Common Search Engine Optimization Mistakes
By Joe Laratro, Chief Technology Officer
1. Natural Search is Dead
There is nothing that could be farther from the truth. Natural Search Engine
Optimization is still thriving. It is more difficult today than it was 5
or 6 years ago, but the core of search results are still free. Natural Search
Engine Optimization being dead is a popular myth because of the standardization
of methodology that is now used. Each of the major Search Engines has released
guidelines for Webmasters that detail the dos and don’ts of Web site
optimization. Since more of the online world is aware of successful optimization
techniques, they do not work as well. In other words there is more competition
from knowledgeable optimizers armed with the same toolsets.
Natural Search Optimization is not dead, but is certainly harder. Successful Web sites with strong natural traffic know that optimization is a continual process. The best and most relevant Web sites should work their way to the top of the search result pages. These Web sites have fresh, valuable, keyword rich content, good linking, internal optimization, value propositions for visitors, and good user experiences. Knowing all the pieces of the puzzle does not always mean it can be quickly put together. Natural SEO requires an ongoing commitment that can pay off through qualified and free traffic.
2. Paid Inclusion is Dead
A few years ago almost every major Search Engine had a paid inclusion
option. This was a service to guarantee that Web pages were included
in a Search Engine’s database for a fee. Through consolidation
of some of the engines and the emergence of a few new ones, Paid
Inclusion now means Yahoo Search Submit and Yahoo Search Submit
Pro. There are still many reasons to use this service. While it
is not a session topic at Search Engine conferences anymore, it
can still be a powerful tool for those who use it. Online marketers
who want to control their own destiny with Yahoo can use it. Online
marketers who want to guarantee that all of their content and their
freshest content are in Yahoo can use it. Online markets that want
to tag urls, optimize content, remove code bloat and have more
reporting abilities from Yahoo use it.
Paid Inclusion is not dead; it is a tool for the advanced online marketer to use for success within Yahoo and their search partners.
3. Meta Tags are a waste of time
The first Search Engines had to find ways to organize and rank the
Web sites they found. They weighed heavily on meta tags and keyword
frequency. Meta tags are parts of HTML coding that are not displayed
by Web browsers (ie. Internet Explorer, FireFox, Mozilla). If used
properly they are a great way to tell a Search Engine more about
a Web page. However, they have been abused in the past by spammers.
Today’s Search Engine algorithms are much more advanced.
Meta tags’ values have been lessened but not forgotten.
A strict definition of meta tags would be any tag used in the <head> section of HTML coding that followed this format: “<meta http-equiv=” or “<meta name=”. The only two meta tags that are relevant for SEO are “description” and “keyword”. The first is still used by a few Search Engines as the text that describes the Web page in the Search Results. The description tag provides the opportunity to sell the Web page to the searcher in a sentence or two. The keywords tag is probably one of least important optimization points on a Web page. Least important does not mean not important. It is also a great way for content publishers to focus in on and organize the important keywords on a Web page.
The World Wide Web is this century’s greatest source of data. It may also be its greatest medium for misinformation. There are few rules when it comes to online publishing, making some of the data’s integrity questionable. MoreVisibility is a recognized leader in Search Engine Optimization and a great resource of experts to answer your online marketing questions.
Do you have a myth or a question about online marketing that you would like answered? Visit the Ask an SEO Expert page here: http://www.morevisibility.com/askanexpert
