SEO. However you slice it, search engine optimization is something that you’re going to need to know at least a little bit about if you’re going to put your business on the web. The problem is that, when it comes to SEO, there’s plenty of conflicting information available. How do you know what to trust?
Well, rather than telling you who you can trust, let’s take a look at the flipside: who shouldn’t you trust when you’re looking for information about search engine optimization?
The SEO Guru. You know you’ve seen them. The SEO guru is involved in forums, has a website that promises everyone that they can get to the top of the listings regardless of how much competition you have for your chosen keywords. For that matter, you can sometimes find SEO gurus offering their services on eBay. The guru will give you the sense that their way is the only way, and that without their services you’re not going to get anywhere.
The writer who promises that his or her book will tell you everything that you need to know about search engine optimization for your site. Because the ways that search engines work and because the...