With so much misinformation about SEO having been dispensed over
the years, it's hard to know what's true and isn't true - making it all the
more difficult to separate the proverbial wheat from the chaff, as it were.
Concerned about the potential harm misinformation about SEO can ultimately
cause, I decided to compile an alphabetical listing of the most popular and
persistent SEO myths, to either debunk or confirm their factuality.
1. Adwords
Since the arrival of Google Adwords, there has been an ongoing debate over
whether or not running an Adwords campaign can improve search engine rankings.
Ultimately, only Google knows the answer to that question for sure. However, to
my knowledge, there is no credible evidence to support the notion that Adwords
can improve your search engine ranking. If there were indeed concrete evidence
to the contrary, it stands to reason, everybody would just start an Adwords
campaign to boost their rankings.
2. Anchor Text
Although it can be other colors, anchor text is typically the blue, hyperlinked
text you see on a web page - the words that you click onto take you to another
page. For example:
Okay, but is anchor text important? Yes, it is because it's a crucial element
in the search engines complex algorithmic formula that helps determine the
rankings of websites.
For example, suppose you have a blog that reviews digital camera's; the more
links you have with the words "digital camera reviews" in your anchor
text, the greater your chances of increasing your ranking for the keywords
digital camera reviews.
3. Alt Tags
Alt tags are used to display a short text description of an image. It gets displayed
when you hover your mouse over the graphic. But are Alt tags an important part
of SEO?
It depends on whom you ask. Some experts dismiss the importance of Alt tags
altogether, while others tout its importance. Personally, I used to léan in the
direction of "not important," until I read a couple of outstanding
articles that made me rethink my position.
SEO expert Bill Hartzer makes a strong argument for the use of Alt tags. In his
article, Search Engine Optimization: Why Image Alt Tags are
Important.
4. FFA Pages
FFA is an acronym for "Free-For All." Here's an example of an FFA page:
In a nutshell, FFAs are basically web pages of worthless links where anyone can
submit their website's URL for free (hence the term Free-For-All). One of the
biggest and oldest SEO myths is, if you post your website's URL on FFA pages,
you will get massive traffic, as well boost your link popularity and search
engine ranking. Here's the truth: People who visit FFA pages do so only to post
their own ads - not look at someone else's. And any traffic you do get will be
completely worthless!
In addition, FFA pages are considered both spammy and scammy, and posting on
them could adversely affect your website's reputation with the search engines -
which could in fact hurt your ranking - or even get you banned. Why? Because in
essence, FFA pages are nothing but link farms - and you know what Google thinks
of link farms.
5. Header Tags
Header tags, for example H1, H2 are standard HTML elements used to define
headings and subheadings on a web page.
Are they important? To my knowledge, there is no credible evidence to suggest
that header tags have an effect on search engine rankings one way or the other.
My advice: If you're currently using header tags, continue using them if you
wish. If you're not using them, don't worry about it.
6. Keyword Density
Question: What is the correct density of keywords on a web page?
Answer: There isn't one.
Yes, I know this topic has been debated back and forth, but personally, I don't
think keyword density even exists as a calculable numeric constant. In other
words, don't worry about the correct keyword density. And don't worry about
counting keywords. Just create your web pages naturally, without trying to
force or stuff keywords where they don't belong. Then, let the proverbial chips
fall where they may.
7. Keywords in Domain Name
Do keywords in a domain name help your ranking?
Based on my own personal experience, yes, having your primary keywords in your
domain name does help with your ranking. To what degree, however, only Google
knows the answer to that. But since Google uses over 200 signals to determine
the ranking of websites, I can't imagine keywords in your domain name not
carrying some amount of weight.
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About The Author
David Jackson is a marketing consultant, and the owner of
Free-Marketing-Tips-Blog.com - Powerful, free
marketing tips to help grow your business! http://free-marketing-tips-blog.com
Sources: SiteProNews, Wed 11/16/2011
