You’ve probably heard them all before. SEO is just a matter of doing this and adjusting that. Well, there’s a little more to get it right. Avoid these 6 SEO myths at all costs and you’ll be on the right track.
1. SEO is easy.
Maybe for the professionals who do it every day, all day long. Even then, there is a learning curve and to keep up with the curve, learning must always continue. That being said, search optimization is not necessarily a difficult thing, it just requires experience, applied knowledge, and time to make it all happen.
2. SEO is built into my theme.
Do not believe it. While many website themes advertise their “SEO friendly”, all of this really means that they are ready to be SEO optimized. Without taking a holistic approach to optimizing the entire finished site (with all the content), it’s impossible to really optimize in any way. Optimizing the code of the site is one thing, but optimizing the whole package is another thing entirely. Also, this is another good reason to avoid using template or theme based sites.
3. SEO is just a matter of meta tags.
Not so. Meta tags are relevant and play a big role in the overall SEO factor of a site, but it’s only a small piece of the overall pie so to speak. Back in 1998, optimizing just meta tags was a great way to rank high. In 2010, it’s really just an incidental factor.
4. SEO requires you to get hundreds of inbound links.
Maybe, maybe not. Having just a couple of very good quality backlinks is often better than having dozens of low-quality, irrelevant inbound links. The key to taste and SEO is to maintain a balanced link profile that targets all types of links with all types of anchor text. The links must be natural.
5. SEO is simply a matter of producing a lot of content.
Having more content certainly helps… when it’s well planned and brings something of value to visitors. But simply adding a lot of filler content in the hope of increasing search engine rankings isn’t really a very wise strategy.
6. SEO means that I need to use an artificially high keyword density in my website copy.
Do not force the density of keywords in the articles. While representing specific keyword phrases robustly in your copy is a good thing, there’s also a fine line where being helpful becomes spammy. Never focus primarily on a percentage, number, or density of keywords; Aim first to create very high-quality content that is appreciated by your visitors.
