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DIY SEO - Some Myths

September 9, 2009 10:26 by author

For the uninitiated SEO can often seem like a daunting and mysterious subject, this myth is probably further perpetuated by the number of self-proclaimed SEO "experts", "gurus" or "ninjas" that seem to abound these days. I thought it was time to bust a few myths and give small business website owners some ideas about how to start your SEO journey.

1. SEO Is Rocket Science.

No it isn't, SEO takes time sure, and there is a little bit of learning to be done. To be proficient at DIY SEO you'll probably need to have a few skills such as copywriting, data analysis and very basic HTML programming but these are all things that can be learned.

2. The SEO Environment Changes Too Frequently To Be Able To Do It Yourself.

Ok, while it's true that the search engines do make frequent changes to their algorithms, these changes are always designed to provide better results for searchers and cut spam sites out of the listings. As a result there are some constants that are valued by the search engines, these include:

Unique, interesting content.
Well structured, easy to navigate (and crawl) websites.
Keywords in places where the search engines will find them such as page titles, URLs, headings and content.
Sites that people as well as search engines can read.
Sites that are updated frequently.
Popular content, measured by the number of other sites that link to yours.
Trust and authority, measured by things like the age of your domain and trust and authority of sites that link to you.

Following these basic principles will give you a good start if you are interested in DIY SEO.

3. The Secrets Of SEO Are Closely Guarded.

No they're not, they're all out there and are very cheaply (or freely) available in books, on blogs, forums, Twitter and reputable SEO companies' websites. If you decide DIY SEO isn't for you and do come across an agency that isn't willing to share the "secrets" of how they will improve your site's ranking then I'd be inclined to steer clear, if they are genuine they should be happy to share their techniques with you.

4. It's Too Easy To Get DIY SEO Wrong.

While there are some pitfalls to be avoided and it is possible to attract penalties from the search engines these pitfalls are normally easy to avoid. If you're thinking of doing something on your website to help your rankings ask yourself a couple of questions; Does this feel honest? Will this help my human visitors? If the answer to either or both of these questions is no, chances are you're about to do something that might hinder your search engine efforts. There is also plenty of information on the web about what is right and wrong when it comes to the search engines.

So now that we've debunked a few DIY SEO myths you may want to find out a bit more than we can cover in a blog post. Perhaps you'd like to know how to identify the keywords that are going to drive qualified traffic to your site, how to write compelling copy that will spur your visitors into action or how structure your site so the search engines can find your content?

We've teamed up with copywriting wizards Earth Monkey to deliver a comprehensive SEO Training programme. We’ll be showing you how to beat your competitors at their own game, how to drive in more traffic and persuade more visitors to take action.

It’s a full creative and technical round-up of the best (and latest) strategies.

The next course runs in October, at a cost of £275.00 + VAT. Contact us here to reserve your place or request further info.

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About the Authors

Silicon Edge, the e-business specialists are a South Wales based agency specialising in helping clients to spread their marketing message via the web.

Paul, our Director, has extensive marketing and software development experience gained primarily in the travel industry where he worked in both product and project management. His specialist subjects are e-mail marketing, integrating business systems using web technology and rugby.

Matt, our Account Manager, has a background in retail where he was both a sales manager and trainer. More recently he completed a degree in Information Systems at Cardiff University and a stint in product management with IBM. He loves to talk about anything to do with search engine marketing, new media or cricket.

If you want to get in touch you can do so here.