A lot of myths exist about different things. Although many of them are relatively harmless, you should not ignore those that involve SEO. Not familiarizing yourself with these common SEO misconceptions will lead you to waste your precious time, effort, and money. To ensure that you will use your resources wisely this coming new year, here are the truths you should know about SEO: Myth 1: SEO is no longer relevant The "death" of SEO has been a topic going around for years now, and yet it is still alive and kicking today. People who propagate this myth are usually those who have not yet discovered the right way to utilize its effectiveness. Despite using popular keywords, many businesses do not end up on the first pages of major search engines due to high competition, not because SEO is dead. Some also say that paid media is slowly taking over organic searches. However, you should know that search engines do not just freely give away these top spots. It will still take a business a combination of different elements to secure their placements. If you are wondering if you should still invest your money in SEO this 2021, the answer is yes. It may be tough to rank on top, but you can get the results you want with the right tools and execution. Myth 2: SEO rankings are based on the age of the domain A domain's age does not always equate with its rankings, so this assumption is a myth. A website's age may affect its rank, but it is not the sole basis. Having a longstanding website gives you more opportunities for backlinking, but that means that you have to put in the work to acquire those backlinks in the first place. Your website's age alone will not automatically put it in the top spot. You will need to consider other factors to effectively boost your online presence. In other words, you still need the latest SEO techniques and best practices to ensure your website makes it to the top of search results. You will also need to properly utilize them to improve your reputation, which is what will ultimately bring more organic traffic to your website. Myth 3: Backlinks do not matter Backlinks serve as a signal to search engines that your online content is supported by other websites. Some do not believe in the power that backlinks have, but they act as a vote of confidence between sites. Having backlinks for your website can help you build traffic and credibility, thereby increasing your chances of ranking on search engines. However, having plenty of backlinks does not guarantee that your website will rank better. You need to ensure that you prioritize quality over quantity. Remember, the point is to get support from other established domains. If those other domains are not credible, then all those backlinks will provide little to no benefit. Myth 4: You can keep ignoring the image alt tags Search engine crawlers read your images' alt text to learn what they are about. If you keep on ignoring them, you will fail to improve your ranking. People use keywords when searching for images. When they see your photo on the search engine results page and click on it, it can lead them to your website. Do not take the image alt text options for granted. Instead, use them to your advantage. Conclusion SEO is only as effective as how you make it to be. Consider these new truths you learned about SEO when making your 2021 strategy. Finally, keep your eyes open for more developments that could affect your rankings, and make sure to respond to them appropriately. Need local SEO solutions for your business? Talk to us at Envision Marketing. We can help make your brand look better, rank better and sell better. We are committed to providing our clients with opportunities for growth and success when it comes to their business goals. Contact us at 713-364-8815 to learn how we can help.