In a word, no. Many of the strategies that are still being touted by the so-called gurus will almost certainly lead your new website down a unwanted pathway, possibly even into the dreaded Google 'sandbox'. If you want your website to thrive, stay current with the new SEO techniques. Every year seems to bring out a new batch of methods for getting your site ranked highly in the search engines and it may seem like an endless struggle at times. Consistency will pay off, though.

One of the more persistent rumors deals with the notion of the major engines penalizing sites for duplicate content - true or not, it would certainly make sense if they did so, as the true value of a search engine is to find quality content, rather than an endless parade of the same old same old. It will pay you to take the time to write original content.

The other current rumor has to do with the speed at which you gather incoming links, and again, it only makes sense. A site which suddenly develops hundreds of new links almost certainly used an automatic process to do so. The major players are looking for patterns which follow a natural progression, not bizarre, out-of-control rapid growth.

Taking the time to learn about current SEO trends can make an enormous difference for your site!