There  is massive amount of misinformation out there about Search Engine Optimization (SEO).  Understandably, many hoteliers have misconceptions about what exactly what SEO entails.  We routinely encounter that with our own customers and prospects.

Recently, Mark Buckingham published a list of 10 SEO Myths.  Well, Here are 5 SEO Myths that we hear regularly.  May this help improve your understanding.

1. High Google Page Rank = High Rankings
Google PageRank (PR) does not equal your ranking. The idea that a high PR means you’re going to rank across the board for everything is simply not true. PR is just one of hundreds of factors that influence search engine rankings.

“For certain keywords a lower PR page might outrank a higher PR page, but the rankings don’t specifically go in exact PR order”, says Matt McGee, Search Engine Land’s executive news editor. Having a high PageRank is nice but it doesn’t automatically mean high rankings, and it certainly doesn’t automatically mean you’re traffic or bookings.

2. Meta Tag Keywords Matter
A perennial favorite misconception is the keywords meta tag. Google’s head of Webspam and all-round search sage, Matt Cutts, sums it up simply when he says: “Google doesn’t use the keywords meta tag in our scoring at all.”  Meta tag descriptions, and certainly titles, matter, but the keyword tag is completely useless across the board.

3. Spending Money on Google AdWords Boosts your Ranking
The assumption that spending money on AdWords will somehow engender you to Google and thus advantage your organic search listings is an understandable, but untrue, idea. Google has said so many times over the years, but the myth never seems to go away.  Don’t just take Google’s word for it, there has never been any evidence, ever, that Pay-Per-Click advertising improved a site’s rankings.

4. Keywords…Cram Them In
The notion that keywords must appear on a page a certain percentage of time to outrank the competition is a fallacy. Says Matt McGee: “I’ve always said you do have to use the keywords, you need to have pages that talk about the products and services you sell. There’s no perfect number; it’s not that if you mention the keyword seven times on this page I’m automatically going to rank well. It doesn’t work that way; there are so many other factors. The notion that there’s a perfect percentage for keywords simply isn’t true. ”

Your copy should be persuasive, informative and have a clear call to action.  Be verbose and create opportunities to talk about your property and local market, but never be repetitive.

5. High Rankings Guaranteed
Anyone who is offering a guarantee in this business is more interested in your money than your results.  I am well know for saying, “If you hear Guaranteed and Google in the same sentence walk away.”  There are hundreds of factors that influence rankings and the environment is constantly changing.  No company or individual could control all of these to the point where they can honestly offer a guarantee.  If you hear that word, beware.

If you still don’t believe me, check out Mark’s full article at: www.netmagazine.com/features/top-10-seo-myths.  You’ll see that I’m not making this stuff up!