The Twelve Most Common SEO Myths

There are hundreds of different SEO myths floating around out there. The problem is that for webmasters and small business owners looking to do things the right way, it can be hard to find factual information that can really pay dividends. When you want to be successful with SEO, you first have to become aware of these SEO myths so you can rid yourselves of them. Here are the 12 most common SEO myths that are still getting passed around.

#1- All Links are Equal- The person who believes he/she can go out and purchase thousands of backlinks and will be successful is sadly mistaken. It’s important to understand that some links are better than others, and poor quality links can have a negative effective on your overall rankings. This is why some people can have 50 backlinks that are of high quality and do better than someone with 2,000 backlinks.

#2- Keyword Density is Important- Another one of the monumental SEO myths is that keyword density is the most important part to your success. The truth is you won’t find any set of rules that guarantee success through a proper amount of usage. What it really comes down to is providing highly search and minimum competitive type keywords, and then placing them in the article appropriately.

3. META Keywords Still Work: While until recently there was still some debate on this, it’s now officially one of the SEO myths. Both Google and Yahoo! have publicly announced that they do not use META keywords for their ranking algorithms. In other words, you should no longer pay any attention to them or devote any time to including them. META descriptions and tiles however 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- The person who believes Blackhat SEO is nonpunishable is sadly mistaken. It doesn’t matter if you’re a huge company or have an individual platform, when the major search engines catch you they deny listing you in the search engines.

#6- SEO Success Happens Overnight- Even though we consider this one of the major SEO myths, most people are beginning to catch on to the longevity involved. The truth is SEO is an endless battle and mostly because of the fluctuation that takes place in the algorithms. If you or someone you know think this is a quick fix solution, you’ll end up being disappointed.

#7- Google is All that Matters- Once upon a time businesses could just focus on Google and make all kinds of money. However, those days are long gone and these SEO myths now revolve around utilize several search engines. You have to remember that the smaller ones like Yahoo and Bing still have people using theirs. Yes, Google makes up about 34% of all the searches online, but that leaves you without the other 66%. Plus, you can’t forget about other ways to market like Facebook, Youtube, and a plethora of other options.

#8- PageRank is Everything- Again, back in the day everyone focused on their PageRank more than anything else. One of the SEO myths of today is that this is still the most important thing. Keep in mind it does help your website achieve higher rankings, but it’s not the only factor. Since algorithms constantly change, your PR number will fluctuate throughout the year.

#9- Common Sense is More Important than Research- Just because you believe something works one way doesn’t mean everyone else is in agreement. There really isn’t one true path to success online. There are many variables that come into play and this especially holds true for keyword selection. If you assume you know what people are searching for, chances are you will lose out in the end. Utilizing the proper research will help to keep you from falling into this trap.

10. More Traffic is Always Better: Receiving a lot of traffic is generally great, but if all of your traffic is untargeted you won’t be producing any results. Additionally, sites with high bounce rates can end up suffering in the search engines as a result because your site is viewed as having something wrong with it or being a match. Therefore, first strive for highly targeted traffic and then work to increase and expand 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.

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