Seven SEO Myths Debunked

Art — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 15:36:46 +0000

Search engine optimization is vital for anyone looking to attract targeted traffic to their website. Being that it is such a hot topic, the web community is constantly in talks about which methods work, and which ones don’t. The purpose of this article is to debunk seven of the most common myths associated with SEO. Whether you intend to hire an SEO firm or go at it alone, this knowledge will give you a better idea of what to expect.

1.) All Meta Tags are Created Equal

Though some are extremely important, other meta tags do not play a determining factor in your search engine visibility. Because spammers are quickly becoming infamous for leveraging keywords, search engines are relying more on genuine website content and less on meta data.

2.) Regular Search Engine Submissions are a Must

There is a large perception that you should manually submit your website to search engines on a weekly or monthly basis. This couldn’t be further from the truth because all it takes is one submission to each search engine you intend to target. What many of the expert firms won’t tell you is that if your site is properly optimized, the search engine bots will automatically find you.

3.) Good SEO is Expensive

For the most part, SEO is a very cost effective form of online marketing, generally much cheaper than banner or sponsored advertising. This is especially the case when optimizing to achieve organic rankings. If you couple a quality site design with good networking and links, you can end up paying little to nothing for your SEO campaign.

4.) Homepage Optimization is the Key

Some have the belief that once you sprinkle a few keywords and links into your homepage, optimization is done. However, you can and should optimize all the pages within your site. Each page should have its own keywords and pay attention to the appropriate meta tags. Keep in mind that search engines rank individual pages, not entire websites.

5.) You Should Stay Away from Competitive Keywords

Many avoid using competitive keywords and phrases in fear that they just don’t have enough to fight with. The truth is that you should still aim for relevant keywords regardless of the competition surrounding them. Don’t run away from terms that you can get you noticed just because someone else is targeting them.

6.) PPC is More Effective than SEO

While a PPC campaign can work wonders at promoting your site, SEO is far more effective over the long haul. It is a known fact that most web surfers use the search engines and rarely find their content through sponsors advertisements. They simply trust the organic results more than the sponsored content. Even though PPC can get you to show up in the results, this is only a short term solution that could weigh heavily on your budget.

7.) Good as a Guarantee

There are a number of SEO firms in the business of making guarantees on superior optimization and ranking. In reality however, there is no firm that can make you any guarantees for ranking in any search engine. Some companies are actually out to help you, while others are simply looking to fatten their pockets.

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Seven SEO Myths Debunked

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