The 12 Most Common SEO Myths

Last Updated (Wednesday, 31 December 1969 15:59) Written by David Baxter Friday, 27 November 2009 19:39

Yes, SEO is an extremely important part to your success online, but there are literally hundreds of SEO myths flying around cyberspace that can dampen your overall results. If you take a good hard look at the majority of the information you will find that most of it is opinionated rather than factual. So today we want to share with you the twelve most common SEO myths on the Internet today.

Yes, SEO is an extremely important part to your success online, but there are literally hundreds of SEO myths flying around cyberspace that can dampen your overall results. If you take a good hard look at the majority of the information you will find that most of it is opinionated rather than factual. So today we want to share with you the twelve most common SEO myths on the Internet today.

#1- All Links are Equal- Even though this was once a successful SEO strategy, you will find that are links are NOT equal today. There are several ways to build backlinks to your sites, but only a few of them today are helpful. This is due to the search engines becoming more aware of what is relevant and what is not. So when you find someone with 50 backlinks to their site and a higher ranking then you with 1000 links, this is why.

2. Keyword Density is Important: Another one of the most common SEO myths is the myth of keyword density. There is no set keyword density that is guaranteed to provide you with success in the search engines. It's about incorporating your targeted keywords and phrases in the right places, in the right ways while not overdoing it and making your content or website seem like spam.

#3- Meta Keywords Still Work- You have probably heard all the debates that go back and forth about meta keywords. Recently though it was discovered that this statement is simply one of the SEO myths. Google and Yahoo have announced publicly that they no longer use meta keywords for ranking purposes. So don't bother working on them. However, meta descriptions and tiles are still valuable.

#4- Web Directories are Highly Valuable- Ah yes, back in the day web directories were extremely valuable, but one of the SEO myths is that they still are today. Granted, you can still achieve success with highly credible directories, but the general ones are pretty much useless anymore.

#5- Blackhat SEO Won't Get you Caught- It's still amazing today that people believe they won't be caught doing something that is illegal. What it comes down to though is no matter how big or small your company is, using illicit marketing tacts can keep you from being listed in the major search engines.

#6- SEO Success Happens Overnight- It's to fathom that people still believe this, but it's one of the biggest SEO myths out there. The truth is SEO is a process that takes weeks, months, and even years to achieve success. It's an endless battle and it's something you have to constantly work on throughout the year. It's a long term strategy, not a quick fix solution.

#7- Google is All that Matters- It used to be that everyone and their mom would focus on Google to build their business. While this might have worked years ago, it's really too competitive now to hold the same benefits. Yes, Google is helpful but there are several individuals who use Yahoo, Bing and smaller search engines to attract clients. Nowadays you have to consider Facebook, Youtube, article marketing, ad various other ways to drive traffic to you.

8. PageRank is Everything: Along the same lines, your Google PageRank isn't the end all or be all of your website. Yes, a higher PageRank will help your website rank higher, but it certainly isn't the only factor that carries any weight. Plus, the number you see in that green bar is only a visual, static representation of a complex and constantly changing algorithm.

#9- Common Sense is More Important than Research- If you think something works online, it doesn't necessarily mean everyone else believes the same thing. A prime example of this is through keyword selection. There are hundreds of different ways to find keywords and in order to find them you need to do research. If you don't you can easily end up losing out in the long run.

#10- More Traffic is Always Better- If anyone throws these SEO myths at you, run the other way. The truth is you can have millions of visitors everyday, but without targeted traffic your sales will only be minimal. The idea is to have conversion rates that are off the charts, which means you need internet buyers not surfers. We recommend looking for targeted traffic first, then move on to expanding your base.

#11- Purchasing Links and Link Farms Always Work- Years ago this was extremely helpful, but Google has figured out the loophole and basically put an end to it. Yes, it's possible to receive a few benefits this way, but considering the money and time invested it's definitely not worth it. Plus, many of these situations are considered blackhat avenues which end up being penalized.

#12- Once you Achieve a Ranking, You're Done- SEO myths are all over the place and they usually start with thinking you're done when you finally get that ranking. However, you will find that SEO is an ongoing process that takes constant work. So if you just wrote 10 articles, submitted them to directories and added a few backlinks here and there, it's only the beginning. In the end, if your competition is constantly working on their SEO strategies; why should you stop?

So learn from the mistakes of others and avoid these common SEO myths. Always remember, SEO is a dynamic and changing landscape, and what works today may not work tomorrow. Stay up to date with the latest trends and best practices and avoid falling into these and similar schemes and pitfalls.