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Search Engine Optimization (SEO): Three Common Myths

Written by: James D.

Article Overview: These days, there seems to be more myths about search engine optimization (or SEO), than there are truths. Numerous though they may be, there are three primary myths that are very commonly circulated...

Search Engine Optimization (SEO): Three Common Myths

Myth 1: SEO is a fairly easy, straightforward process.

If search engine optimization were easy or "straightforward", then most SEO firms would be out of business. On the contrary, most anything related to Internet marketing (namely search engine optimization) continues to grow in popularity. So is search engine marketing really that big? Yes, and “big” is the right word. Case in point… Rob Hof of Business Week states, "If you can believe it, Google's $144 billion market value tops that of Time Warner (TWX), Viacom (VIA), CBS (CBS), ad agency giant Publicis Groupe (PUB), and the New York Times Co. (NYT) combined."

Is it easy to grasp and successfully implement website changes for higher website rankings? To answer that question, let’s first consider a few things. It has been commonly understood that Google has more than 100 variables it uses to determine how to rank one website higher than another. And guess what? They don’t tell anyone what these ever-changing, variables are. Combine the challenge of trying to better understand Google’s "black algorithm box" with the fact that new competitors are always entering your market and what you have is a process that’s anything but easy. At the end of the day, improving ones’ website rankings in search engines like Google, Yahoo and MSN requires painstaking and time-consuming testing and tweaking.

Myth 2: If I take all the right SEO steps, my website will organically rank number one in search engines within a week or two.

So to achieve higher organic search engine rankings, continual testing and tweaking are a must. But how long should one "test and tweak"? Indefinitely. Some websites may take a year and often longer to achieve top rankings. In many ways, we are all at their mercy. Sure, a website’s rankings can and often do quickly rise. However, beyond those initial increases, typically the amount of difficulty required to compete with the top contenders exponentially intensifies as you move closer to the top.

So how long does it take to "rank high" (which of course is often relative)? Well, it just depends. But to expect to rank high (and stay there) in two week or even two months may be overly optimistic.

Myth 3: Having a hip website is very important when it comes to obtaining high organic rankings.

Not true. Having a stylish website does not necessarily equate to high organic search engine rankings. Depending on what you mean by "nice", having a nice looking website can certainly be vital to a successful usability and branding strategy. But a website with very little visual appeal could beat out your competitor’s Flash-laden website in regard to organic rankings… 10:1. Case in point: the CraigsList website. CraigsList is not exactly the most stylish website on the Web and yet when you search Google for “online classifieds", CraigsList is right at the top of the list. It’s all about ensuring your website is "SEO friendly" not necessarily "cool".

Don’t get duped by these or any other SEO myths. Get good search engine optimization guidance from a certified search engine optimization analyst.



© Copyright Optimum Web Marketing, Inc. 2007. All Rights Reserved.

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Article Tags: Google, Google, Internet marketing, organic search engine, search engine marketing, search engine optimization, search engine optimization, SEO, SEO, website rankings, Yahoo



Related Forum Posts
What Do You Want To Be Taught? - Hi, My name is Jeff Foster, I will be moderating this new section. I want to get your opinion on topics you would like to discuss & be taught on. I see a great need for small business owners to learn how to perform basic Search Engine Marketing (SEM) which would include the basics about Search Engine Optimization (SEO). What do you want to be taught on? Jeff
Re: Search Engine Optimization - If you are interested to get more information about Search Engine Optimization you can visit Search Engine Watch site gives you a great way to keep up with what’s going on in the search engine world. This site provides a ton of information about a very wide range of subjects related not only to search engine optimization, but also the flip side of the coin; subjects related to searching online.
Re: Can someone explain Search engine optimization to me? - Search Engine Optimization (SEO) could be compared to a big popularity contest: A High School Computer Geek and a High School Football Captain who are trying to promote a party. The computer geek tells everyone in school & even hands out 100's of flyers about his party Friday night...what happens? his friends end up showing up and a few new people...even the new people leave right away because it is not what they are looking for. The High School Football Captain ends up just telling a few good buddies, and within hours the entire school not only knows about it, but everyone wants to come, and everyone does come & stay. One defenition of "optimize is "To make as perfect or effective as possibe." How effective are your article marketing campaigns? Could you be distributing content (that is what search engines index) more effectively? In a perfect world, who would you want promoting your website, web pages, and web content? Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is determining this perfect & effective way to do this. Jeff
Re: How do I engage seo works to be done for my site? - I read "Search Engine Optimization" for dummies. Gave me a real good foundation on which to build my sites. Really helped a lot.
Re: How to Promote Your Business Online - Apart from using Search Engine Optimization or SEO for promoting websites, I also find Pay per Clicks (PPC) to be a very good way to do. Why? For me it doesn't open only one oppurtunity for you, in fact it opens 2! You can generate your awaited traffic even w/o saying stop, ready and go and gain a maximized profit too.


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