SEO Expert Debunks 8 Myths (Have You Been Duped By These?)
By Anna Johnson on May 20th, 2010Respected search engine optimization (SEO) expert Jill Whalen recently debunked eight (8) SEO myths. And they probably aren’t the myths you’re thinking of…
Rather than address the same old SEO myths that have been debunked many times now (although probably not enough times, since they continue to be perpetuated!), Jill listed some myths that are relatively less known and, for that reason, probably more insidious.
Check out Jill’s article for a discussion of each myth. For now, here’s a quick summary of the both the myths and the associated TRUTHs:
Search Engine Optimization Myth #1: You need special search engine landing pages.
Truth: You don’t need special pages for the search engines; in fact, the search engines are looking for as ‘natural’ pages as possible.
Search Engine Optimization Myth #2: You should optimize a webpage for just one keyword phrase per page.
Truth: One page could – and should – get indexed for several phrases. Ideally, aim to consciously optimize a page for 3-5 keyword phrases.
Search Engine Optimization Myth #3: You shouldn’t use tables in your HTML code.
Truth: While tables may, to a greater or lesser extent, slow down webpage loading times, they do NOT impede the search engines. Let’s face it, both the search engines and HTML tables have been around for as long as each other, so you can assume the search engines are able to deal with tables.
Search Engine Optimization Myth #4: The search engines don’t like image links.
Truth: The search engines recognize image links – i.e. links embedded in images – just as they recognize text links.
Search Engine Optimization Myth #5: You must avoid using Flash.
Truth: Traditionally, the search engines were not able to index Adobe Flash files which meant that Flash-heavy webpages were at a disadvantage in as much as most of their content wasn’t indexable.
This isn’t entirely true now, since Google began indexing the text and URLs in Flash files last year. Regardless, having a Flash file – e.g. a video – on a webpage is no big deal if you have plenty of other indexable content on the same page.
Search Engine Optimization Myth #6: Using Google’s ‘link:’ operator will bring up all the backward links recognized by Google.
Truth: Google’s ‘link:’ operator – i.e. where you type ‘link:www.website.com’ into Google’s search box – won’t necessarily yield ANY links, let alone all of them.
Search Engine Optimization Myth #7: The PageRank graph in Google’s toolbar reflects real PageRank.
Truth: The PageRank graph you see in the Google toolbar is inaccurate at best. Google is not about to reveal how it really judges the relevance and authority of your site – your real PageRank – so don’t worry too much about what the toolbar says.
Search Engine Optimization Myth #8: You should only use ‘certified’ SEO consultants
Truth: There is no single, authoritative SEO certification. Sure, there are a bunch of organizations that may ‘certify’ someone to have passed some tests or jumped through a few hoops. The fact, however, that one person is ‘certified’ while another person is not, doesn’t mean anything more than that: one person has sat through and passed a few tests and the other person has not!
So, instead of relying on certifications or self-serving claims, do your due diligence and look for results, references and experience as well as (or instead of) some kind of certification.
Source: Jill Whalen, “8 SEO Myths Debunked,” High Rankings, May 5, 2010
