How myths get started:

[cbp]

Anyone see this:

First, let me tell you what you don't do. You don't use the "Add URL" form with Google at http://www.google.com/addurl.html. Believe it or not, using that form to let Google know about your site will actually hurt your PR and, at the same time, make Google rank you lower. In other words, you absolutely never want to use that form, or the similar form on any other search engine, to promote your website.

http://www.seochat.com/c/a/Link-Trad...Google-part-2/

We know that the add URL does not help but what a piece of idiotic advice that it can hurt your PR

CBP

[rivux]

Unfortunately the internet allows any crackpot to post their thoughts. The sad part is that people will come across that article, take it as gospel and then start telling other people about how submitting to Google will wreck your rankings, and the cycle continues.

[brian.mark]

So, if he's saying some very false stuff about addurl, are the links he's saying to buy worth anything? I've never bothered buying a link, but he sounded very convinced it was a good thing. Of course, he sounded very convinced that addurl hurt you as well, so I don't beleive him at all about anything now.

Don't people realize how much saying dumb things like that harms their credibility? Just pure lack of common sense.

Brian.

[flood6]

Some of that myth comes from some conference a couple of years ago where an Inktomi rep was talking to a group of people and he said that sites that were submitted through their "Add URL" link were penalized until a link to the site was found "in the wild". Once there were links establishing the site, the penalty was removed.

This is a good place to start reading about this fiasco.

[LinkMaster]

I have found that most SEO forum myths are started by people who have no search engine ranking at all to speak of. They are always speculative, fear-based opinions that have no basis in fact whatsoever.

Here's my motto: Find out who's on top, and do what they did. There's no need to reinvent the wheel.

[rivux]

Originally Posted by LinkMaster

Here's my motto: Find out who's on top, and do what they did. There's no need to reinvent the wheel.

Worst motto of all time.

[ADAM Web Design]

Originally Posted by rivux

Worst motto of all time.

You know, if you're going to make a statement like that, rivux, you really should back it up with...well, anything.

I partly agree with LinkMaster. I believe the best way to the top is to take the top people, exploit their weaknesses (and we all have them) and duplicate their strengths if possible.

If you can duplicate the strengths and improve on the weaknesses, you're now the top dog yourself.

As far as the link goes, perhaps the biggest problem with it is that there are VERY small elements of it that are true (e.g. Google can and will index pages in less than 24 hours with one good IBL...I know, because I've seen this behaviour repeatedly with, among other things, my iKobo review.) The thing is that it usually doesn't have to be bought or in some cases even asked for.

But for every kernel of truth, there are a thousand fountains of misinformation.

This means that the few good points (so far, that's the only one I've found) the guy actually manages to make are drowned out by the idiotic rantings he makes throughout the rest of the "article". So people will either screw themselves up following along, or may end up not doing something that could be right based on the percentage theory that "odds are it's all wrong".

[cbp]

This entertaining...

I chipped into a thread at SEOChat about the article and the author got very defensive.
There is a thread over at DP in which minstrel and the article's author are going blow for blow :-)

CBP

[DMC_34]

This is an old myth. I believe the basis behind it was if Google crawled your site the first time via "Add URL" then it would assign PR 0 from beginning but if it found the site via a link it would pass PR.

I dont bother with Add URL anyways, simply a waste of time. If I want a page indexed for the first time, I just use a link off a popular page. In my experience Google will not crawl a site now unless it finds atleast one link. Well atleast I have never waited that long to get a link. :)

[DMC_34]

Originally Posted by LinkMaster

Here's my motto: Find out who's on top, and do what they did. There's no need to reinvent the wheel.

So true

[rivux]

Originally Posted by ADAMWebDesign

You know, if you're going to make a statement like that, rivux, you really should back it up with...well, anything.

I didn't believe a statement that obvious needed an explanation, but here goes, just for you.

Copying what the top sites do means you are chasing, not leading. It means you are at the mercy of the algo and of the top ranked site. Be yourself, follow the basic rules and you will rank fine.

Now if you are just after a quick buck and don't mind getting banned, buying new domains and starting over, then fine, take that route. But thats only for a small small group of people, for everyone else, the worst advice you can give is to follow the leaders.

[ADAM Web Design]

But in this case, it's pretty well what the leaders do anyway. I'm all for individuality (hence why part of my strategy was to exploit the weaknesses and deal with those first, so you can actually be different), but leaders get to be leaders for a reason (well...most of the time, anyway.)

[LinkMaster]

Originally Posted by rivux

Worst motto of all time.

LOL! You're probably one of those script-kiddies who created all the rumors and myths but have absolutely no search engine ranking whatsoever. If not, then show us your #1 placements to back up your cocky reply.

I have over 25 #1 spots on Google, MSN, and Yahoo for my five main websites. Together they generate over $80k a month in sales. One of my websites is #1 on Google under a phrase that has over 85,200,000 websites competing for it. So, it's too late to tell me that my search engine optimization methods are no good.

I find it hard to understand why you would believe doing something different than what the top-ranked sites are doing would give you better ranking than what they enjoy. Are you betting on the longshot that the top search engines will decide to abandon their current algos and use your ideas to rank sites instead? I fail to see any logic in your assumptions whatsoever.

If you want to reinvent the wheel, have fun. In the mean time, I'll be enjoying my #1 rankings.

[mjmls]

This topic got shifted.

Yeah, myths can have a strong personal bios behind them. Often I look at the source before deciding if it's good advice.

The thought you posted, Google disliking the add url form, is one that I've come across often. It's speculation, in my opinion, but I can see how it may have in initial impact as mentioned above, no PR is passed as would be if found from a link.

It seems that a lot of Myths have dollar signs behind them. That's what I find to be main purpose behind most of the things I read. But everyone needs to make a living, right?

[janeth]

It looks like no one has tested this.

The author should have done some test before he posted but in one thread people are saying it is untrue and they have also not tested it.

I have never submitted a site to Google and have no idea if it is true or not.

The only way to know for sure is to do some test.

[LinkMaster]

When someone posts a "myth" or a "rumor", the best way to find out if it is true or not is to ask the poster for an example. Nine times out of ten they are unable to provide one. That speaks volumes to me.

[cbp]

The thread at DP went to 11 pages -- the author kept posting "evidence" that everyone kept trying to tell him was not "evidence" - I have never seen minstrel so frustrated !

CBP

[KeithO]

Originally Posted by rivux

I didn't believe a statement that obvious needed an explanation, but here goes, just for you.

Copying what the top sites do means you are chasing, not leading. It means you are at the mercy of the algo and of the top ranked site. Be yourself, follow the basic rules and you will rank fine.

Now if you are just after a quick buck and don't mind getting banned, buying new domains and starting over, then fine, take that route. But thats only for a small small group of people, for everyone else, the worst advice you can give is to follow the leaders.

Call me old fashioned, but how do you 'lead' in the SEO business? There aren't new, innovative techniques you can apply to get ahead. There are certain criteria you follow that are tried and true. If you follow someone elses roadmap for success and tweek it to be even better, then you won't be chasing any more.

[janeth]

The problem with the thread at DP is that one person is saying 100% for sure it will work and the other is saying 100% for sure it will not work but neither have shown proof of anything.

How sad

[cbp]

How sad

I thought it was funny :-)

CBP

[janeth]

I'm sorry.

How funny, That one works also. (-:

[ctabuk]

Originally Posted by cbp

The thread at DP went to 11 pages -- the author kept posting "evidence" that everyone kept trying to tell him was not "evidence" - I have never seen minstrel so frustrated !

CBP

Then post the link please CBP, lets all view it!