Just when you think you’re getting the hang of SEO, you learn that you’ve read something incorrectly, or had a different idea of what constitutes good SEO practice.

Employing an effective SEO strategy can be a little like taking a blindfolded wack at a pinata. You aren’t sure if you’ll connect, it’s a seemingly random swing from an outsider’s perspective and there may not be any reward.

While this sometimes describes marketing in general, at least until you’re able to understand your audience a little bit more, SEO strategy should be more straightforward. There are certain steps one can take to successfully get your content in front of your target audience.

Our SEO myths debunked: Part one post broke down just some of the myths to be on the lookout for; here are three more:

There isn’t a true difference between HTTP and HTTPS
False. Turns out, that extra “s” makes a big difference. Typically used by websites with any sort of e-commerce element, the “s” indicates that the connection to your website is encrypted and safe from hackers. The “s” is part of SSL, or Secure Sockets Layer, and is now actually a part of Google’s ranking factor because Google cares about making sure their users are experiencing websites that’ll privatize your data.

Never use a website pop-up because ranking is negatively affected
Well, not always. Pop-ups on your website typically work to grab a visitor’s attention. Whether that’s to let them know about a sale or entice them to sign up for your newsletter, pop-ups are an effective marketing strategy. In 2017, Google worried some website owners by declaring that pop-ups that were intrusive would cause their website to be penalized.

The keyword here is intrusive. As long as your pop-up isn’t getting in the way of your visitor’s ability to access and use your mobile website, you’re in the clear. Keep your pop-up to a reasonable amount of mobile screen space and never fear the wrath of Google rankings.

Images can’t, or don’t need to be, optimized
Very much false. On-page SEO includes the images you include anywhere on your website. By titling your image and giving the image an alt text, you’re telling Google what the image is (and anyone using a screen reader too). Take care to describe what the image actually is and the relevancy of that image in your content.

Your SEO strategy doesn’t have to be over-complicated; simple tweaks and an understanding of standard SEO practices that work will do the trick.

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