7 Outdated SEO Writing Myths That Will Not Die
Do you know what drives me nuts?
Reading about outdated or incorrect SEO tactics.
Like a virus, these bad tactics get passed around from person to person. One company I worked with had an old “SEO copywriting 101” Powerpoint that hadn’t been updated in seven years. Another company read a “hot tip” in a forum and didn’t know that it was wrong. Another client got their bad information from an old SEO vendor.
Ouch. That’s scary stuff.
Unfortunately, some sites are built on stupid SEO copy strategies (hopefully, your site is not one of them.) The strategy may seem somewhat effective. Maybe even logical. But unfortunately, they are like slow-moving viruses that are making the site “sick.”
Here are the most common SEO writing myths I (still!) see:
Keyphrase density
Will. People. Please. Let. This. Die. About the time I think the world is safe from keyphrase density percentages is when I get an email saying, “I was watching a corporate training video, and the recommendation was 3.2 %. Is that still right?”
Keyphrase research has’t been a “thing” since the days of Alta Vista (remember them?). Ignore keyphrase density. Wipe it from your mind. Let it go. Don’t you feel much better now?
Keyphrases (and SEO writing) are dead
No, keyphrases are not dead. They are still alive, kicking and doing well. This tasty tidbit of misinformation stems from Google is much “smarter” than it used to be. Yes, Google can understand the intent of a page. But that doesn’t mean your content should be keyphrase-free. In fact, basic optimization techniques can often propel low-ranking pages to top positions.
It’s true that in today’s world, you don’t have to worry about exact matching the keyphrase every time and repeating it X times. However, you’ll still want to use keyphrases (and synonyms) in your content. Continue to research your keyphrases and use them in your body copy and your Title. Just like always. You’ll be fine.
To the people who say SEO writing is dead, I tell them to look at how Google is laser-focused on quality content. To me, that shows writers still have a seat at the SEO table.
We used to see spammy pages in the top-10 results all the time. Today, we may see them every once in awhile, but the frequency is way down.
Plus, what Google sees as quality content is changing — in the good way.
Heck, Google’s Quality Raters’ Guidelines are ALL about assessing content quality. Google’s stance on quality content makes me think that SEO writing will be around for a long time.
Press releases are a great way to get links
Once upon a time, press releases were a great way to get links. You could add some keyphrase-rich anchor text pointing back to your site and blammo–links galore! There were some pretty spammy (and funny) releases back in the day. Sure, the releases deviated far away from the real intent of distributing a release (letting the press know about a newsworthy event.) But people didn’t care.
Today, press releases are still a relevant marketing tactic and can be an essential piece of the overall marketing pie. A well-written release can help you (or your client) get press mentions and even drive traffic. But…
…the links within your press release have zero Google link juice and won’t help you position. Yes, distribute a press release if it makes sense for your business — but know that it won’t help with SEO.
There is a “right” word count for Google
There has never been a “perfect” word count for Google, no matter what the experts say. Yes, I know that some experts say that longer copy (1,500+ words) tends to position better. But that’s not the case for all copy, all the time. Nor should an arbitrary word count dictate how you write the copy.
Your best bet is to write a wide variety of content and let the subject matter dictate the length. You may want to write resource-intensive 1,500-word blog posts and 500-word services pages. That’s OK. Your main criteria should be, “Am I writing this for my readers?” If you start slipping into writing things “for Google,” you’ll mess up our readers’ experience.
Besides, even Google has said that word count doesn’t equal quality content. Longer articles aren’t necessarily better or more authoritative. They’re just…longer. Short copy is OK.
Guest posting can get you slapped with a penalty
Guest posting gets a bad rap. Once upon a time, people used to score links by submitting to every site under the sun. Did it work? Sure. Did it drive qualified traffic? Nope.
Then Google changed their stance on guest blogging. The great Google gods made it clear that writing a crappy blog post for the sole purpose of driving links is no longer OK.
That doesn’t mean that you can’t guest blog on quality publications your target market reads. Nor does it mean that you can’t accept a guest post from a quality author. It just means you have to be picky.
Guest posting can drive fantastic, targeted traffic. It can help your company build brand awareness. Just target your publications (and court your guest bloggers) carefully. If you’re responding to emails that say, “I’ll blog for you for free in exchange for a link back to my site,” well, you deserve what you get.
There is a secret SEO writing formula
I’ve been in the SEO writing game for over 20 years. If there was a “no fail” SEO writing formula, don’t you think I would be on a beach somewhere counting my Benjamins and watching the waves?
Of course I would!
The reality is, there IS no sure-fire SEO writing formula.
Why?
The “best” approach depends on the keyphrase, the target reader, and the current competition. A 500-word article may be perfect, or way too short. It depends on the query and the intent. What works for my site may not work for yours.
Yes, there are specific best practice “steps,” but they’ve never been a secret. If you ever hear the term “secret SEO ANYTHING,” it’s time to run away.
You should blog “for Google”
Yes, blogging is good. But…
…if the only reason you’re blogging is to get in Google’s good graces, you’re doing it wrong. Yes, blogging is a great way to gain Google positions. But, most importantly, it’s a fantastic way to connect with readers at all phases of the buy cycle.
Google doesn’t care how often you publish new content. So, there’s no percentage to uploading multiple pieces of so-so content every week. I’ve even seen companies try to get positive Google vibes by uploading multiple blog posts a day. How high quality do you think their posts were?
Yeah. You guessed it. Instead of quantity, think quality content.
To summarize: Blogging for readers = good. Blogging for SEO only = bad. It’s simple.
What do you think? What are some of your favorite SEO writing myths that will not die? Post your ideas in the comments!
This is hilarious… “I was watching a corporate training video, and the recommendation was 3.2 %. Is that still right?”
lolz. And I was thinking it was 3.8% this whole time!
LOL! No! It’s 4.3%. Ha!
Great article. Yes, we should always go for quality over quantity. I agree that Google doesn’t care how often we publish new content. Make sure to create valuable and unique content. Of course, we need to be updated with the latest SEO strategies.Thank you for an informative article.
Great article, Heather. It definitely is finally catching on that all of our SEO efforts should be catering to the reader/searcher, not Google. It is nice to see all these tips in one place, I especially liked the tip of running when you read anything about “secret SEO tip”-
Great Article… I am quite sure that Keyphrases will never die. If you are running an online business or any blog then SEO optimized content should be the main priority for ranking your business or website. With maintaining proper Keyphrase density it’s not possible. Thanks for sharing and informative notes. Keep updating.
Great insights. Thank You for Sharing.
Great Article! Thanks, I translated for russion your artical in my blog.
I really think that updating content regularly helps. Indeed quality will always outweigh quantity, but regular updating gives positive signals to google.
An informative piece of information, wonderful that you have shared. However, i truly believe that SEO is a combination of sensible and logical decisions to be implemented for the well being of particular niche and the readers. Key phrases are considered by most enthusiasts as not working but does it really stands to be true? Well! key phrases are not dead yet!
These are really some hard to digest truths. Most of the people still believe in them and maybe they will do it to the end of this world. SEO writing is now a very dynamic world and hopefully we will be able to get out of some of the most static concepts that are ruining the industry.
Thanks for sharing!
Love it! SEO is really about the basics. No secret formula. Know your customer, speak directly to your customer and share quality information.
Exactly! Ah, if only there was a secret formula — that would make things so much easier (but not as fun!). :)
Hey Heather, what an eye-opening article! It’s about time someone shed light on those persistent SEO myths that just won’t seem to fade away. Kudos to the author for debunking these misconceptions and setting the record straight.