A Guide to The Biggest SEO Myths on The Web

There are several SEO fallacies that experts have repeatedly disproved. Here are some of the most common ones that still exist.

Misinformation, misunderstandings, and myths abound in the SEO world. This is due in little part to Google's decision to remain somewhat of a black box to limit SERP gaming. However, Google has recently taken attempts to become more transparent, as evidenced by greater involvement in the SEO community by SEO company in London doing a great investment in it.

The likes of John Mueller, Gary Illyes, and Danny Sullivan at Google are working to dispel the myths of SEO with facts, whether it's through regular Webmaster Hangouts, speaking engagements at conferences, or smart metaphors on Twitter. To help dispel these misconceptions, I've compiled a list of frequent Google misunderstandings.

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Frequently Misunderstood Facts About Google and SEO

Let's start with this: there is no such thing as a duplicate content penalty. Copy material does not arise in a punishment from Google.

● Duplicate content is penalized by Google.

Google recognizes that duplicate content is a natural feature of the web and strives to index the highest quality and most relevant page so that searchers aren't bombarded with the same information in the results.

The worst-case situation arising from duplicate content is that comparable pages are folded together in the index and an alternative version of the page is presented instead unless a site is trying to manipulate rankings and is fully made up of duplicate content. SEO specialists can employ a variety of signals to tell search engines which page they want to be indexed, such as canonicalization, sitemap inclusion, and internal links directing to the selected page.

● The Canonical URL is Google's preferred version for indexing.

Just because you use a canonical tag to designate a URL as the preferred version for indexing doesn't ensure Google will choose this page to index. Google interprets the rel canonical as a signal for the preferred page, however, it isn't always followed.

In the new version of Google Search Console, such cases can be detected in the Index Coverage report under the flag Submitted URL not selected as canonical. When Google judges another page in a collection of duplicates to be a better contender to show in search, they may choose a page other than the one you've chosen as the canonical.

In such circumstances, it's a good idea to think about whether the canonical page you've chosen is the one you want to be indexed. If that's the case, check the signals mentioned before (sitemaps, internal linking, and so on) to make sure they're pointing to your desired version.

The goal is to offer Google consistent signals about which version of the page is favored.

There are some common SEO myths to be aware of.

● The Sandbox at Google

Some SEO experts feel that new websites will be automatically suppressed in organic search results for some time before being able to rank more freely. Many SEO experts will claim that this is just not the case.

So, who is correct?

Anecdotal evidence from SEO specialists who have been around for a long time will both support and refute the idea of a sandbox. Unofficially, it appears that there is a period during which Google tries to analyze and rank the pages of a new site.

This may be compared to a sandbox. This is a common myth that I hear. The notion is that if your website's content is duplicated elsewhere on the internet, Google will punish you.

Knowing the distinction between algorithmic suppression and manual action is crucial to comprehend what is truly going on here. A manual step, which could arise in web pages being eliminated from Google's index, will be reached by a Google worker.

● Google Search Console will carry a warning to the site's owner.

When your page is caught by an algorithm's filter, it can't rank well. This is known as algorithmic suppression.

● Pay-Per-Click Advertising Aids Rankings

This is a prevalent misconception. It's also simple to disprove. The idea is that Google will give preference to websites that pay for advertising through pay-per-click. This is completely untrue.

Google's algorithm for ranking organic search results differs greatly from that for calculating PPC ad placements.

Running a Google-sponsored search advertising campaign concurrently with SEO may benefit your site in different ways, but it will have no direct impact on your ranking.

● A Domain's Age Is a Ranking Factor

This claim is squarely in the camp of "confusing cause with correlation." Age must be a ranking component because a website has been online for a long time and is ranking well.

Google Webmaster Trends Analyst John Mueller responded to a tweet indicating that domain age was one of the "200 signals of ranking" in July 2019 by replying, "No, domain age helps nothing."

● Tabbed Content Has an Impact on Rankings

This is an old concept with a lot of history behind it. The idea is that Google will give less weight to content that is hidden behind a tab or accordion. For instance, text that is not visible on the first-page load.

Although Google officially addressed this myth on March 31, 2020, it has been a divisive topic among SEOs for years. Google uses data from Google Analytics to rank websites. Many individuals are terrified of this.

They are looking over their Google Analytics reports. They believe their site's average bounce rate is too high, or that their stay on page is too short. As a result, they are concerned that Google would consider their site to be of low quality as a result of this.

They are concerned that as a result of it, they may be penalized. Using Google Analytics data as a ranking element would be quite difficult to police if we think about it properly. Filters, for example, could be used to distort data to make it appear that the site is functioning in a way that it isn't.

Conclusion

Some myths have logical foundations, while others make no sense. Now you know what to do if you come across a concept that you aren't sure is true.