THESE 7 SEO MYTHS WILL HELP YOU DISTINGUISH HYPE FROM REALITY.

Myths regarding SEO and Internet Marketing are both common and widespread. In recent times it has becoming increasingly difficult to dispel these lies. The responsibility for this in not small part lies upon the shoulders of the snake-oil salesmen that exist within the industry.

I for one, can’t stand misinformation let alone disinformation, and the SEO industry is unfortunately rife with it. I want to do my part to spread the truth, and attack some of the most ridiculous myths currently floating around the Internet today. I consider this a step in the right direction for all business owners.

I also want to see the shonks and spammers removed from your virtual doorstep!

1. Search Engine Rankings are Guaranteed.

First and foremost… NO results on any Search Engine are ever guaranteed.  Consistent and effective SEO however, can assure you better results than if you leave it to chance.

Say, for example, that you’re a Mechanic on the Gold Coast.  You enlist the services of an SEO firm that guarantees a first place ranking for the keyword phrase ‘Mechanic Gold Coast.’  That’s fine, but what if another Mechanic on the Gold Coast enlist the help of a competing SEO firm that also guarantees a first place ranking for the same keyword phrase? 

Can they both be in the same spot?  You can do the maths.

2. SEO is a One Time Activity That You Do Once and Forget About.

Search Engines regularly change or alter the algorithms they use to provide search results.  This is done for a very specific purpose, to give you the searcher the best results possible for your search query. Search Engines strive to search, sort and separate all the information that is being added to the web daily.  For this reason SEO will play an ongoing role in your online success. 

Completing SEO once may cause a momentary rise in your search results but that initial boost will be over shadow quickly by competitors actively engaged in ongoing SEO. Google is also watching to see that you engage in link building and other activities on an ongoing basis as it sees this as you being actively involved in internet marketing.

3. Our Firm is Approved or Endorsed by Google.

Simple put… NO SEO firm or organisation is favoured more by Google (or any search engine for that matter) than any other.  The mere mention of such an affiliation should sound a very long and loud warning siren in your head. 

DANGER! DANGER! DANGER!

Search Engines such as Google provide guidelines about what they are looking for when calculating their free organic rankings.  What you may come across is Google Certified AdWord retailers.  This certification has nothing to do with SEO and everything to do with Pay-Per Click advertisement, so don’t be fooled.

4. Professional Web Design = Good Traffic.

Professional web design DOES NOT equal good traffic.  Don’t get me wrong. You need to hire a professional web designer. When they build a great website, it presents your products and services in the best light. However, let’s be clear… you are simply exchanging money for looks NOT traffic. 

Unfortunately SEO is often the last thought in the minds of business owners who have the misconception that a bells and whistles website is going to attract new clients.  If people never see your website they can’t be wowed by the stunning graphics. You need to get them there first then wow them later.

5. Google is There to Help Your Business.

NO! Google is on a mission, and unfortunately it is not to help your business succeed online.  Google is focused on one thing and one thing only, to provide a searcher’s question with the most accurate and valid answer it can find. 

Now this is not bad news for business, quite the contrary.  You can have the power of Google helping your business.  How?  You need to present your business as the most accurate answer to a question posed. 

So, if you are Mechanic and you are located on the Gold Coast, when someone types in ‘Mechanic Gold Coast’ your website needs to be seen by Google as the best answer to that search.  Quality content and SEO will help you to achieve this.

6. Just Add Keywords and You Will Get High Rankings

Keywords are important but it’s how you use them NOT that have added them that matters.  They allow both search engines and Internet users to identify whether your website might contain useful information about the topic they are searching for. 

It is important however to remember that they are only one tiny, tiny part of the formula search engines use to evaluate the relevance of your site.  When used effectively keywords can have a positive effect on the overall performance of your website.  However, used ineffectively or excessively they can have a negative impact on your website and in severe cases are considered spam.

7. Pay-Per Click Improves Your SEO

Short answer NO… Pay-Per Click in NO way, will affect you free organic rankings.

It is important that you know the difference between organic and the paid listings when looking at the search results page.  Pay-Per Click, when pay enough dollars, can put you on the top of the areas which display the paid advertising (above and beside the organic results). 

However organic listings are not controlled by paying more. They are controlled by your SEO and content relevance.  Having an Adwords account will deliver visitors to your site at a price, but it will have no impact on your sites ongoing ranking within the free organic listings.