Top Five SEO Myths

  1. Myth: PageRank is dead

    To understand why PageRank is still of importance, you only have to accept one simple thing as fact: PageRank is a formula based on link popularity. Google decommissioning PageRank, would mean them concluding the core foundation of the web's structure -- links -- to be dead. PageRank may evolve, get re-branded, or take on a smaller role, but it's a long way from being dead.

  2. Myth: It's Search Engine Optimizers Against Search Engines

    The word for people who try to rank poor quality, scraper, and keyword stuffed, sites high in search engine results, is not SEOs it's spammers. These are the people search engines are really at war with. More and more search engines companies are embracing SEOs and showering them with knowledge, and tools to assist their work, in the realization that we share the same ultimate goal: to organize the web's content.

  3. Myth: Google Have Blacklisted Me

    While not strictly a myth, as some sites really are unlucky enough to be blacklisted. However, most people who think they've been blacklisted haven't, instead they are experiencing the affects of a filter (such as the Google Sandbox), or more often than not, just plain bad rankings. If you're adamant you've been blacklisted, read Matt Cutt's advice on filing a re-inclusion request

  4. Myth: Google, Yahoo, MSN are the only search engines that count

    While this was probably true in the not-so-distant-past. As of late there are a new breed of so called social tagging and RSS based search engines, which are finding increasing, and very real popularity, especially among the geek, and tech crowd. Examples include Technorati, Feedster, and del.icio.us. At the moment these engines might only be driving substantial traffic inside certain topics and niches, but there's every reason to believe they'll eventually capture a wider audience with the general public who are typically slow on the up take.

  5. Myth: On-site optimization compromises usability, accessibility, and quality

    In actuality, the principles of usability, and accessibility which both encourage clear and concise content; semantic structure and hierarchy; and textual alternatives to objects, closely correlate to what should constitute good on-page optimization.

  6. Myth: Small business can't compete

    You can. The key is to take advantage of tactics badly suited to larger bureaucratic companies. Say your competitor has deep pockets, and you don't, both of you throw your marketing budget in a like for like battle of (for example) purchasing text-links. In this scenario who'll likely to come out on top? Your competitor. Instead, think of innovative, and creative tactics that'll capture your visitors' attention, and make them want to link to you. These are the type of tactics that conversely larger companies with creative-process-killing red tape, and focus groups, often have difficulty imagining, and even if they do get that far, risk analysis, and a need for measurable and consistent ROI, stop these ideas leaving the drawing board in favour of safer, and more measurable ones.

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