David Meerman Scott explains why using "SEO tricks" is a bad idea:

People often ask me about search engine optimization. In particular, many ask what search engine marketing techniques they can use on their site to "get high rankings." Inevitably with most of these requests, I find that the site that they want optimized sucks. It's poorly written. It goes on and on in an egotistical way about what the company's products do. It's filled with gobbledygook. I tell these people that they need to understand buyers and create some great content that people want to consume. That way, they will get high rankings as the search engine algorithms reward the great content.

Presumably, you have a product or a service that someone wants. If you actually just give people the information they want, they'll find your product/service in searches, because it will show up organically. If you try to "optimize" your site for searches, you'll almost certainly end up with sites that people flee from on first exposure. But hey - don't take my word for it. Go read what David wrote. And if you take nothing else away from that, understand his summation:

High search engine rankings are not a result of manipulation. They are a result of excellent content.

Technorati Tags: SEO, marketing, PR