time you can save.

5. A Mobile Site Is Integral to Today’s Society

FACT!

Did you know mobile searches now outrank desktop searches? If you didn’t — well, that was so 2014.

Google announced in a blog post from 2015 that it now boosts the ranking of mobile-friendly pages on search results.

This mobile-friendly search update has been a game-changer for how websites function.

6. The “S” in HTTPs Doesn’t Matter

MYTH!

The “S” in HTTPS stands for “Secure.” It’s usually preceded by a little lock 🔒 icon before the URL field in your browser.

Having a secured website helps keep intruders, hackers, and spam artists (no, not this kind of SPAM) from gaining critical information — such as credit card data — from your customers.

If you haven’t done so yet, securing your site should be at the top of your SEO to-do list.

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7. Readable URLs Are Better

FACT!

If you are able to structure your URLs, do it!

Not only do readable URLs make it easier for people to understand and remember your landing pages, but search engines also favor readable URLs because they explain what’s on those specific pages faster.

8. Higher Bounce Rates Affect My Ranking

MYTH!

A high bounce rate could mean one of two things:

1. You have great information and gave readers exactly what they wanted.
2. Your readers didn’t like what they found.

High bounce rates won’t affect your ranking, but they may show deficiencies in your website.

If you see a high bounce rate on a page, first check the load time in Google Analytics and a few other key metrics to figure out if it’s a “good” or “bad” high bounce rate.

9. SEO and Social Media Have No Correlation

MYTH!

While SEO and social media aren’t your PB & J sandwich, they do match up pretty nicely.

By distributing your content on your company’s Facebook page (or other social channels), you’ll garner more page views and potential social media shares, which in turn give your website greater exposure.

When Google sees good interaction on a page, it sees a great page to show higher in search results.

10. SEO Is a “One and Done” Thing

MYTH!

The Internet is changing every day. SEO tactics from three years ago might not be applicable anymore because better ideas have come around.

You should actively chisel out work time to check on your SEO. Be sure to keep all of your website team up to date on any major changes happening in the SEO world.

How Well Do You Know SEO?

We get it — SEO can be confusing. There are many twists, turns, and changes that can happen on the fly.

If you didn’t know some of the SEO myths and facts above, or if you don’t have the time or energy to keep up with SEO on a regular basis, make a better impact on your website by hiring an online marketing company.

At 9 Clouds, we have dedicated team members working on SEO every day. We can help you improve your website and make changes to increase leads and customers for your company.

To learn more about how we can help, contact our team, or learn more about how we can help with SEO.