Top 10 Seo Myths

Top 10 SEO Myths Lets get down to the truth shall we? By DynamoAsh.com

1. Keyword and description META tags are the most important part of SEO
This used to mean something a few years ago. Now days the Keyword META tag is completely ignored by search engines like Google. The reason for this is primarily because the META tags are not visible to the visitor and as such can easily be misused to trick search engines into believing the site is about something that it is really not. So what matters now is actually the visible text on your page. I have been told that some other search engines might look at the keyword META tag so doesn’t harm to have it there but not important at all. And as for the Description META tag, this one again has no baring on your SEO but is useful one to have because search engines like Google us this as the site description in the search results.

2. Search engine technology is moving too fast: I can’t keep up!
Yes Google and other search engines keep updating and improving their algorithm all the time, but the underlying concepts of SEO has always been the same and will remain the same. Create interesting and valuable content on a well designed and developed infrastructure. Next start spreading the word about your website by building relationships, providing and asking for links and building buzz in social media. These basic core principles will get you a long way.

3. Submitting my site to search engines takes forever
Again more of a thing of the past.
Consider this facts: Google, Yahoo and Bing (MSN) have a 95% market-share of all search engines.
Once your website is designed and developed to be search engine friendly it will automatically get discovered and indexed by Google, Yahoo and Bing. Take for example this blog. I launched the blog in Oct 2009. 2 weeks later it was included in all the three search engines without me having to do any submission.

4. SEO is dangerous and can get my site taken off the search engines.
Good SEO is about using ethical and best practice technique to help your site get the ranking it deserves. Your site will never be taken off if you stick with Good ethical SEO (also referred to as white hat). On the other hand there are people who try to trick search engines and use spammy and un-ethical techniques which can indeed harm your ranking. This darker side of SEO is also referred to as black hat. If you have the long term benefit of your site in mind then I would recommend to stay away from risky and spammy techniques!
Useful link: Here is what Google recommends about hiring an SEO http://www.google.com/support/webmasters

5. I’ll see results from SEO quickly.
Although some elements of SEO can have a quick impact, namely fixing the technical aspect of your site. The main impact of SEO, specially in competitive markets, will only happen in the long run and will require ongoing effort. After all the biggest factor in SEO is link building and link building will takes time.

6. Visitor numbers to my site is an important element of SEO
Some people believe that the number of visitors to your site has a major impact on the SEO rankings. I have heard this question before: my website is new so it’s not possible to have good ranking in search engines before achieving a high traffic? This assumption is actually not correct at all. Although of course the end result of any successful website is high traffic but in-fact Google has no way of actually judging pages bases on the number of visitors. What will give you good ranking is good quality content with the right keywords and then a healthy number of back links.
Just one point to add I am not saying that visitor numbers won’t matter at all. With the ever increasing ways of collecting page visit data, for example via Google tool bar, Google can see the visitor numbers to many pages and this might also have a bearing on their algorithm but the weight of this factor is not very high compared to the all the major factors.

7. SEO is a hands off project. Let the consultant take care of it
Be very carful here. Although a technical SEO consultant might be good at fixing all the technical issues, when it comes to keywords and links nobody knows your business better than you so you need to play a very active part here. Otherwise it just wont work. Also be very carful with services that give you high quantity of links for small money. Chances are these links are very spammy websites such as link farms or low quality automated directories.

8. SEO is about tricking search engines into ranking my site high
Good ethical SEO is definitely not about tricking search engines by using underhand techniques to gain unfair advantage. Simple rule of thumb: stay away from hidden text or techniques that are there just to deceive the search engine. If what you do adds value to the visitor experience then it’s a good practice. Of course it is your website and your choice if you want to go down the riskier rout. All I can say is that search engines are becoming better and better at catching un-ethical techniques, so risky techniques might harm the long term SEO health of your site.
Simple rule of thumb: stay away from hidden text or techniques that are there just to deceive the search engine

9. SEO is a once and done project: when website is optimized then job is done
Couldn’t be further from the truth. I think I touched on this slightly before. The only part of the work which can be fixed quickly is the technical aspects which have to do with site development and infrastructure. The more important elements that are keywords and links require an ongoing effort. The game here is to constantly measure and refine if you want to stay ahead of the competition.

10. I should optimize my site for search engines above users
The best SEO is about optimizing both for search engines and users in a right balance. Getting this balance right I suppose is what sets apart a successful SEO campaign from a less successful one.
If you found the above useful make sure to subscribe to my email list (top right corner of screen) to receive weekly tips and advice about SEO.

More ground breaking and dynamic SEO tips at http:// dynamoash.com

Top 10 Seo Myths

by DynamoAsh on Dec 15, 2009

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