The algorithm of the search engine keeps on changing and it is because of this that several rumours regarding how search is changing surface. For the users, it becomes an onerous task to keep on altering the knowledge, and that is also replaced with a hypothetical one. These rumours not only negatively impact the users but also take a toll on the professionals who are associated with search engine optimization. And in the world of SEO, it is often believed that it is a tough task to segregate a fact from fiction.
Being a professional associated with the field, I would like to highlight some of the myths and the facts concerned. These myths have a real impact on the entire industry by altering the search pattern followed by the users for specific content.
Myth #1: Mobile-first Indexing Alters the Search Pattern
People and several businesses have a notion that the websites that are mobile-first indexed are preferred and search engines like to index them first. The desktop version of the websites is getting obsolete and hence, stress should be laid on mobile-first indexing.
Fact Check:
I went through several websites that have both the desktop and mobile versions. And to my dismay, I found that there was no effect because of the indexing changes. The ranking factors too showed the same trend of changes in both the versions of the websites. Thus, this fact-checking helped me to conclude that a proper SEO pattern is a must for the indexing. The absence of any minimum criteria will equally impact the ranking irrespective of whether it is a mobile or desktop.
Myth #2: Ranking Factors hardly Matters
To begin with, this myth, let me start with an example.
After going through several websites, I found that some of the important search engine elements like hyperlinks, or headings were missing from the website. In addition to this, content plays a crucial role in indexing and perhaps this is the reason why it has been regarded as the King in the world of search engine optimization. I found that the websites had content with fewer words. Thus, when it comes to the numbers of words, the content with larger word count will be indexed properly.
The fact is, yes word count has a high impact but it is also industry-specific. The technical aspects of the writing will be indexed well if it has been written in a better way while the content in the form of images or videos will impact the search and indexing of the website.
Myth #3: BERT has a Major Role to Play
BERT changes have an impact on the ranking factors. Acronym for Bidirectional Encoder Representations from Transformers is considered as the friend of the Natural Language Processing algorithm of Google. It was rolled out in the year 2019.
One of the most popular rumours associated with BERT is the schema where the URLs of the websites are provided with a BERT score. This score is considered to be one of the essential ranking factors. But does this stand true?
Fact Check:
A little deep in the matter shows there is nothing with the search engine ranking. In fact, BERT focuses on word recognition, searcher’s intent, and the relationship between different words.
BERT plays a massive role in Google’s way of processing queries but has the least to do with SEO.
Myth #4: Traffic does not Come from Google
The purpose behind SEO is to drive in the traffic. Therefore, experts from different SEO companies do all the possible things to bring in traffic. However, a myth exists- A business does not get traffic from Google.
However, when I did the fact-checking of this particular statement, I found that many of the businesses are still getting traffic from Google. Featured snippets, answers, and queries, are some of the simplest ways by which traffic can be directed to the websites.
Hence, Google does not drive in the traffic on the website is just a myth.
Myth #5: Keywords have Zero Role in Searchability
With the advent of digital marketing, people often think that the use of keywords is getting obsolete. Unlike the previous years where every search page was associated with a keyword, the search does not need to be targeted.
But a quick fact check says that keywords still hold the same place and stands important in any type of search. In fact, it forms the backbone of any search engine and helps address the common issue- for both the business and service seeker. So, according to me, the use of the keyword streamlines the search process and Google has been sophisticated on this ground and defines and distinguishes the searches uniquely.
Myth #6: Faster the Website Loading, Better is the Ranking
There is a common notion amongst the people and businesses that faster is the loading speed of the website, better is the ranking and hence lagger Google traffic. This is one of the reasons why many businesses opt for optimising the content.
But, according to my fact-checking, the fact is it can be one of the reasons but not the prime one.
Various audit reports concluded that the fast loading of the website helps to drive in Google traffic. When it is coupled with other parameters it might define the ranking as well but alone it cannot do anything. It is considered as one of the best practices in SEO and has spruced up the visibility by up to 40%.Actually the faster website speed loading keeps the user engaged for longer time on the website.
Conclusion
There are several other rumours associated with search engine optimization and searches based on Google core updates. The SEO industry is full of speculations and each of the experts or businesses try to drive in either traffic or rank higher in the searches based on Google’s Core Update. The problem is they mess up each of the terms. The need of the hour is to analyze the statement properly and conclude what is the fact. Staying away from the rumours would help in getting the best result.
