Myths About Search Engine Optimizing (SEO)

  • By aga
  • •
  • 16 Jan, 2016

Good optimization requires constant monthly updating and monitoring

This is what most SEO companies would like you to believe because it means you will keep paying them monthly fees. The truth is, if you optimize the site correctly and stick to the search engines rules, there is nothing more you have to do. Search engines are designed for the consumer and not the company. What this means is, if your site is relevant to the search that the user enters, it will appear in the results. The more relevant, the higher your site will be listed.

 

The only recurring fees you should ever pay is for a good link exchange program. By good, I mean they will check to make sure every site you are linked to does not break any rules. They will make sure the links back to your site are in a format that helps your ranking and they will monitor the program on an on-going basis.

 

Our link exchange program is unique because we only include sites that we run or maintain. What this means is we have total control on how your return link is displayed, the links page is indexed (there is no point sharing links with a site if the search engines don't see the links page) and we also regularly check that the site is not breaking any SEO rules.

 

The more links to your site the better

This is not the case. You could have one thousand links to your site, but still have poor ranking. Links to your site are important. However, it's not the amount of links. It's the quality of links.

 

Using flash and framed pages will result in poor page ranking

That may have been the case five years ago, but not now. All the large search engine companies like Yahoo, Google and MSN update their web crawlers regularly to compensate for new technologies and techniques. Google can now even scan the text of a flash site with its crawler. We have put many flash-based or framed sites in the top ten using search engine accepted techniques.

 

The more keywords you have on the page the better

This is true if you want to have your site barred from the search engines. This technique is called "keyword flooding", which is frowned upon by Yahoo, Google and MSN.

 

Multiple domain names will give a site a better chance of showing in the Top 20

This is another method that can get your site barred. While it is good to have your domain name be a search term, you should try to limit your domain name aliases to less than ten.

 

Any link exchange is good

No. You can actually be penalized for linking to a site that uses any frowned-upon method of SEO. You should only link exchange with sites that have:

  • A good ranking
  • Are relevant to the content of your site
  • That link to your site
  • That don't break any of the search engine rules

Some SEO companies work with the search engines and can guarantee top placement

Ask yourself: Why would any search engine company that offers pay-per-click listings work with an SEO company to get websites listed in the top ten? The truth is this is something no company can guarantee. What they can guarantee is they will optimize your site to give it the best possible chance in the listings. There are a lot of factors that you can't avoid. For example, say you resell Dell computers and you want to be listed in the top ten under the search term "Dell". On Google, you are competing against 153,000,000 results, three of the top ten being Dell. To get listed in the top ten in the search, you would need to have at least 1,000 links pointing to your site, 25% of which would need to be from a site ranked 4/10 or higher. Your content would need to be targeted to that single search term and your site would also have to continue with a lot of pages all with unique content targeted at the said search term. What is more feasible is to have your site appear in a more focused search. For example, if you are based in California, you could focus your efforts to "Dell resellers California" or, if you stock a specific model, then you could use "XPS resellers California", and so on. This way, not only are you more likely to be in the top ten, but you will also be targeting your site towards your desired customer.

What You Can Do And What You Should Do

By aga • January 16, 2016
There is basically nothing you can’t do on a web site. If you want to have DVD quality video streaming from your home page with multiple flash animations and 3D product demonstrations all on the same page, no problem. However, maybe 10% of your viewers will see it. The other 90% will be sitting looking at a blank screen for a couple of hours until it loads and then it will be dependent on how it plays on their system. The key to web design is not what you can do; it’s what you should do.

Truth About Link Swapping

By aga • January 16, 2016
Once you become a site owner you will get a lot of requests to swap links with other sites in an attempt to increase your search ranking and the reciprocal's site ranking. There is nothing wrong with this in itself, however, there are a few things you need to know in order to make this a successful practice.

Guaranteed Top Ranking On Search Engines

By aga • January 16, 2016
Bottom line is, this is a myth. No company can guarantee this. The reason being Yahoo, Google and MSN are companies and companies are in business to make money. That is why they all offer their own sponsored links placed at the top or on the side of the search results. This could be pay-per-click, meaning you pay every time somebody clicks on the link to your site or it can be a set monthly fee.

Perception Is Not Reality

By aga • January 16, 2016
If you buy software for a MAC and try to run it on a PC, it will not work. The internet is the same. IE (Internet explorer) is not the only web browser out there and what may run great on IE may not run on Firefox or Opera, which makes up an increasing amount of internet users. Even different versions of IE will not display some features of your site.

To Flash Or Not To Flash

By aga • January 16, 2016
There is no doubt about it. Flash is the best tool in any web designers arsenal. It is easy to use with phenomenal results. You can create a full blown website in a couple of hours and the file size can be less than the size of your average .JPEG file, but (and this is a big but) it is still a plug-in. This means that you have to download and install the latest flash player in order to view the website. It is really not a big deal if you are an intermediate to advanced user, which is what maybe 60% of Internet users are. However, that other 40% of people may not feel secure having to download and install software on their computer in order to view your site. Another downside of a flash based site is the fact that web crawlers cannot see the text content contained within the file. This means it has no way to index your site, which can lead to poor search engine ranking. Don't be put off with the down sides of flash. There are ways around these problems.

System Requirements

By aga • January 16, 2016
If you have ever purchased software, you know you have to read the box in order to find out if the software will work on your system. That is somewhat acceptable when it comes to software. However, on a website, it is not acceptable. A lot of designers out there will take the easy route and build a site that is not compatible with all browsers and then publish a list of plug-ins on your home page you will need in order to view the site. You will see this a lot on multimedia sites that advertise Hollywood movies or websites where you can download multimedia content. This is mostly done to protect the content. However, there are a lot of sites out there that require you to make additional downloads in order to see flat text content or products. You should always follow the guidelines below (or your web developer should be following them) when creating any website.

Batteries Not Included

By aga • January 16, 2016
We have all done it - made a big purchase only to find out that we have to make additional purchases to make it work. This should not be the case with a website or any graphic design project. Be sure that when you are quoted for a web site everything is included in the price in order for your new site to be up and running at the end of the project. The price should include uploading and testing the site. This is also true for any graphic project. If it’s a logo design, then you should receive all file types, including .EPS, .JPG, and .GIF, at no additional charge. One way to guarantee this is to make sure it is in the quotation and never, I repeat, never send final payment until you have everything you have paid for.

The Enemy Within

By aga • January 16, 2016
There is a common problem with some less than reputable companies creating backdoors into your site in order to obtain access to your Databases and account information with the intention of fraud or theft. This usually happens when you outsource to third world countries because the price is a fraction of what you would pay here. Bottom line here is if something seems to good to be true, chances are it is. Saving some money on development may in the long run cost you tenfold.

Catching The Crooks

By aga • January 16, 2016
The internet can be a dangerous place. It has opened the doors for lots of criminals to move undetected. When it comes to web design, there is a certain level of trust that has to be established in order for this process to work. After all, a lot of the time you will be giving a stranger access to account information, your email and your clients' information. I have lost count of how many times clients have told me they have suffered financial loss and even, in some extreme cases, had their safety threatened. However, there are ways to protect yourself.

Bay Area Web Designers

By aga • January 14, 2016
The Bay Area in California has more "web designers" per square mile than anywhere else in the world. This is good for the customer, as you have a greater choice, but it can also be a bad thing as so many of them have the skill to build a site, but not the vision to make sure its successful.