I read an excellent article today from SearchEngineLand that spoke about organic SEO myths. I would say that for the most part I either agree with the article or learned from the article.
Here are the points they covered that I agree with.
(1) "You should submit your URL's to search engines" (2) "PPC ads will help/hurt rankings" (3) "Your site will be banned if you ignore Google's guidelines" (4) "Your site will be banned if you buy links" (5) "SEO copy must be 250 words in length"
Here are the points I learned from (1) "You need a Google Sitemap" -- Using my SEO Elite tool I came to realize that a Google Sitemap is not necessary.
And here are the points I hold in question which I will discuss later.
(1) "H1 (or any header tags) must be used for high rankings" -- Again, using my SEO Elite tool I can indeed prove a case for H1 tags. (2) Words in your meta keyword tag have to be used on the page. (3) "You need to update your site frequently" (4) "You need to optimize for the long tail."
NOTE: I will address points 3 & 4 in a companion article to this one as they are best viewed as a unit.
*** Why I Use Meta Keywords ***
This has more to do with me than the search engines. After doing my "bum marketing" article research to determine the title of my article I then commit to that exact topic by creating my meta tag information. I do not go for 3 or 4 keywords per page, but rather one tightly niched focused long tail keyword. This means I include only 1 meta tag keyword which leaves me extremely fixed on the actual content of the article.
Therefore, using the "meta tag keyword" is my way of committing myself to what will be the focus of that article. Bird walking be gone!
*** Using Exact Keywords In Meta Tags ***
The more you focus on a given keyword the more you commit yourself to that topic for your page. The result is that people get exactly what they expect when they come to your site after searching on an exact keyword.
It's a comfort for your viewers to be sure.
I've been to sites where I can't even find the keyword I searched on anywhere on the page. In my opinion, if the keyword doesn't show up then I'm not willing to read the article.
Therefore, putting it in the H1 tag at the top of your page ads increased comfort to your site visitors which directly impacts their length of stay on your website. This is one of many factors that the search engines certainly do monitor.
Therefore, I will include the long tail keyword in both the H1 & H2 tags, once at the top of the article, once at the bottom, & let it go with that. Doing this I have found my website pages hitting top 10 positions within a matter of days if not less than 24 hours.
*** Using Similar Keywords To Meta Tags On Page ***
Over using a given keyword, even a meta tag keyword on a page is not recommended. Using words that are similar to your meta tag keyword information is indeed a good idea. Google knows when they are being spammed. You can trust that Google doesn't like being a victim of such strategies and will indeed penalize you for doing as such. Therefore, similar words like "Search Engine Optimization" instead of "SEO" are always recommended.
*** Conclusion ***
Given the reasons mentioned above I question the phrase "words in your meta keyword tag have to be used on the page" as being one of the true organic SEO myths.
About the Author
Guy Siverson (SEOGuy) - Do you know why you should optimize for long tail keywords? Find out @
http://www.viralmarketing4u.com/2008/09/why-optimizing-for-long-tail-keywords.html. - Partner of
http://Search-Engine-Optimization-And-Beyond.com