The 5 SEO Myths Still Floating Around in 2025 (and Why They’re Costing You Rankings)
Here’s the funny thing about SEO: for an industry that changes almost daily, the same old nonsense keeps hanging around like a bad smell. I still hear people say, with a straight face, that you can “do SEO once and it’s done” or that “ranking #1 for one keyword is all that matters.”
It’s not just annoying — it’s expensive. Acting on bad advice doesn’t just slow you down; it actively loses you traffic, customers, and revenue. Basically, it’s a flipping waste of time, so don’t do it.
So, let’s put a few of these myths to bed, once and for all.
Myth 1: “SEO is a one-off job.”
This one refuses to die. A business launches a shiny new website, someone does “the SEO,” and everyone pats themselves on the back. Job done. Nice one.
Except… six months later, traffic isn’t coming in, competitors are outranking them, and SEO “doesn’t work.”
Here’s the truth: SEO isn’t a box-ticking exercise. It’s not “install Google Analytics, tweak a few titles, add Yoast, and walk away.” It’s ongoing maintenance, ongoing work and strategy building - just like your business is.
Think of it like running a café. You don’t brew coffee once, lock the door, and expect people to queue down the street forever. You keep opening, keep serving, keep improving. Same with SEO.
Google updates constantly. Some updates are small tweaks, others shake up entire industries.
Competitors aren’t standing still. If you pause, they’ll leapfrog you.
Your own business evolves — new services, new locations, new goals. Your SEO needs to match.
👉 If you want long-term visibility, SEO has to be baked into your business rhythm — not treated as a one-time chore.
Myth 2: “Keywords are all that matter.”
I get it. Keywords feel tangible and are exciting - ‘look what we can be found for!’ I hear you cry. They’re numbers you can point to: “Look, 1,200 people search this a month!” But clinging to keywords like they’re the whole game? That’s outdated thinking.
I still see sites where a keyword’s been crowbarred into every sentence. “Best plumber London, the London plumber best for you, find London’s best plumber.” Just no.
Here’s what really matters: intent.
Why is someone searching that keyword?
Are they ready to buy, or just researching?
Do they need reassurance, detail, or a quick answer?
Google’s AI-heavy algorithms can understand synonyms, context, and relationships. They’re not counting keyword repeats. They’re checking whether your content actually satisfies the search.
👉 Use keywords as a compass. But if your content doesn’t answer the question behind the query, you won’t last long on page one.
Myth 3: “More content = better rankings.”
This one makes me sigh. Somewhere along the way, “content is king” got twisted into “content is… more.” Cue companies churning out daily blogs nobody reads.
I once worked with a business posting 3–4 blogs a week, all under 500 words, with titles like “5 things you didn’t know about [insert vague industry topic].” Not one of them ranked, not one of them converted. They may as well have been writing love letters to Google and hiding them in a drawer.
When we stripped that back and invested in fewer, deeper, better pages, things changed. One single, well-researched, evergreen guide started pulling in more traffic than the previous six months of “meh” blogs combined.
It’s not about feeding the machine. It’s about usefulness, depth, and clarity.
👉 Stop writing for Google’s sake. Write to genuinely solve problems, and optimise those answers properly.
Myth 4: “SEO is all about rankings.”
Ah hello. This is the “vanity metric” trap. Business owners beam when they see a #1 ranking, even if it’s for a keyword that won’t ever bring them customers.
Ranking for “funny CV mistakes” might give you bragging rights. But if you’re a recruiter trying to win executive search clients, that’s traffic with zero commercial value.
Good SEO looks at the whole funnel:
Are you visible for top-funnel research queries (so people discover you early)?
Do you show up for mid-funnel comparison searches (so you’re in the consideration set)?
Are you dominant for bottom-funnel transactional searches (so you actually win the sale)?
And once that traffic lands, does your site actually convert? Are you measuring leads, sales, or sign-ups — not just “visits”?
👉 Rankings are a step. Revenue is the goal. Don’t mistake one for the other.
Myth 5: “Anyone can do SEO — just install a plugin.”
I see this all the time. A business installs Yoast or Rank Math, ticks the “green light” boxes, and thinks: “Sorted! SEO done.” Have a party hat, you boy genius.
That’s like buying a sat nav and expecting your car to drive itself.
Plugins are fantastic assistants. They’ll help you with basics like:
Meta tags
Readability
Alt text reminders
But they don’t:
Analyse competitors
Spot crawl traps
Build authority with backlinks
Map out a content strategy
Interpret data into actions
You still need a human brain for that. One who knows how to read the numbers, anticipate search trends, and make calls on where to focus.
👉 Plugins support SEO. They don’t do SEO.
So now what?
If you’ve been guilty of believing these myths, don’t worry. You’re not alone — they’re everywhere. But the sooner you ditch them, the sooner you’ll stop wasting energy and start building an SEO strategy that actually works.
And when SEO works, it doesn’t just mean “we rank a bit better.” It means:
Customers find you more easily.
You build authority in your market.
Your competitors stop eating your lunch.
Your marketing spend works harder across the board.
If you want to cut through the jargon and get SEO that actually delivers, that’s my bread and butter. Whether it’s a Milkshake audit to give your site a proper once-over, or a long-term strategy that compounds results month after month, I’ll steer you clear of the myths and into the good stuff; it’s the milky way.
