Think about who you listen to

In the introduction to this mini guide I recommended that you check me out before you purchased this book. That's not to show off, it's a sensible first step before you take advice from anyone.

I belong to, and read, a number of forums on Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) and Pay Per Click (PPC). All too often I see new members asking questions and then taking bad advice because they assume any member of a forum must know what they are talking about.

Far from it. It's very easy to join a forum and pretty much say whatever you like. On some discussion boards senior and more experienced members will put such people right but you can't rely on it.

So if someone offers you advice, ask them to prove that it works and it is not just an idea they came up with while swinging on a Sunday afternoon hammock.

This follows across the entire internet. If someone blogs about something, it doesn't mean they know what they are talking about. If someone answers a question on Yahoo, it doesn't mean they are right, even when the asker chooses it has their “Best Answer”.

So read it, check who wrote it, and verify they are a real authority who has achieved something in the field of search engine optimisation or search engine marketing.