SEO is undoubtedly one of the most discussed topics in internet marketing—constantly being read about and researched. And rightfully so, given how crucial solid SEO is for effectively growing a brand in the digital space. However, it’s surprising that even today, some people still believe in various "myths" about SEO or have completely wrong ideas about how it works.

We all want our SEO to be correct, efficient, and powerful. We pay special attention to it, whether we’re developing our own project or working on a client’s request. So why do myths and legends about SEO still persist? And why do even some marketers believe in them?

Some of these myths may seem funny—but others can seriously get in the way of improving your website, search traffic, ranking, and even your content strategy and promotion.

None of us want to spend weeks refining one SEO element, only to find out a month later that it’s completely irrelevant to Google, Yandex, or Bing. That’s why this article aims to debunk some of the most widespread myths and explain why they’re misleading.

SEO is a scam

Myth: Clients often believe that online marketers overcharge for SEO services and do nothing useful—potentially even harming the site.

Reality: Just look at a site’s traffic graph over a few years where SEO was actively developed. Increased traffic, better conversions, and improved search rankings—this is exactly what we all want.

Sadly, this myth stems from the actions of unscrupulous SEO companies that use spammy link blasts to artificially boost rankings. Yes, this may work in the short term—but as soon as Google/Yandex detect that the referring domains are spammy, your ranking collapses.

For ethical marketers and agencies genuinely working to improve traffic and user experience, SEO is an ongoing process that helps clients beat competitors and succeed in search.

The myth persists because people mistakenly believe SEO offers quick wins with minimal effort. It doesn’t. It takes consistent investment, time, hard work, and above all—patience. Lots of it.

Faster is better

Myth: Every time Google/Yandex updates its algorithm, marketers must immediately overhaul the website to stay on top.

Reality: Every search engine regularly refines its algorithm. Google, for example, makes around 500 changes a year (give or take). You might not notice most of them—but they do happen. Out of all these updates, only the core algorithm updates are worth major attention.

When such updates happen, it’s best to wait and observe how they affect your site. If your SEO is solid, the impact is likely minimal—or even positive, since weaker competitors may drop out.

There’s no such thing as a perfect search algorithm, so updates are inevitable. When important changes happen, companies usually publish guidelines—just like when Adsense had to be adapted for GDPR compliance.

You can also follow the Webmaster Central Blog and track top SEO experts on social media. Another good habit—save and compare site analytics data over time, especially after major updates. But remember: panic never leads to good SEO decisions.

Google optimization is enough

Myth: If your site is optimized for Google, there’s no need to bother with other search engines.

Reality: Google may have 40–60% of the global search market—but Yandex and Bing still hold a big chunk. And both are important for marketers. These other engines behave a bit differently from Google.

For example, Bing doesn’t prioritize backlinks. It focuses on user behavior, social media signals, ad click-through rates, and keyword relevance in domains. Google/Yandex don’t include metrics like Facebook shares or Twitter followers in their ranking—but Bing does.

Another key difference: Yandex delays indexing new sites for weeks or months, waiting to see if the project matures. Google, however, constantly re-ranks individual pages. Also, Google cares about meta descriptions, keywords, and handles duplicate content more leniently.

If you want 100% traffic potential, optimize for all three—Google, Bing, and Yandex.

HTTPS is only for e-commerce

Myth: Encryption via HTTPS is only necessary for online stores.

Reality: Starting July 2018, Google began prioritizing HTTPS sites in search—and Chrome now warns users when a connection isn’t secure.

In early 2018, the volume of encrypted internet traffic finally surpassed unencrypted traffic globally, according to Mozilla. With Google’s announcements, HTTPS is now essential for all websites. It ensures privacy, data integrity, and authenticity.

Yes, HTTPS may require yearly certificate fees, re-indexing, and redirects—but in today’s environment, it’s a worthwhile upgrade.

H1 tags boost rankings

Myth: Using H1 (heading) tags is essential for good SEO.

Reality: That’s not quite true. H1 tags help structure content for users and improve visual hierarchy—but they don’t directly impact SEO.

Google’s Matt Cutts explains in this video that whether you use H1 or H2 doesn’t matter much. What counts is having relevant, useful content. A few years ago, H1 tags were important—but today, they’re just part of standard practice.

Links = penalties

Myth: Google penalizes sites for having too many backlinks.

Reality: Actually, Google (unlike Yandex) rewards sites for quality backlinks—as long as they come from relevant and trusted sources. Yandex favors domain-level links, while Google prefers page-level ones.

If your backlinks come from spammy, irrelevant, or malicious sites, any search engine may penalize you. That’s when your site starts to look like spam.

Below is an example of a promotional post that isn’t considered spam:

If you stick to reputable sources, you’ve got nothing to worry about. Posting thoughtful comments with links in forums or social media is fine. But if a link is dropped without value—it might get flagged or removed.

Ask yourself: are you adding value when sharing a link? If yes—you’re doing it right.

Conclusion

This list of SEO myths covers just a few of the more popular ones. Others exist too—and clients often repeat them to appear knowledgeable, even if they won’t actually do the work. These myths can also cause friction among marketers, developers, and designers in small teams.

We hope we’ve debunked a few myths and inspired you to think more critically about SEO claims.

SEO isn’t an exact science. Digital marketing and the internet are constantly evolving—and misinformation is everywhere. So focus less on outdated tactics and more on smart, ethical, and data-driven SEO.

In the next part, we’ll explore more SEO myths—about sitemap importance, duplicate content, and whether Google even ranks pages at all. Are those beliefs true? Let’s find out.