Why SEO is not everything

Many entrepreneurs have gotten so caught up in the mystique Google has created with their search algorithms that they have based their entire business around it. They believe that the success of their online business begins and ends with their search rankings.

Their obsession is shown more in their link-building practices than anything else. Many entrepreneurs focus only on developing anchored links that do not have the no-follow tag built into them. Of course, this approach eliminates some of the most important promising Internet marketing opportunities, including some of the best social networking sites and forums on the Internet.

Some experts are clearly not suited to run a business. They are technicians who fail to see the big picture. You are running a business and you must keep everything in perspective. Do not take the advice of a few specialists at face value because they are not going to think about everything your business needs to do to succeed.

Being a successful online company requires placing people first and search engines second. This problem is also obvious with many copywriters. They structure their content so that it is able to hit the front page, but it is written too awkwardly for customers to actually do anything with it.

Thinking for search engines is counterproductive. A search engine won’t buy your products or redistribute your messages. A search engine does not re-tweet your links or tell its friends how great your products were.

Some people also limit their link-building strategies because they feel that will suffer the wrath of the Sandbox. This is insane because they are destroying the opportunity to create a brand image for their website. Without a good brand image, a position at the top of the SERPs is meaningless because it won’t inspire anyone to actually visit your site.

Finally, too many people are terrified about using outbound links on their own pages. If they use too many, they fear they will lose their pagerank. The purpose of the Internet is to share information, not to worry about building page rank. Readers will only return when they like what you are willing to share and returning visitors mean more than any that the search engine refers.

Your bottom line must always be your priority. Your presence in the search engine is important and SEO is usually very important. However, you never want to sacrifice your primary business objective for the sake of your search engine rankings.