Top 6 Search Engine Optimization Myths

1. "SEO wouldn't work for us"

People say things like this because they are not convinced about the solution being presented and want to avoid the conversation. One can't use only logic to understand marketing. One has to look at SEO as long term and not as instant gratification. A minimum amount of 6 months is required after implementation and only then can one evaluate whether SEO has promise as a profitable marketing channel. Anything less than that is not worth starting.

2. "Search Engine Optimization tries to fool search engines"

If you're "fooling" search engines, then one is probably fooling users too. How well would that kind of activity convert? Real SEO is a lot more than optimizing content and getting links.

3. "People in our market don't make use of search engines"

According to a study, there are 4.9 billion internet searches per month and 133 million unique searchers. Those numbers are going up all the time. It is true that in some market categories in the developing world that search usage is negligible, but the growth even in those countries is phenomenal.

4. "One can't see the Results immediately"

No-one, can guarantee good organic search results within 24 hours. It's a marketing blurb typical of fly-by-night SEO companies - 'Top 10 listing in 8 hours'. All big players in the SEO Market - Google, Yahoo, MSN - all take their time in indexing a site.

Any form of SEO that talks of instant results will likely provide only a short-term boost in traffic - and worse still, will be likely to originate from shady techniques such as spam (of the referrer, comment or plain email variety), and as algorithms to detect this sort of bad behavior becomes more advanced, this sort of promotion is becoming more and more likely to harm your long-term search engine prospects.

If one wants traffic. One shouldn't look for quick and instant gratification. It is better to play the long game instead. A site that gathers 10,000 visits in a day and no more after is worth less than the site that gets 10,000 visits a month through organic means.

5. "We Guarantee Placement"

People who guarantee overnight listing also guarantee particular placements - regardless of competition or the quality of your site. This is twaddle, of course. Just as it takes time to improve search engine rankings, there can never be any guarantee of first-page-placement.

6. "SEO is only a function of IT"

Definitely not true. Search engine optimization did start out in the cubicles of IT, but has moved its way into the executive offices for many companies. The most recent SEMPO statement on search industry research shows that companies are no longer borrowing from other cost centers to fund their search marketing initiatives. It's a business decision line item like any other marketing expenditure.

Regardless of the size of the company, SEO initiatives should be managed strategically by the business like any other major marketing initiative.

Conclusion:

There are many more myths in the world of SEO - the industry is full of people out to make a quick buck from an unwise marketer, and as new businesses' come along there are always people willing to pay money in the hope of traffic, fame, and fortune.

The reality is that the most rewarding aspects SEO are often the most slow to reward. Building a good site takes time, and if you act too quickly with unclear promotional activity, you are likely to suffer penalties as a result.

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