We published a post in 2010 stating 55 SEO misconceptions, false rumors and blatant lies around that time. SEO has evolved ten folds since 2010, so an update to a frequently hit post was a must. We don’t want old content circulating around the web.

Without further ado…

SEO Misconceptions in 2012

1. Meta keywords are valuable.
2. Content should be written for search results.
3. Once you’ve achieved your desired ranking, SEO is done.
4. Links don’t need to be acquired after you reach your desired ranking.
5. SEO is a one and done online initiative.
6. You can rank for keywords with out any amount of keyword density.
7. SEO=instant traffic.
8. There are secret passages to the first page of Google.
9. AdWords gives you favorable organic search results.
10. Title tags don’t need to be unique.
11. It doesn’t matter where in the title tag you place keywords.
12. Title tags cannot exceed 70 characters.
13. Meta descriptions aren’t important.
14. Meta descriptions do not need to be unique per page.
15. Descriptions cannot exceed about 155 characters.
16. SEO is quick, easy and painless.
17. There is no value in a “no follow” link.
18. Only attain links with anchor text.
19. Links from low quality sites won’t hurt you.
20. Social media and SEO doesn’t mix.
21. Social integration does nothing for SEO.
22. SEO is now only content marketing.
23. Thin content won’t hurt you.
24. A good strategy is to have 5 good pages and 10,000 page with thin content and no optimization.
25. Infographics are out of style.
26. Doorway pages are perfectly acceptable.
27. Keyword stuffing works.
28. You should target as many keywords per page as possible.
29. Long-tail keywords aren’t valuable because of their seemingly low search traffic.
30. Visitors using generic search terms are gold!
31. Keyword research isn’t necessary.
32. Linking out to other sources “leaks” your authority, so avoid it.
33. You need to have every page indexed and crawl-able.
34. XML sitemaps are overrated.
35. Rel=canonical tags fix everything.
36. You must have a keyword in your domain to be successful.
37. Duplicate content can be avoided with an extra image or sentence.
38. Duplicate content isn’t that big of a deal.
39. Black hat SEO is ‘advanced’ SEO.
40. The user and user-friendliness of a site is second to search engines.
41. Footer links should include every link on your website.
42. Broken links and 404 errors on your website don’t matter to search engines.
43. Any kind of redirect is best for SEO.
44. Redirecting all pages from one site to a single page on a new site is user & SEO friendly.
45. Site load time doesn’t affect SEO.
46. Being #1 in search results will always bring traffic to your website.
47. Traffic = conversions.
48. Bing and Yahoo! are unimportant because Google is the search engine king.
49. URL links offer no value.
50. Niche forum links are a waste of time.
51. Google Webmaster Tools isn’t useful for SEO.
52. Analytics isn’t for SEO, it’s for buisness.
53. Small businesses can’t benefit from SEO.
54. Multi-media doesn’t have any affect on SEO.
55. Flash and JavaScript are SEO kryptonite.
56. SEO is dead.

It’s pretty quick to come up with rumors, lies and misconceptions about SEO- as it’s commonly misunderstood by media and business owners alike. SEO isn’t spam or a guaranteed way to get your site to the first page of Google. Search Engine Optimization requires a combination of marketing, creative thinking, social media and basic web design and development knowledge. There isn’t a secret formula to get perfect results and beware of anyone offering first page of Google for a fee. For anyone exercising SEO, it’s imperative to understand the business and goals of the website.

If you’re interested in Minneapolis SEO services, contact us for a free SEO analysis of your website. We’ll dig through all the current on and off page elements your site is optimized for and how your site ranks for target keywords.

About the Author: Courtney Petty

Courtney is the Web Marketing Specialist for DKS Systems. She specializes in all things related to online marketing such as Search Engine Optimization (SEO), social media, paid advertising and more. Outside hobbies include cooking, crafts and surfing the internet. Circle Courtney on Google+!

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