Over the years, search engine optimization (SEO) has given birth to some misconceptions or myths that create confusion about the performance of SEO. In the last few years, SEO has undergone a radical evolution with constant algorithmic updates (Panda, Penguin and Hummingbird) and made the modern-day SEO totally different from what it was. The methods that were once industry standards can now make a site lame. The methods of indexing pages, performing searches and influencing rankings have transformed.

Modern SEO strategies are not about ranking a website well in search results but also offering users a better experience. SEO can help users get the best information, and turn the fortune of a brand. Let’s have a look at some of the common SEO myths that still fear business enterprises, SEO professionals and SEO companies in the digital age of 2015.

SEO is all about getting top rankings: It is easy to measure the rank, but tough to set up true success metrics. Today, it is not about getting top rankings with a handful of keywords, it is about the business and customers you’re getting from the same rankings. In a successful SEO campaign, it is not necessary to rank No. 1 for every keyword.

Stuffing content with keywords achieve top rankings: The idea of stuffing keywords is still favored as they believe keyword density can be useful for optimal performance. It will be great to write fantastic content for your visitors, not search engines. Use keywords in a natural way and try to avoid phrases exactly because modern search algorithms are intelligent and understand synonyms.

Keywords need an exact match: Now, you needn’t repeat keywords exactly the same way in any piece of content. Again, keep in mind that you are writing for your readers, not for search engines.

Remember: Google has taken initiative by penalizing sites having thin, low quality, and spammy content.

Link-building is dying: Sometimes ago, link building was known for earning as many links as possible on a large variety of websites with keyword rich anchor text. Now, Google has instructed to produce natural links earned through authoritative websites. Moreover, guest blogging is almost over as it is used to produce too many spammy and unnatural links.

Remember: Links should be built for the benefit of the reader, not for SEO purposes.

Meta tags are important for rankings: In 2009, Google said that the Meta Description and Meta Keywords tags were are no longer ranking factors within its search algorithm. The main purpose of using a Meta Keywords tag was to inform search crawlers about the nature of the webpage content, but spammers abused it by stuffing it with long lists of keywords. Although these have no impact on Google rankings, yet they are still included into the SERPs. So, it is good to write coercive descriptions of the webpage content to entice clicks.

A professional and reputed search engine optimization company always prefers to use the best SEO practices to its clients that bring business too.