Search engine optimization is very important to increase a website's visibility in the search engines. With the proper implementation, you can generate more traffic to your website and optimize your site to have more exposure and visitors. However, as many people are realizing the need for search engine optimization, there are some beliefs that need to be corrected because these are just SEO myths. Below are the myths and facts about SEO.
Myth #1 -SEO is Easy
Some people think that SEO is just a matter of submitting a site to a variety of directories and search engines to achieve desirable visibility. This is but one aspect of SEO. SEO professionals can more easily do the various functions of SEO because this is their area of expertise. Someone who doesn't have the experience will require a lot of research and study time. They will realize that SEO may not be easy. Although there are so many tools available to achieve good SEO rankings for a website, they require knowledge, time and money to use.
Myth #2 - SEO is just about Meta Tags
The truth is that there are some good ranking sites that do not have meta tags. If you use meta tags and you have irrelevant usage, search engines can discover them and penalize you for such abuse of meta tags (i.e. keyword stuffing of the meta tags). Meta tags are important but they are not the only basis for the increase in ranking. Link building is an approach that can also help in optimizing your website.
Myth #3 - SEO is all about Keyword Density
Although keywords are important, (just like Meta tags), they have to be used correctly. Keyword stuffing and spamming are a big no-no in search engines. Search engine algorithms are very sophisticated and can determine if you are just producing content that is stuffed with keywords and yet does not make any sense (search engines now also rely on relevant related keywords i.e. Latent Semantic Index or LSI). Make sure that when you write content for your website that keywords and LSI keywords are considered but that you also allow discussion of topics to be fluid and natural (without forcing the keywords in the articles).
Myth #4 - You do not have to Redesign Your Site
Sometimes, a more organized understanding of your website by the search engines is required. You will need to come up with a new layout and a new structure. This way, search engines can better understand what your site offers and will be able to better index your site (i.e. to come up better in a search) and generate better placement of relevant ads (if you are using ad applications). With a more organized layout and content, search bots that gather website information will have an easier time to determine your niche and your product.
Search engine optimization can be more easily handled if you hire people to do it for you. They know what to do. They understand the process. They know the expectations and they can deliver. Working with SEO professionals will help you understand other SEO myths and debunk them as well.
