Demystifying digital marketing myths

In digital marketing, misconceptions and myths often cloud the understanding of effective strategies. As businesses navigate the dynamic landscape of online marketing, it’s crucial to distinguish between fact and fiction to create successful campaigns.

Many digital marketing myths persist in 2024, and in this article, we asked the team here at Click Consult to debunk some of these myths, shedding light on the truths behind these common misconceptions.

By unravelling these myths with up-to-date insights and our very own expert analysis, readers can better understand the evolving digital marketing sphere and be equipped to make informed decisions that drive growth and innovation.

Myth 1

SEO is dead

SEO has certainly evolved over the years, especially with search engine algorithm changes and user behaviour, but it remains an effective digital marketing strategy in 2024.

“SEO is constantly changing and is as important as ever. It remains a critical component of digital marketing in 2024, as it drives organic visibility and traffic to businesses’ online presence.” – Alan Reeves, Director of Search

With search engines like Google continuing to dominate the way customers discover and engage with products and services, optimising a website’s content, technical infrastructure, and off-site signals is essential for connecting businesses with their target audience.

Myth 2

Links are the most important SEO ranking factor

It’s true that links play a key role in SEO, but they are not the most important factor you need to consider when it comes to rankings.

“They can make a huge difference, especially when competing for the highest positions, but the most important factor varies by website, industry and competition.” – Alan Reeves, Director of Search

The key is to focus on creating high-quality content that’s relevant to your audience. A combination of high-quality content, technical optimisation, and user experience are all crucial for achieving top rankings in Google search results.

Myth 3

It’s best to always focus on the volume of backlinks to the site

The quality and relevancy of links is more crucial than quantity, and you should focus on gaining a good amount of high-quality backlinks from a variety of sources.

“Gaining higher quality backlinks based on a good domain authority can help to improve your backlink profile and ranking potential over a large number of poor quality links.” – Amy Stuart, Head of Client Services

Domain authority and the trustworthiness of sites linking to you are more impactful than the number of backlinks. When you prioritise relevance and authority over quantity, this is when you will see the best SEO results.

Myth 4

More social activity will instantly gain you more followers

There’s no doubt that being on social media is important for growing your following, but you need to remember that it takes time and consistency to see the results.

“There are many other factors that can impact this including brand awareness and relevancy of the post. The post will need to be engaging and have an initial hook. Along with the correct use of hashtags and following/engaging with other accounts to reach a relevant audience.” – Amy Stuart, Head of Client Services

Creating a content strategy that is tailored to your target audience and allows you to engage authentically with others in your industry is the most effective way to grow. Patience and persistence are key to helping you gain a loyal following.

Myth 5

Position 1 or 100% Absolute Top Impression Share is the best place to show for all ads and should be strived for

While being in the top position has its benefits, it’s not always realistic to aim for 100% of the time. It may not be the best strategy for all campaigns as you should consider other factors such as budget, target CPA, and quality score.

“Far too often users will click on the first link without much thought, and will not have read any of the qualifying ad copy and therefore not arrive on the landing page as an informed user. This leads to a higher chance of the user bouncing. There are benefits to showing at the absolute top of the page including the number of extensions and overall size/content of the ad that can be shown. However, this shouldn’t be viewed as the sole goal of a campaign.” – Will Dixon, Head of Paid Media

While Impression Share metrics can provide visibility, they shouldn’t be used as optimisation targets. There are more important factors to consider in determining the optimal ad position.

Myth 6

Tracking in my Ads Platform is wrong, as it doesn’t match what I can see in my Analytics Platform or my Back End Data

Various platforms will count results differently and understanding how each platform does this can be beneficial. You need to learn how changes to your ads affect the numbers that each platform shows.

“Ads Platforms vs Analytics Platforms vs Back End Data will all be attributed in a slightly different way – it doesn’t mean that they are wrong, there just needs to be some learning around how each platform gets to the figure they are reporting. And then further learning on how changes that are made to the campaign affect each of these figures. There should always be a source of truth when it comes to working out the performance of your paid advertising and that should be the tracking method/platform which provides the most insight and correlation when compared to Back End Data.” – Will Dixon, Head of Paid Media

The key is to use the ads platform data as a guide while continually monitoring and optimising the campaigns.

Myth 7

Digital PR coverage is guaranteed

A specific number of PR placements can not be guaranteed and is misleading as this depends on a number of factors outside an agency’s control.

“Digital PR is a service that is hugely worthwhile in terms of creating brand awareness and shouting about your products/services, however, it is never guaranteed, and it’s not a reflection of the press release. Trying to break through the noise of the hourly news cycle is difficult, and with journalists getting hundreds of emails a day, it is never guaranteed that your story will make the cut.” – Sarah Boyd, Content Marketing Manager

Most reputable agencies will focus on delivering content that is high-quality and newsworthy to earn PR coverage, and will look at additional ways that a news story or release can be repurposed to increase the chances of press coverage.

Myth 8

Content marketing is a quick win

Content marketing can provide several long-term benefits such as increased brand awareness, customer loyalty, and website traffic, but it is not a quick win.

“Content marketing takes time, and is a long-term strategy for businesses. Building online authority isn’t quick and it will take longer than anticipated to build a natural and engaged target audience who are genuinely interested in what you are talking about, therefore creating a loyal audience, which is massively worthwhile.” – Sarah Boyd, Content Marketing Manager

As with any effective strategy, content marketing requires consistent effort to see results. Expecting immediate results is unrealistic and to measure the success of content marketing you need to look at metrics like traffic, leads, and sales over an extended period.

Myth 9

Content creation is effortless, easy and open to anyone

Content creation requires time, understanding your audience, knowledge of different types of content, and developing a strategic approach that will drive results.

“Content creation demands research, strategic planning, creativity, proficient writing, and meticulous editing. It’s about understanding your target audience, messaging, and objectives. Content creation is an ongoing journey that must be consistently monitored, reported on and adapted.” – Lara Harding, Senior Organic Social Executive

Creating content that truly engages your audience can be challenging, and it’s important to research their needs, set specific goals, and put time and effort into valuable content that your audience wants to see.

Myth 10

Sheer volume is the key to success – flooding the digital space with as much content as possible will guarantee attention and results

Producing more content is not an effective strategy for capturing your audiences’ attention and this approach is likely to undermine the trust you have built with your audience.

“Content creation isn’t a numbers game; rather, it’s about quality, centred on providing value and relevance to your audience. Whether it’s informative, engaging, persuasive, or entertaining content, the focus should always be on aligning with your audience’s needs and wants. It’s crucial to ensure consistency, accuracy, and credibility in your content to cultivate trust and enhance your reputation. Content creation isn’t about mass production; it’s about creating relationships through valuable content.” – Lara Harding, Senior Organic Social Executive

Creating high-quality, engaging content with your audience in mind is the best way to gain attention and see results.

Digital marketing constantly changes, and outdated myths like those we’ve highlighted can hinder your progress. Understanding these misconceptions and embracing effective strategies can allow you to create data-driven campaigns that deliver real results. Don’t be afraid to experiment, track your results, and adapt your strategies to stay ahead of the curve.