Myths and more myths

So much is spoken about search engine optimisation and what to do or what not to do, it is not surprising that some people simply feel it’s all too much of a bother. Interesting thing is that some of the biggest misinformation statements or plain myths float around that there are lists today about the biggest SEO myths. Some myths are incredibly insistent and they can do great harm to people that are new to internet marketing. These myths also lure people into making huge mistakes that end up being costly, so they really must be put to rest.

Anyone can do it

This is one of the top myths; that anyone can perform SEO on his or her own website. Yes, it is not impossible to learn how to do the basics of optimisation. However, it will take a lot of time and effort that online business owners do not have. Optimisation is not simply about putting some great keywords into your web content. It is a whole process that must be done that include on-site and off-site optimisation. It is also a process that in ongoing for the lifetime of a website. Therefore, unless you have experience as an optimiser, you should not attempt doing it yourself.

Only needed if you sell products

Many people labour under the misconception that you only need SEO when your have a business that sells products online. The bottom line is, no matter what you do with your website, whether it’s an online business or a bricks and mortar business, you need optimisation.

The reality is that whatever reason you have a website on the internet, if you ever hope to have people find you, you have to optimise that website. You can have the most stunning website. However, without optimisation being done, you will have a stunning and completely invisible website. A website that simply will not be found amounts the millions of other websites on the internet.

Guaranteed and overnight success

This unfortunately is a myth perpetuated by unscrupulous SEO “experts” that cause ethical and reputable SEO firms many headaches. ANY person that guarantees a number one ranking position or that optimisation will bring overnight success is, plainly said, talking hogwash. If this was true you would have an incredibly crowded number one position in the SERPs as all the millions of websites would all be in that position. Optimisation is the method through which your website gains visibility.

By focusing on topic and business specific keywords and keyword phrases your optimiser aims to give you the best rank in the SERPs. Organic optimising is a slow growing project that will boost your ranking higher; there are no guarantees of a specific ranking position. And if you do not have any optimisation done, you will not even show up in the search results.

It takes a lot of work and it takes patience to get ranking and high visibility. There are no short cuts unless you make use of illegal and unethical practices. This path will lead you straight into trouble and cost you far more than what you paid for unethical optimisation in the first place.

Related posts:

1. Three common SEO myths explored
2. Myths surrounding mobile SEO
3. Three common SEO myths
4. Search engine optimization and web traffic
5. Don’t be misled by link building myths

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This entry was posted on Wednesday, October 7th, 2009 at 9:12 am and is filed under On Page SEO. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.