Filed under: SEO Training by Stuntdubl SEO at 12:03 pm, 4/26/2007
The SEO Class is in full swing for spring. Come join us at the New York Helmsley Hotel Midtown Manhattan in mid-May for an information packed 2 day seminar on how to make it happen online. The cost is $2999 (less $500 until next friday if you mention stuntdubl in the notes upon registration)
Who: Greg Niland aka GoodROI, Rae Hoffman aka SugarRae, Michael Gray aka Graywolf, and Brad Geddes aka eWhisper, and myself
What: Unique two day training session on a variety of topics that impact search engine rankings and success with online marketing.
When: May 17th and 18th
Where: New York Helmsley Hotel - Midtown Manhattan
Why: To learn from folks experienced in a broad range of SEO topics to create a better action plan for your site. We will be covering both conceptual and tactical topics. Each attendee will get some one on one time in the "SEO bullpen" with one or more of the presenters, to review their most pressing issues with regards to search engine marketing.
How much: The cost is $2999 (less $500 until next friday) Additional people from the same company will be priced at $1800 (40% off base price)
More information, and how to register:
http://seoclass.com/two-day-workshop/
http://seoclass.com/register/
Agenda and topics:
Each sessions will comprise of about half presentation time, and half question and answer time.
- Intro to SEO by Greg
- Content creation and organization by Rae and Michael
- Brand Management by Greg and Michael
- Usability & Conversion by Brad
- Blogging by Rae
- Link Building, Buying and Management by Rae and Todd
- Social Media & Viral Marketing by Todd and Michael
- Research Techniques by Greg and Rae
- Paid Marketing Campaigns by Brad
- Technical Setup by Michael and Greg
- Internet Marketing Tools by Todd
Join us for the SEO Class by registering here today.
Filed under: Search Engine Optimization by Stuntdubl SEO at 9:40 pm, 4/18/2007
SEO is about more than meta tags, title tags, and targeted anchor text. Call it "competitive webmastering", "SEO", or any one of a slew of other titles - it is the thought process of lateral thinking and understanding of website creation and marketing combined that matters most. It is a line of thinking that necessitates doing what is optimal: when to balance user experience with "bot experience" to create a site that will harvest any legitimate traffic without detriment to conversions, or without venturing into areas beyond the given risk threshhold for the project.
Technology and marketing were formerly unique disciplines with very different types of people. SEO’s are the folks in between. In my mind, the reason SEO goes well beyond just search marketing into most areas of business is because search engine marketing IMPACTS many of the decisions that are made in a business. Marketing, infrastructure, customer relations, analytics, accounting, human resources can all directly impact search marketing and vice versa. SEO has become more and more of a strategic vision as top rankings become more competitive, and more valuable. SEO is in large part the communication gap between marketing and IT, combined with top level executive strategy (The only good SEO’s that leave the field at this point, do so to become CEO’s - visual illustration).
This is intended to be an "advanced beginner’s guide" - which is a bit of a paradox, but the idea is that even the most proficient of SEO’s often revisit the basics, and that execution on simple solutions can be very elegant and effective. It will also help to cover many of the things that all too often get overlooked. Executing on basics is the most advanced play in the search engine marketing game. A little secret I’ll let you in on - Even the "SEO Pros" go back to basics - content and links. They’re only pros because these two critical elements have become second nature, and nearly every waking thought is based around how to create mo’ betta content, or get some new links in creative ways.
Even if you understand every single technique available - no matter what play you call - you still have to block and tackle to reach the endzone and score your top rankings. The most proficient SEO’s realize that search ranking, branding, marketing strategy, conversions, and postive conversations consist of two major elements - CONTENT and LINKS.
Content
User Experience and content organization
The user experience should be concise, and simple. Simple is elegant. You can have multitudes of functionality locked within a extremely simple streamlined interface. Read Don’t make me think, and the Big Red Fez.
Key tips with site architecture:
1. User architecture and bot architecture don’t need to be identical. A bot will determine the heirarchy of a site through it’s link structure. A user will determine the heirarchy of a site through the placement of the main navigational elements.
2. Search engines are becoming extremely proficient at incorporating semantics into link structure. Keeping a site sectioned into themes is extremely important. The importance of internal anchor text to this factor is rarely over-rated.
3. Internal search is incredible for gathering data on your site.
Resources for understanding information architecture, and balancing the user experience with the bot experience:
Content Creation
Keyword based content
Creating content specifically to rank for keywords. This is a borderline practice, depending on the intelligence level of the content. A thousand monkeys with a thousand typewriters could lookup and change content based on a set of words.
User generated content
The beauty of web 2.0 - people decide to connect together to do something. Whether it’s worthwhile or otherwise, two heads are very often better than one, and conversation is the backbone of the web.
How to content
Everyone loves to know how to do something. I really wish I could download things like "how to do your own plumbing", and be able to figure it out. Someday, perhaps a well optimized and informative video will be able to do that.**
**after publishing Rob pointed me to these installation resources on Vintage Bath and Tub (who have some cool clawfoot tubs) - great examples of howto content
Blog content
Write what you know. Talk about a relevant, cohesive topic.
Linkbait content
Make a GREAT idea even better. Be remarkable.
Commodity content
Sometimes cheap content is better than no content. Don’t be lazy.
Content Resources:
Content Structure:
Duplicate content thinking
LINKS
The "Bot Experience"
"Create a site with your users in mind" has become an oft-quoted mantra of search engine representives when asked about how to rank better in search engines. While the logic is sound, it is also somewhat incomplete. The "experience" that a bot has when visiting your site will often determine the initial experience that a user has with your site as well. Controlling where the bot enters the site, and how the bot "sees" the site is of paramount importance to determining how users will find and navigate through your site.
