One of the main things that makes SEO so difficult is the black box nature of how Google works. Without knowing exactly what does and doesn’t work in SEO it’s difficult to decide on which factors to spend more time and money on. There are a lot of tasks that a website owner needs to do to rank well in search. There are lots of different levers that can influence rankings, but they’re not all equal. Some will move the needle a tiny amount or not at all, and some will make it jump massively. Knowing which things to avoid spending your time on can be just as important as the things you should definitely spend time on. Established SEO companies know which tactics work and don’t work through trial and error tests.
Let’s look at some common SEO tactics that won’t guarantee you ranking success, and that you can safely stop worrying about.
Page speed if your page loading speed is less than a second
Google’s search ranking algorithm does care about speed. Google has confirmed that it is a small ranking factor. But it is important to consider what it means in the grand scheme of things. As long as your site loads fast enough that your users don’t notice it then that’s enough. There is nothing extra to be gained by obsessing over getting a perfect score on Google’s page speed tool. If your site is slow, and most are then you need to get it sorted but once it’s loading effectively move on to something else.
Meta descriptions, Google will likely make up their own anyway
For years, Meta descriptions were hailed as an important part of SEO. They’re what users see as the preview snippet on the search engine results page, and it made sense that writing a good one could help your rankings. In truth, while a Meta description can influence click through rates, Google doesn’t necessarily use the one you’ve carefully crafted. Google frequently rewrites Meta descriptions based on the search query and what it thinks will serve the user best. That means your efforts in writing the perfect description may not even show up. Meta descriptions aren’t a ranking factor in themselves. A good description is nice to have for your users, but Google is probably going to do its own thing anyway so don’t put a lot of time and effort into it until other more important tasks are done first. Focus on content that matters for ranking instead.
Writing short blog posts
There’s this persistent myth that shorter blog posts are great for SEO. It likely comes from the advice that content is good for SEO and that Google loves content. That much is true but you have to think of your content in relation to your competitor’s. If the top ranking ten pages of content are all over 2000 words, well researched and written and full of images and video then it makes it highly unlikely that your 1 hour 500 word blog post will have any impact at all. Quality beats quantity.
Writing short, shallow blog posts may keep your content calendar busy, but it won’t necessarily help your SEO efforts. Google favours content that answers searchers’ questions in a meaningful way. That usually involves detailed and useful posts. Aim for content that really digs into the topic at hand. Longer posts that are well-researched and provide value to your readers are much more likely to be recognised by search engines.
Writing content that’s low quality
While it seems obvious, the internet is full of low quality content, often produced with the mistaken belief that sheer volume will boost SEO. But pumping out posts just to hit a word count or pad out your site is not only unhelpful but can also actively harm your SEO efforts. Google’s algorithms have gotten much better at detecting poor quality content. They look for factors like how much time people spend on your page and whether they engage with the material. If your content isn’t good enough visitors will bounce quickly, and search engines will take notice.
Low quality content can include keyword stuffing, poorly researched material, spelling and grammar mistakes or articles that offer no real value to the reader. In contrast, high quality content answers questions thoroughly, offers unique perspectives, and is well structured and easy to read. So, instead of worrying about cranking out more content, focus on making each post something that people want to read and share. Quality over quantity really does matter when it comes to SEO.
There are exceptions though. Consider a site like the Daily Mail.com. That sites pumps out content with constant spelling and grammar errors and constantly ranks highly for a huge range of keywords. That site has a very high site authority with all the associated metrics that implies and big brands get preferential treatment by Google.
Alt tags for images
Alt tags have their place, but their impact on SEO is often overstated. Alt tags are mainly there for accessibility, ensuring that people using screen readers or those with visual impairments can understand the content of images. While it’s good practice to include them, especially for user experience and accessibility, they don’t carry as much SEO weight as many people think.
Some SEO advice would have you believe that filling your alt tags with keywords will magically boost your rankings. But that’s not the case. Google uses alt text to understand the content of an image, yes, but it’s not a strong ranking factor. And if you try to cram your alt tags with keywords in the hopes of gaining an SEO advantage, it can backfire. Google might see this as spammy behaviour, which can hurt your rankings rather than help.
Instead, write descriptive alt text that accurately describes the image. If a relevant keyword fits naturally, fine, but forcing them in for the sake of SEO won’t give you the returns you’re hoping for.
Keyword density obsession
Keywords still matter in SEO. Search engines need some kind of signal to understand what your content is about. But the obsession with getting an exact keyword density, like 2.5% of your text, or whatever the latest figure floating around might be is largely outdated. Google’s algorithms have evolved to the point where they can understand context, synonyms, and related topics.
Having your target keywords included within your content is important, and more than once is often necessary but there is no exact density to aim for.
Conclusion
SEO is a game where what you put in can determine what you get out of it. If you spend the majority of your optimisation time focusing on trivial issues while your competitors are out there launching PR campaigns, publishing consistent quality content and focusing on improving their users experiences across their platform then you will have no chance. Make sure that you have a solid plan that only contains tasks that will get you closer to the finish line.
