Let’s have a proper chat about your website traffic – not the kind that has you stuck on the A13 behind a white van on a rainy Tuesday morning, but the online sort. The kind you pour your heart into chasing, only to feel like you’re on a treadmill that never quite leads to your dream audience.
I’ve been there. Sat at the kitchen table with a lukewarm cuppa, wondering why the blog post I just knew was brilliant didn’t bring in a single soul from Google. It's not that your content's bad. It's that some of the advice floating about is… well, stuck in 2018.
So let’s bust five of the biggest SEO traffic myths that are costing you time, money, and possibly your last nerve.
❌ Myth #1: Higher Rankings = More Traffic
Now, this one sounds logical, doesn’t it? Move from page 2 to the top of page 1, and the traffic will pour in like guests at a bottomless brunch.
Only… it often doesn’t.
I once helped a client climb from position 5 to position 2 for a juicy keyword, and guess what? The traffic barely budged. Why? Because the search result had a lovely little box at the top answering the query outright. No need to click through. Google had already served the answer.
We spent ages tweaking headlines and obsessing over backlinks – all for vanity metrics. Lesson learned? Rankings look good on paper, but real success lives in conversions, not charts and graphs.
❌ Myth #2: More Content = More Visitors
Back in the day, you could churn out content every week and see your traffic grow steadily.
But now? It’s a noisy online world, with AI-generated snippets and Google’s featured answers stealing the show.
I remember working with a business owner who proudly told me they were posting daily. But their traffic? Flat as a pancake. Turns out, they were rushing their content, ticking boxes instead of genuinely helping their readers. No substance, no soul.
It’s not about posting more. It’s about creating something worth reading. Something that makes your ideal customer nod and say, “That’s exactly what I needed.”
❌ Myth #3: Keyword Tools Know All
I used to spend hours digging through keyword research tools. “This one gets 10,000 searches a month!” I’d think, giddy with excitement.
And yet… tumbleweeds.
Why? Because just because a tool says there’s traffic doesn’t mean people are clicking through. Google now answers many questions straight in the results, especially the popular ones.
Real users don’t behave like keyword tools predict. They use voice search, scroll quickly, and often never leave the results page. Instead of chasing big volume, focus on what your audience is really asking – the stuff that doesn’t show up in the tools.
❌ Myth #4: Link Building Still Moves the Needle
Ah, link building – the SEO darling of the past. I’ve sat in meetings where people debated over domain authority scores like they were picking horses at Cheltenham.
Here’s the truth: most of the links that actually matter come from real relationships and genuinely good content. Not guest posts on forgotten blogs or trading links like it’s the digital dark ages.
I’ve seen small businesses grow faster by engaging on social, being helpful in Facebook groups, or partnering with local brands than by sending 500 cold emails asking for backlinks.
Build relationships, not link spreadsheets.
❌ Myth #5: Technical SEO Will Fix Everything
I’m not saying technical SEO doesn’t matter – it does. Broken pages and slow load speeds can absolutely cause issues.
But once your site is running fairly smoothly, spending hours obsessing over schema markup or shaving 0.2 seconds off your mobile speed isn’t going to bring the crowd in.
A client once paid for a full technical audit. Thousands of pounds later, the report was full of suggestions… none of which moved the needle on traffic. What did? Updating their home page copy to actually speak to their audience.
Focus on the human side of SEO – helpful content, clear calls-to-action, and a user journey that feels like a good cuppa with a friend.
Bonus Myth: Social Media Doesn’t Impact SEO
Let me tell you something that’ll raise a few SEO eyebrows: social signals matter.
Not in a “post on Instagram and jump to the top of Google” way, but in a “build a brand people search for” way.
Social content sparks curiosity. Someone sees your post, loves your vibe, and types your name into Google. That’s a branded search. And guess what? Google pays attention to that.
I’ve seen clients with modest followings outrank big brands simply because their audience talks about them, searches for them, and actually engages with what they share.
So no, social isn’t separate. It’s part of the picture.
Let’s Be Honest…
These myths stick around because they used to work. And a lot of people still sell them because that’s what their courses, tools, and services were built around.
But clinging to outdated tactics is like trying to navigate the Tube using a map from 1983 – confusing, frustrating, and you’ll probably end up somewhere you really didn’t want to be.
If you’ve ever felt like SEO is a time-suck with little return, it’s not you. It’s the advice.
Try this instead:
✅ Focus on building an audience, not just traffic
✅ Prioritise content that helps, not just content that ranks
✅ Use email, social, and partnerships to amplify your visibility
✅ Measure real outcomes, not just impressions or vanity rankings
And above all? Trust yourself. You’re not here to play the algorithm game. You’re here to connect, serve, and grow your business.
If you need help figuring out what actually works now – not five years ago – I’m here for that.
Put the myths down. Pick up a strategy that fits the now.
And have that cuppa. You’ve earned it.
— Sarah x
