The article critiques common SEO recommendations provided by automated audit tools, highlighting that many suggestions, like shortening title tags or using hreflang tags, are unnecessary or misleading. Title tags can be longer than 60 characters without negative impact, while hreflang tags are irrelevant for single-language sites. The author emphasizes that understanding which SEO practices are beneficial versus those that waste time is crucial for successful do-it-yourself SEO. Using HTML headings effectively is important, but strict sequential placement should not consume significant resources, as it may not yield better rankings.
“SEO tools often flag longer title tags as a weakness. This is false; Google considers the entire title to assess relevancy, even if partly cropped.”
“Hreflang is unnecessary for all sites, as modern web browsers and accessibility screen readers determine the language programmatically.”
“HTML headings should appear sequentially when possible, but it’s unlikely to improve rankings, so ignore placement if it requires much time or money.”
“Understanding helpful SEO practices versus harmful recommendations is crucial for effective do-it-yourself SEO, preventing distractions from worthwhile tactics.”
Collection
[
|
...
]