As SEO professionals, we are inundated with information on how to improve our campaigns. However, not all advice is created equal. Some recommendations may be hindering our progress rather than helping it. In this article, we’ll explore some common SEO mirages and how to avoid them.
Mirage #1: Backlinks
Backlinks have long been touted as a crucial factor in SEO success. While it’s true that links can help increase traffic and rankings, they aren’t always the best use of resources. Investing in backlinks may be a smart move if your site is small and has a weak link profile. However, if your content is low quality, no amount of links will make up for it. Additionally, tying a link campaign to profitability can be challenging. While backlinks should still be considered, they shouldn’t be the sole focus of an SEO strategy.
Mirage #2: Technical Audits
Technical SEO audits can be helpful in identifying website flaws. However, relying too heavily on technical recommendations can waste time and resources. Instead, focus on the big-picture aspects of crawling, indexing, and rendering content. Not all technical best practices are necessary for driving a high-performance website. It’s important to distinguish between critical technical issues and low-impact ones.
Mirage #3: Page Speed & Core Web Vitals
With Google announcing Core Web Vitals as a ranking factor, many SEOs have become obsessed with improving scores. While slow page speed can certainly hold a site back, focusing solely on technical scores isn’t always the best use of resources. Unless a site is failing CWV scores, large projects to improve technical scores may not yield significant growth.
Mirage #4: Data Analysis
While data analysis is an important part of SEO, it’s easy to get lost in spreadsheets and lose sight of the bigger picture. Often, speed is more important than perfection regarding data reporting. Presentable data should be prioritized over perfectly polished reports.
Mirage #5: Tools
SEO tools can be beneficial, but it’s easy to fall into the trap of using too many unnecessary ones. The shiny-object syndrome can lead to wasted time and budget. It’s important to distinguish between tools that are powerful and those that are just “SEO must-haves.”
Mirage #6: Scale
Scaling content is a common tactic in SEO, but it can come with hidden costs. AI-generated content can be difficult to manage and can lead to sub-par content. Quality should always be prioritized over sheer quantity.
Mirage #7: Dev-Dependent Projects
It’s easy to get frustrated when a project is stalled while waiting on a dev team. However, it’s important to focus on elements within our control and find other levers to pull when a project is at a standstill. Letting go of dev-dependent projects can help free up time and resources for more impactful work.
Mirage #8: Draining Requests from Senior Leaders
Leaders may not always have a deep understanding of SEO, which can lead to poorly thought-out requests. It’s important to push back against requests that drain time and resources and focus on projects that will have a meaningful impact.
In conclusion, it’s important to let go of low-yield SEO activities and focus on what truly drives growth. By avoiding these SEO mirages, we can optimize our campaigns and achieve greater success.
