It’s very normal to feel intimidated by search engine optimization (SEO). Alongside that intimidation, there also tends to be some SEO myths that arise. Buying into these myths could lead you down the wrong path. So to help out, we demystify 7 popular SEO myths once and for all:

Myth #1:  SEO is too hard for a “regular Joe.”

Like we said, SEO can be intimidating, but the basics are actually pretty simple, (just don’t tell your boss). With an easy-to-use content management system like WordPress, you can install various SEO plugins, like Yoast, on your site that can help you get on top of some basic SEO.

Myth #2: If you’ve never done any SEO, you’re too far behind.

This couldn’t be further from the truth. The fact that you’re reading this article, means you are taking the right steps to get informed. Like we’ve said before, in just a few hours you can get on board with local SEO. Here’s a list of some free local SEO tools to get off on the right foot.

Myth #3: SEO takes way too much time.

You can bust this myth in one Saturday afternoon. Sit down with your favorite beverage, laptop and some tunes and crank out the SEO basics in a few hours.  This article has the three SEO must-dos.

Myth #4: If your business is really small, SEO isn’t worth it.

This myth couldn’t be more busted! If you have a small business you need to get on top of your local SEO to stay competitive with your competitors and peers. Check out the free tool getlisted which will get you started in the right direction.

Myth #5: Any backlink is a good link.

This is the most dangerous myth on the list. Far too many times we’ve seen a small business buying into the scheme of getting 1,000 backlinks (links pointing from another site to yours) for X amount dollars, thinking it’ll get them a leg up on the competition. This is a sure fire way to get you a penalty from Google, which can decimate your online presence overnight. There isn’t a magic number of back links you need, but you can work on getting high quality links from a reputable source. Here’s a good blog post from Rand Fishkin from Moz to get started by seeing what back links your higher ranking competitors have.

Myth #6: Meta Tags are great for SEO.

This myth is easy to confuse with an actual SEO best practice. Titles and meta descriptions are good, keyword meta tags are a thing of the past that Google doesn’t use to rank your site. Keyword meta tags were an old way for bad SEO managers to over stuff keywords into their site thinking it’d help their site rank better for trophy or vanity keywords. So instead of worrying about keyword meta tags, focus your time on writing a great meta description that’ll entice a searcher to click through to your site. Remember keep it under 160 characters.

Myth #7: SEO is too expensive.

Hiring a full time employee or a company to do your SEO might cost you some bucks. Luckily, you can knock out your local SEO in just a few hours a month max, so no need to pay top dollar to have a consultant on hand to help. Here’s an awesome article to help you wrangle local SEO all by yourself.

For more SEO advice, tips and how-tos, grab our free Beginner’s Guide to SEO.

Although SEO can seem a little overwhelming at first, by demystifying these common myths, you can move forward to SEO success. Any SEO myths we missed that you want answered? Post them in the comments and we will help debunk them!

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