Top 7 SEO Expectations Vs Reality

SEO, short for Search Engine Optimisation, is basically the practices and techniques used for making search engines understand the content of web pages. This, in turn, helps search engines establish the relevancy of the content in a particular page to the search intent of users. Based on that, search engines rank web pages for users on the search engine result page. There are many myths and misconceptions prevalent among many people regarding SEO. When I interview people, who want to get into content writing and marketing, the kind of responses I get amazes me. So, based on these experiences, I have listed the most common SEO Expectations Vs Reality. Read on to find out.

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SEO Expectations Vs Reality

Before getting into the list of SEO Expectations Vs Reality, let me tell you that do not get discouraged after reading this. No skill is easy to master and SEO is not different, especially because it involves working in an environment which changes frequently.

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Anyway, here is the list:

Expectation 1: SEO Is About Putting Keywords All Over the Content.

Reality: Not at all. SEO entails a wide range of activities, which can be classified into On Page SEO and Off Page SEO. Then there is technical SEO. From the ethical point of view, there is White Hat SEO (SEO practices that follow the Webmaster guidelines), Black Hat SEO (SEO practices that exploit the loopholes in search engine algorithms) and Grey Hat SEO (practices which come in between White and Black Hat SEO practices). Placing keywords all over the page for no reason is not ethical and is considered a Black Hat SEO practice.

Check Out The Best White Hat SEO Practices Here

Expectation 2: I Will Generate Tonnes of Traffic Overnight.

Reality: No, SEO takes time. Even if you follow all the webmaster guidelines religiously and produce articles of the highest quality, to build authority and trust, it will take some time, at least three to six months. Do not expect any major traffic to your site before that.

Expectation 3: Hell With Backlinks and Promotion on Social Media. I Can Build Authority and Generate Traffic Only With On-page SEO.

Reality: It doesn’t work that way. To build authority, you need the vote of confidence from other authoritative and trusted sites. This is where backlinks come to the picture. This cannot be achieved with On Page SEO. Also, promotion of social media plays multiple roles, like getting noticed by your target audience, influencers, and fellow bloggers, getting traffic from social media, establishing your brand, etc.

Check Out How To Get Backlinks Here

Expectation 4: I Don’t Need To Write Guest Blogs.

Reality: You have to write guest blogs at the initial stage. Because, that’s the easiest way to get backlinks, which, in turn, will help in improving your domain authority.

Expectation 5: Once I Do SEO Properly, I Don’t Need to Worry at All. Traffic Will Be Automatically Generated.

Reality: SEO is not a one-time thing. Search engine algorithms are constantly changing, evolving, becoming smarter. If you do not stay updated with all the recent developments, you will fall behind in the race. Your rankings will drop. So, you need to be in constant touch with everything that is happening in the industry, every change in the algorithm, and you have to strategise accordingly, implement them to maintain your rankings. Your content should always be optimised keeping in mind the updates in search engine algorithms. Even if search engine algorithms remains the same, you have to work on optimising your content. Otherwise, the rankings will drop.

Expectation 6: I Need To Allocate a Budget for SEO.

Reality: Actually, you don’t have to spend a penny if you do it the right way. Maybe on promotion on social media. But that’s because social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter works differently than search engines. Apart from that, you don’t have to allocate any budget for SEO. But yes, to see good results will take time and need a lot of hard work.

Expectation 7: SEO Is Easy and I Can Master It in No Time.

Reality: SEO needs regular reading and implementation. It needs a lot of experimentation and trials. This cannot happen overnight. As mentioned above, it needs hard work and dedication as any other skill. Being proficient at Search Engine Optimisation takes years of hard work and dedication. And yet there will always be something to learn because it is always evolving.

So, these are the top seven SEO Expectations Vs Reality. I hope you like it.

If you have any query regarding this article on SEO Expectations Vs Reality, drop your questions below and I will respond at the earliest.