There are plenty of professions that have their own set of myths, search engine optimisation (SEO) is one area that has lots. We all have a job to do, but every time someone sells one of these SEO myths it reflects badly on the rest of us. It's hard enough in today's current climate without having to convince clients that we are not just another con artist out to make a quick buck. The fact is after helping to create many successful websites I know there is no magic spells, just good standards, good content and lots of hard work.

SEO is a valid arrow to most web development firms bow but it's littered with myths and the misinformed. Here is list of common myths I often hear...

1 - Top 10 results guaranteed!

I love this one. I can too! In just a few hours, but it would not be for the money keywords! So many SEO firms will advertise "top 10 listing guarantee". Let my choose the keywords and see if the guarantee still stands. Don't believe it! I have seen these firms in action, telling clients they need to come top for long trail keywords. Some long trail keywords do give better conversions rates I will agree, but when they only yield few a hits a year I would rather take lower conversion rates with 10,000+ hits a day every time. Google states even in its Webmaster Help Center: "No one can guarantee a #1 ranking on Google."

If you are a businesses looking at SEO firms all I can say is look at their clients, it's their clients which tell the true story.

2 - The purpose of SEO is to improve search rankings

The function of search engine optimisation is not simply increased rankings but increased sales. SEO should be about many factors keywords and tags etc are just a few. Competitor research A, B testing, good code/website practices, user behaviour are just some techniques firms selling SEO services should be pitching.

3 - SEO is best left to the experts

In your business no ones knows your products and services like you. Any firm worth its salt should be giving their clients the knowledge and tools to empower them to write good content and understand what makes a good successful website. SEO should be about a partnership and not treating your clients like idiots.

4 - Lots of links are the most important things to good rankings

How often do you hear this one? Search engines are very smart you may be able to quickly and easily assemble a large array of links on a lot of sites, but good links from 'authority' sites within the same subject field are worth more in the long term.

5 - PageRank is the single most important ranking factor for your site

Nope, just one factor, read what I wrote here

I am sure web developers have heard many more, I would love to hear your experiences and opinions on this subject