Every company owner in any sector recognizes that understanding the fundamentals of a good SEO promotion is essential. When it comes to the marijuana industry in the United States, the push towards the legalization of cannabis for recreational use and cannabis-related goods has significantly led to greater online competition.
As a result, because there is no standardized answer in SEO, it has been surrounded by numerous myths. These SEO misconceptions in 2024 must be debunked to make it possible for you to grasp what it is that your organization needs in terms of search engine optimization.
Because SEO isn’t an exact science, each job needs a distinct approach and plan. If you are unsure about your skills, there is always an option: seek expert assistance from a standard cannabis SEO agency.
Top SEO Myths to look out for
Be careful of these following myths!
Myth 1: SEO is a one-time process
One of the most common SEO misconceptions you should avoid believing is that you just need to optimize your site once and it will keep its high position for an extended period. Nevertheless, in the constantly evolving internet world, believing something can stay steady is difficult.
Remember,
- Competitors are continuously trying to be better
- Search engines are often updating their algorithms to provide the best user experience
- You need consistent content updates or it loses its relevance
- Preferences of clients are not the same all the time, and their search queries change all the time
Myth 2: SEO has no ROI
This false notion might also be regarded as an important SEO myth to avoid. Based on the niche, improving site rankings can require over 6-12 months. As a result, effective optimization involves ensuring lasting value for your company.
If you apply search engine techniques effectively and carefully, taking them step by step, you are going to get a golden ticket to increase your exposure, receive excellent organic traffic, and establish brand trust and recognition. All of this assures that your company will develop consistently, and acquire profit and market share, over time.
Myth 3: SEO gives guaranteed outcomes
When it comes to adopting an SEO strategy, there’s not a single universal option. Everything depends on the sector, platform, money, competition, and end objective. As a consequence, claims of particular guaranteed outcomes in SEO should be classified as one of the SEO myths.
Myth 4: No need for an SEO agency with in-depth industry knowledge
Because Google is capable of handling over a hundred billion queries every month, predicting what terms will occur tomorrow is nearly impossible. As a result, there is no assurance of rapid search engine results for any given platform or sector. However, a great SEO campaign can produce long-term results if you select an optimization service with an extensive understanding of your sector.
In the cannabis sector, if a cannabis SEO agency has worked with certain sector website rankings for a long time, their staff has an experience in the following areas:
- Precise keyword search
- Deep analysis of competitors
- Building high-quality links
- Creating relevant content and more.
Myth 5: Keywords are unnecessary
The cornerstones of SEO success are keyword research and content that is optimized for consumers’ search intent.
When conducting keyword research, you select the questions that are most useful and applicable to your target audience. Then, by including them in your platform’s content, you may make the website searchable to search engines. As a result, they can accurately identify and index the subject matter of your website. Deep keyword research also gives you confidence that the website will be optimized for the most commonly used method of looking for a topic. This allows you to generate as much organic search traffic as possible.
Myth 6: Link-Building has no impact on SERPs ranking
The days of using forum comments spun articles, and irrelevant directories as link sources are long gone. Link-building is no longer as simple as it once was due to changes in the algorithms of search engines, but it is still necessary. The belief that link development is not a rank element is a misconception that may also be classified as an SEO myth. Google “rewards” a certain platform for having superior, relevant links while punishing another for having spammed ones.
Myth 7: Page-loading speed isn’t important
Many people believe that the loading speed of a web page isn’t important when it comes to SEO. It also falls within the category of SEO misconceptions. Every user who accesses your platform anticipates having the ability to access everything in a few seconds. If your website loads sluggishly, visitors may become annoyed and lack interest in your services while they wait. On the other hand, when the website reacts to consumers fast and effectively, they may spend more time on it, resulting in increased conversion rates.
Myth 8: Longer content is better for SEO
One of the greatest and most common SEO misconceptions is that lengthier content ranks higher. This notion may have originated in SEO forums, but there isn’t any evidence to support it. The reality is that top-ranking pages containing an average of 1,500 words do not imply that your sites also need similar or near-to-similar word count for placement on the initial page of SERPs.
Myth 9: Mobile friendliness is irrelevant
Google has been interested in mobile compatibility since the early 2000s. So, when Mobile-First was introduced in 2018, it rapidly became one of the most significant modifications. However, the SEO myth that it is insignificant persists.
To dispel one of the most common fallacies, let us first examine the numbers. According to CNBC, almost 2 billion individuals now access the internet only through their phones. Furthermore, by 2025, this figure will have risen to about 4 billion, accounting for roughly three-quarters of all online users.
Myth 10: Google ignores bad and broken links
Among the many SEO misconceptions exposed above, one that stands out is the one about poor links. Sharing links across websites is one method of establishing trust with users and potential clients, establishing authority, and increasing conversion rates. Internal and external links that offer value to the website are included in a smart linking strategy. As a result, the type of links embedded in the material will represent the platform’s authority and value to users.
However, this does not mean that when it involves adopting link-building as part of an optimization plan, one should fall into the trap of employing offensive, unnatural, or bad links. As stated in the title, Google will not overlook that form of a link. They can be detrimental to your entire site’s SEO and have an adverse effect on its ranks. Furthermore, based on the strictness of the algorithmic downgrading, it might take as long as eight months or more to get it erased if you are banned by Google. Most cannabis SEO agency prioritizes this point.
Myth 11: You won’t need Meta tags
If you are involved with SEO or have been exploring its specifics for a while, you have almost certainly heard about the SEO misconception concerning Meta tags. However, the assertion that they are unimportant is just incorrect.
The Meta tag is what permits the search engine to gain access to site information. This particular type of HTML tag is used in search engine results to display previews of a page’s content. Meta tags often include the title tag and the Meta description.
Myth 12: SEO must be done every day
Different sites in different sectors require varying amounts of time to develop a digital marketing strategy and implement SEO methods. One of the most popular SEO fallacies is that one needs to commit 8 hours each day to SEO in order to get results.
Myth 13: Content has no importance
This is one of the most frequent SEO fallacies, and it is simple to debunk. While Google’s algorithms are continuously evolving, the best indicator of relevance for Google is content. This search engine relies heavily on content to determine which searches to rank a platform for. The site will simply not rank in search engines if the content is not optimized.
All of the above SEO fallacies are highly applicable to the cannabis sector. It’s because the marketing success of hemp-related products mainly depends on organic traffic that can only be done via SEO.
So, if you are a cannabis business, who was about to fall for these traps, it’s time to move on from them and hire a professional and standard cannabis SEO agency. TopIT Cannabis is a cannabis SEO company with expertise in cannabis SEO for several years. We are here to help you follow a unique strategy that will be tailored to your marijuana business needs. Are you ready?