A common question, one that is addressed in a multitude of ways throughout the internet but sadly not always correctly, is how to achieve excellent search engine rankings. This news piece does not focus on what to do; instead it covers what not to do, dispelling the myths - the dangerous myths - that can do more harm than good when trying to improve your search engine rankings.

Search engine optimisation (SEO) requires a high degree of dedication, expertise and perseverance. It is something that you need to work hard at over a long period of time and if possible, employ specialists to help you. Just remember above everything that anything you hear suggesting an easy 'quick fix' simply cannot be true, and more worryingly, can do more harm than good.

Google commands by far the majority of all internet searches so getting your website blacklisted by this search engine has got to be completely undesirable. Why then do some website owners insist on utilising underhand SEO tricks that risk just this? Perhaps they just don't realise what a perilous business underhand SEO is.

Here are five tricks to avoid at all costs when trying to enhance your search engine ranking:

Trick 1: Purposely buying or selling reciprocal links to websites with favourable page ranks to manipulate search engine rankings. Google will penalise sites with irrelevant links because they devalue its service to users.

Trick 2: Purchasing irrelevant domain names that have favourable page ranks and re-directing them to your own website. Again, Google penalises on the basis of irrelevancy because they will avoid anything that could devalue their user experience.

Trick 3: Setting up additional websites on alternative domain names but using duplicate content on those websites, or copying content from websites with a high page rank. Any duplication of content will be penalised by Google.

Trick 4: Adding invisible text, made up of keywords only, to the pages of your website.

Trick 5: Linking with anyone and everyone. Link to a website that Google doesn't favour and you will damage your own page ranking; remember that not all links are good links.

Search engine optimisation is incredibly complex but website owners will do well to bear a simple fact in mind: Google rewards sites that 'earn' naturally good rankings through relevant links and good quality, relevant content, as well as those with pages that meet their other strict requirements such as fast download speeds.

Creating compelling, keyword-rich content will do wonders for your SEO and will prompt other, good quality and relevant websites to link to your site without even requesting a link back from you, thus boosting your page rank and making your site considerably more findable.

Improving your search engine ranking is best done through honest, natural channels.

Information on the PMG SEO service 

Please feel free to Contact us if you have any concerns which aren't addressed here, or if you have any general queries