There is a lot of hype out there about search engines. While it's always good to learn as much as possible, it's also wise to consider your sources and don't believe everything you hear. This is one of those times that if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is...

We hope to help make learning about search engines and how they relate to your marketing process a fun and interesting experience.

Search Engine Myth #1
Simply optimizing a website once is all you have to do for it to get ranked well on search engines.

This is not the case by a long shot. There is a long list of ethical seo strategies that are used to get your website ranked well. The initial optimization is part of this process, but good search engine rankings require ongoing content development, linking strategies, among other methods.

Search Engine Myth #2
If I build my own website or hire my own web designer, the optimization professionals I hire will be able to optimize my site.

The fact is that to organize and develop your website content to be search engine friendly it must be addressed prior to building your website. Between the structure, organization, content, and code of your website there are many important variables to consider that most designers and developers simply don't understand or incorporate into the development process. That's not to say you can't have a great website without optimization, just fewer search engine rankings and online traffic.

Search Engine Myth #3
Pay Per Click or PPC advertising is the most affordable and effective way to get search engine traffic.

Not the case, although PPC advertising is responsible for generating results for many companies - it costs you every time someone clicks on it! This can add up to hundreds, if not thousands of dollars to your marketing expenses each and every month. For a fraction of the cost, companies can choose to professionally plan and optimize their website to rank well in the organic or natural search engine listings. PPC is best used in moderation and to compliment a natural or organic search engine optimization strategy.

Search Engine Myth #4
Using software to submit your site to thousands of link directories and search engines is a smart move.

First of all, there aren't even that many real search engines out there. A majority of these places are known as link farms or free for all link sites (FFA). While it's unlikely you will get much qualified traffic from these places, it is quite likely that you will get a lot of spam from them. Search engines don't particularly care for software submissions due to resource issues and most have stopped the ability to automatically add your website (using the software).

Search Engine Myth #5
It is not possible to effectively optimize and market my website in-house with my existing staff.

Although this is not true, it is important to consider the level of experience, resources, and time involved with effective search engine optimization and marketing. The companies who handle seo in-house typically hire an expert full time or dedicate a person or small group to becoming educated in current optimization strategies and techniques. It's not very realistic to expect a staff member with many other job duties to become an seo expert overnight. There are countless hours and energy involved in getting and keeping a website ranked well in the search engines. Weighing the cost of your staff training, learning curves, and time factors vs. the cost of hiring a professional seo company on an ongoing basis is likely to prove in-house seo to be more expensive and possibly disruptive to your company's organizational strategy.

Search Engine Myth #6
Search engine optimization and marketing is not as effective as traditional forms of marketing.

That's just not the case - but don't take our word for it. Consider that most companies spend a lot every day using bulk postal mail, roadside billboards, television and radio ads, and in sending out oodles of solicitation emails. Some would argue that because the prospect gets contacted by the company, it's just a matter of time - a numbers game, if you will. However, search engines and websites offer an unparalleled ability to immediately and effectively get in front of customers who are looking for them using a popular search engine.

Search Engine Myth #7
I don't have to change my website ever or update content for it to rank well in the search engines.

Think about how search engines work in the first place, it is all about finding the most relevant content at the moment of someone's search. Since there are other sites being made every day and even more being updated or changed, it's unreasonable to expect your own site to maintain it's positioning without also updating your website content.

Search Engine Myth #8
It is possible to pay for guaranteed search engine rankings.

The ONLY instance this would be true is with pay per click or PPC search advertising. Buyer Beware: Many of the companies offering Guaranteed Rankings are spammers. The common tactic by these types of companies is to create endless doorway pages and submit tons of links to artificially boost your rankings. When it comes to search engine results that are going to deliver targeted customers to your business, there are no guarantees. The search engines decide what to include, and works diligently to eradicate all forms of spamming, including the tactics described above.

Search Engine Myth #9
The META tags on my site are very important to my website optimization strategy.

While this is still believed to be true by many business owners, it is not the case. The content of your site, navigation and page organization, sitemap, and many other factors are responsible for achieving top search engine placement and results. Many search engines do not even reference the META tags anymore and instead focus on the overall content and structure of the website being crawled. While it's not a bad idea to include them, don't let anyone tell you it has a lot to do with success online. There are no short cuts to success here, it's true that "content is king...or queen".

Search Engine Myth #10
Search Engine Optimization and Marketing is more expensive than other forms of advertising and marketing.

Actually, the shocking truth is that search engine marketing is one of the most cost effective strategies out there. Think about it this way, once your campaign is setup and underway every click is free with organic search results. Unlike pay per click or banner advertising, Small Planet Marketing.com's organic/natural listing optimization and marketing services deliver results today and for years to come. All you have to do is pay for ongoing site content development and campaign maintenance.

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Our search engine optimization and marketing service incorporates a comprehensive consultation and needs analysis, extensive keyword research, optimized copywriting, website development, establishing links, submitting to search engines and providing initial and ongoing reporting of your progress.

Have you successfully used optimization techniques to increase targeted traffic to your website? How do your customers react to your website in search results? What is the one thing you would improve about your internet marketing and optimization strategy?

If you're serious about online success, act now to get a free, no-hassle consultation with one of our experienced team members.

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