3 myths, 2 to-dos and 1 place

MYTH: PageRank is everything

PageRank was originally part of the core of Google's innovative search algorithms, but now Google's algorithms incorporate over 200 components to determine what results to show for each query.  And it's important to note that PageRank isn't just a factor of simply the quantity of incoming links to a page.  Quality and authenticity matters, too, which means that links should be gained naturally rather than bought, sold, begged for, traded, or otherwise finagled.

MYTH: Duplicate content on your site is likely to cause big problems

Nope.  Certainly it's important that your site itself has original and compelling content rather than simply relying on feeds or other content from elsewhere.  However, having some of your own site's content available in multiple places on the same site or from different URLs due to CMS configurations is not considered a violation of Google's Webmaster Guidelines. Of course, it can be helpful to users and may modestly improve your site's presence in Google if you clean things up.  See one of our recent blog posts on rel="canonical" for a reasonably easy way to address duplicate content within your site.

MYTH: There are easy and fast ways to get a top ranking in Google

This ranks up there with "You can lose weight in your sleep" and "Make money fast!"  If an SEO guarantees rankings or you read about a "surefire technique" to have your pages leapfrog to the top in Google Search, run away!  There are no substitutes for offering original and compelling content over time, making it easy for users to find information on your site, and enabling them to painlessly share their finds with friends.

TO DO:  Do an accessibility checkup

Check your site in a variety of mobile phones and on desktop browsers with Javascript and Flash disabled.  Can people still get the information you want them to see?  Can they still buy things?  Can they even contact you?

TO DO:  Title and annotate smartly

Make sure each of your pages has a relevant, useful title (via the

WHERE TO GO:  Google Webmaster Central

• Use the tools to help troubleshoot issues and make sure you're on top of how Googlebot is seeing your site.
• Subscribe to the blog so you'll be among the first to know of offerings like Google's first Official SEO Guide (from 2008, Q4).
• Use the help center so you can verify or debunk claims you read on the web about, say, Google's Webmaster Guidelines.
• Participate thoughtfully in the forum, smartly answering questions of folks less experienced than you, winning the respect of our awesome Bionic Posters, and likely getting actionable advice and great karma in return.

Courtesy of:
Matthew 'Chewy' Trewhella
Customer Solutions Engineer at Google