82 replies to this topic

[ewo]

Since I always validate everything at High Rankings after reading any other source on optimisation, I thought I'd invite people to display some of their favourite misconceptions, falsehoods and myths about SEO...

Feel free

[Scottie]

"Favorite" Myths:

1) Submitting to the search engines is the way to get listed
2) Meta keywords are the key to optimization
3) Stuffing keywords into alt attributes helps your page to rank well
4) Keyword stuffed comments give your page "an edge"
5) PageRank is a measurement of where my page will rank
6) Rankings are the only goal worth measuring
7) Hiding outbound links will help me to rank better by keeping all my link popularity on my site
8) Elvis is not dead
9) Images are bad for SEO
10) Optimizing for generic words is a great idea.

[torka]

"Favorite" Myths:

8) Elvis is not dead

You sure about that being a myth? I'm pretty certain that was Elvis I saw hanging out down the road at Jimmy Hoffa's place last weekend...

--Torka

[SearchRank]

I'll add another one (misconceptions, falsehoods and myths) -

- If an SEM/SEO Company is the biggest, then they must be the best.

[meta]

Please get the grammar right - Elvis ain't dead.

[Jill]

Myth:

Search engine guidelines are akin to the Bible and search engines are God.

[Scottie]

Please get the grammar right - Elvis ain't dead.

So sorry... You are corrent!

More myths...

11. It matters whether you have spaces or commas in your meta keyword tag, and you will be penalized for using the same word more than 3 times

12. Every page must have exactly 250 words on it to be properly optimized.

13. There is a perfect keyword density and if you could only get it right, your page would be #1 for that term.

14. Hidden text is a great way to increase your keyword density.

15. The home page of your site should be optimized for every possible relevant term.

16. Your "site" ranks well for specific terms. (Pages rank for terms, not sites)

17. Everything you put in a header tag is given more weight by the search engines.

18. Coca Cola will rot out your intestines.

19. Google is personally out to get you, and they are messing with your head cause you experimented with invisible text.

20. Google owes you a #1 listing cause you followed all their rules.

[Jill]

No fair, Scottie's left none for the rest of us!

[SearchRank]

Oh, oh, I have another one....

- Clicking on your listing repeatedly will help improve your positioning in the SERPs.

[AaronNimocks]

18. Coca Cola will rot out your intestines.

But Coca Cola will eat a penny if you leave it in a glass of Coke overnight.

[Scottie]

Alexa data actually means anything.

"Buying guaranteed keywords" from a spam email is a good idea.

The really good SEO companies can promise you #1 rankings on your best keyword phrases in the editorial listings cause they have 'special arrangements' with the engines.

The truth about Coke.

[Matt B]

Favorite Myth: Top rankings guarantee more sales.

Or what I like to call it: The Crappy Site Effect.

[torka]

The really, really good SEO companies can get you top rankings without your having to make any changes to your site, because of their special "proprietary technology"...



--Torka

[Jill]

Myth:

You should hire an SEO company that calls you out of the blue while you're eating dinner.

[torka]

Oh, yeah, and it's a good idea to change something on your home page every day to inspire the spiders to visit more often, cuz the more often the spiders visit, the higher your site will rank.




--Torka