Unfortunately, there comes a time when you find out that myths aren't true. For me, it was realizing that Santa's handwriting was too much like my Mom's. Taking it all in stride, I love my Mom for feigning Santa to bring me joy all those years. In the end, I'm better off knowing the truth simply because I can make better gifting decisions.

SEO is no different. There are so many factors that affect visibility in search engines, one can spend a lifetime chasing the truth. However, when it comes to SEO copywriting, there are several myths that just won't go away. Knowing the truth will allow you to make better writing decisions, and have brand new eyes loving your articles in no time.

Here are myths to avoid in order to one-up the next article:

Myth #1: SEO copywriting is repetitive / mechanical / not creative / stifles my voice.The truth ... is that your voice need not change in order to SEO copywrite. The only difference is that the article needs to use pre-selected keyword(s) throughout the text to reassure the user that your article is about what they typed to get there. It's still up to you to bring all that good writing mojo to the table. Marrying the two isn't as hard as you think.

Myth #2: SEO copywriting is writing for crawlers.

The truth ... is that crawlers don't read. They are robots. When crawling your site, they don't sit down to a cup of coffee and open up your article to pass the time. However, people who use search engines to answer billions of questions every day do read; a lot. All SEO copywriting is meant to do is get your content in front of those interested parties. Always write for your audience, not robots.

Myth #3: I can skip keyword research and head straight to writing.

The truth ... is that you can't fake SEO. If you're going to SEO copywrite, you've got to go whole hog. This means picking which one of those billions of questions being asked of search engines you want to answer in your article, before you write.

Myth #4: Once I've picked my keyword, I must use it as-is, no changes.

The truth ... is that you should use both the keyword as-is and use variants on the keyword to spice it up. There are loads of fantastic tricks you can use to make this happen. For example, consider ending one sentence with the first word in the keyphrase, then start the next sentence with the rest of the keyphrase.

Myth #5: If I use the keyword once in my article, I'm golden.

The truth ... is that this is completely wrong. Our suggestion is to use the keyphrase in your title (at the front if possible), in headers and at least once per paragraph.

Myth #6: If I use the keyword fifty times in my article, I'm golden.

The truth ... is that this is completely wrong. Read your article after it is complete. Does it sound choppy, repetitive or difficult to read? If so, start taking out some of those keywords. Remember, you're still writing for your visitors and readability is king.

Myth #7: Anchor text isn't counted in SEO.

The truth ... is that it is actually counted in several aspects of SEO. First, when you use your pre-selected target keyphrase in the anchor text of a hyperlink on that page, you will get content credit for that page. Second, users will appreciate the descriptive text letting them know where they're about to go. Third, the page you are pointing to in that hyperlink will enjoy some SEO "juice" from that anchor text as well.

Myth #8: Alt text isn't important.

The truth ... alternative text, also known as "alt text" , is very important. Screen readers rely on this information to provide information about the photos which aren't rendered on the page. Simply describe the photo in the context of your target keyphrase and you'll be helping both text browser visitors and SEO to boot.

Myth #9: I need a certain keyword density in my article or else I won't rank.

The truth ... is that this isn't necessarily true. Ranking is based on over 200 factors that continue to evolve over time. A certain density threshold of keyword use is simply too hard to chase down. A good rule of thumb is to use the keyword at the front of your title, in your headings and at least once per paragraph.

Myth #10: Once I hit publish, I'm done.

The truth ... is that you can spread the word about your fantastic article after it's gone live. Take the URL of your article and promote it to your Facebook friends, tweet about it on Twitter and send it over to your fave social bookmarking site. Ask people to check it out and tell you what they think.


Hungry for more seeds of insight? Visit our Contributor Resources.