80: SEO Myths & Errors you can IGNORE

Summary

In this episode, Meredith's husband debunks common SEO myths and shares five technical issues website owners often encounter that don't significantly impact SEO performance. He emphasizes ignoring warnings like low text-to-HTML ratio, long title tags, and JavaScript/CSS file issues, which SEMrush may flag but are not crucial to fix. Website owners can save time and effort by focusing on more important SEO elements, improving overall website management efficiency.

SEO Myths Debunked: 5 Common Technical Issues You Can Ignore

As a website owner, you’ve likely come across various SEO tools like SEMrush that flag a range of issues—some of which might make you panic. But not every warning or error is worth your time and attention. In fact, some of these so-called issues won’t harm your SEO at all. In a recent podcast, Meredith's husband breaks down five common technical SEO myths that often leave people feeling overwhelmed, and he explains why they can be safely ignored.

By understanding which issues don’t matter, you can better focus on the elements of SEO that actually impact your site’s performance and user experience.

1. Low Text-to-HTML Ratio

This is a common warning in tools like SEMrush, especially for sites built on platforms like Squarespace. The warning suggests that your page has too little text compared to the amount of HTML code. While this might sound alarming, it’s completely unnecessary to fix. Google has publicly stated that a low text-to-HTML ratio doesn’t impact your ranking, so you can safely ignore this warning. Just be sure that you aren’t seeing a related “low word count” error, as that would require more content on the page.

2. Long Title Tags

Another frequent issue is long title tags. While it’s often better to keep titles concise so they aren't truncated in search results, having long title tags won’t hurt your SEO. The only downside is that your keywords may become diluted in a longer title, reducing focus. If your title tags are too long, they may be cut off in search results, but this doesn’t negatively impact rankings—it’s just a visual preference.

3. Description Tags: Length and Keywords

Description tags are another area where people tend to worry unnecessarily. SEMrush might flag your description tags as too long, but exceeding the character limit won’t harm SEO—it just means the extra text won’t be displayed. What’s more important is that each page has a unique description tag. Duplicating these tags across multiple pages or missing them entirely can hurt SEO, so focus on creating unique tags rather than worrying about their length.

4. JavaScript and CSS File Issues

If you’re using platforms like Squarespace or WordPress, you might encounter warnings about JavaScript or CSS files being uncompressed or unminified. For most site owners, these technical issues don’t need immediate attention, especially since some platforms don’t allow you to fix them easily. Trying to fix these issues can sometimes cause more harm than good. If you’re running a basic website, it’s best to put these issues at the bottom of your priority list and focus on more important tasks like content optimization.

5. Notices in SEMrush

SEMrush and other SEO tools often display a category called “Notices,” which includes a variety of minor issues that don’t require urgent attention. While most of these notices can be ignored, Meredith’s husband suggests paying attention to two specific ones:

• Permanent Redirects: It’s a good idea to review any pages using permanent redirects to ensure they are functioning properly.

• Orphaned Pages in Sitemaps: These are pages that aren't linked to other pages on your site. While not critical, they should be reviewed to improve internal linking and site structure.

Key Points:

• Ignore low text-to-HTML ratio warnings; they don't impact SEO.

• Long title tags may look unappealing but won't harm rankings.

• Description tags should be unique, but don't worry about character limits.

• JavaScript and CSS file issues are minor and can often be ignored.

• Focus on permanent redirects and orphaned pages when reviewing SEMrush notices.

Focus on What Matters

By clearing up these SEO myths, you can focus your time and energy on tasks that actually make a difference for your website. Instead of stressing over technicalities, prioritize creating valuable content, optimizing for user experience, and ensuring that your site is well-organized and accessible.

Resources

• Meredith’s husband suggests checking out his blog for detailed advice on handling permanent redirects and orphaned pages.