Information architecture is one of the most overlooked areas of good search marketing. Mainly because it is one of the most difficult areas to retrofit on a site, and it’s extremely difficult for consultants to demonstrate the value to justify the workload needed to overhaul a site.
Link Development
Old is good - Old sites are trusted. Trustrank is a part of the game, and if you don’t believe it you’ve been sleeping. There is no sandbox, there is only the trustbox, and the trustbox emphasizes old, aged links that are on trusted domains that are relevant to your targeted query.
Link equity is the new brand building. Perhaps I’m a bit wrong - link equity, strategy, and development is the new brand building. Brand building and link building should coexist peacefully. Those folks out there that you’re paying $10 - $20 per hour for link building, are building your brand for the future. Why? because a brand is only a google search away these days. If I want to know how strong McDonald’s brand is - I do a google search. Perhaps I’m ahead of the curve, but even Joe sixpack isn’t that far behind me. He knows that google is a verb, and he’ll soon figure out how to change his default search application from windows live to yahoo or google. New brands don’t underestimate the intelligence of their consumers. Default search doens’t "WOW" anyone. Relevance, and information quality does.
Types of links and how to get them. Learn what they are, and how they apply to you. 12 types of links and how to get them.
Article link development
Write articles - submit to various sites based on automation for quantity or personal contacts for quality.
Press link development
Write articles - see above.
Partner link development
Network at conferences, through IM, or email, and make nice with friends.
Affiliate link development
Start an affiliate program with a service that is in the know. Redirect appropriate pages.
Paid link development
Buy text links on relevant sites
Viral link development
This one is probably among the toughest because it is becoming increasingly difficult to do something remarkable that people talk about.
Try learning what linkbaiting means.
Directory link development
Proceed with caution - you don’t need many.
Reciprocal link development
See above.
Link Development Resources:
Linkbaiting
Webmasterworld Link Development Threads
Supporter’s Forum (worth every penny of membership)
Welcome to the Rabbit Hole Alice - Resources for those figuring out what SEO really is.
You can take the blue pill or the red pill. The blue pill will take you back to your cozy desk job coding for the man, and the red pill might lead you to insomnia induced by ideas of how to turn your startup into a real company using only your laptop combined with some technical and marketing skills, and a realistic gameplan to pull it off. Or you might end up going from self employed to unemployed real quickly.
The first converstation I have with folks generally consists of them asking some questions about what SEO is. If they are REALLY interested, and get beyond thinking about the fact that I tell them meta tags generally don’t matter much, I would guess it feels a bit like Alice falling down the rabbit hole. I am still overwhelmed with information overload on a daily basis, and this is after over about 6 years of studying and experimenting with SEO techniques on a daily basis. I think the information overload stems from having so many opportunities to apply the information, as well as trying to keep up and evolve process with emerging opportunities. Digesting, managing, and even thriving on the information overload is extremely important in a business built on timely, relevant information.
Here’s where to start with your SEO Training if you’d prefer the red pill:
If that’s not enough, check out Lee’s list of SEO/SEM blogs, or Search through them.
More resources on site strategy: 18 questions your CEO forgot to ask when building your website
Practice your blocking and tackling every day. Read these long enough, focus on refining tactics, and experimentation, and you’ll always have a team to play for; your clients, vendors, employer, or partners will be dumping the gatorade all over you for being the one that "made it rain".
What resources do you use for your SEO Playbook or your SEO blocking and tackling?
Filed under: Link Development by Stuntdubl SEO at 10:46 am, 4/16/2007
I like to buy links. In fact, I love to buy links. As powerful and relevant as possible. The more they are such, the more they will help search engine rankings. Search engine rankings help sales. I love to buy sales even more than I like to buy links. I love to scale this process too. I am a capitalist. Capitalist theory may have it’s downfalls, but overall it has served our country pretty well. I think a case could be made for just about any link on the web being purchased in one way or another. You can read my thoughts on not being a link communist here.
About two years ago, I formed an opinion on buying links that is contradictory to that of search engineers at Google. I obviously have a vested interest in doing so. The above is my disclaimer. I like to make money buying (and sometimes selling) links. Engineers make their employer money by keeping search results relevant. That is two perspectives. The third (4th, 5th, 6th, and 7th) perspective is the Visitor, Owner, Consumer, or Partner. They are what I truly try to justify my biased perspective off of because they are the most important. I think the FUD is really only doing detriment to them in the long run, and creating unwarranted confusion to those who have legitimate needs to purchasing links in various forms.
Maintaining perspective is the important part of the link buying debate. Staying informed, and being able to defend your case should the issue ever arise, and knowing that there are no hats, only goals in this business.
Article link buying
Perspective: SEO
1. Quantity - I write a press release which takes time to write or resources to have written. Hopefully it is worthwhile news. The anchor text linking back to the articles sometimes helps as a link. Submission services take money.
2. Quality - I spend a LOT of time writing a superior article to have it published and have links put in. I send it to someone, and they review it and publish on their site with relevant links. I value my time as money.
Perspective: Engineer
Anyone can publish a crappy article. Some are relevant and well written, but they will get aggregated to higher quality sites if they are high quality press releases that are truly citation worthy. These links probably should be severely dampened in terms of their quality score.
Perspective: Visitor, Owner, Consumer, Partner
It’s probably good to publish any relevant articles I have, but I’m concerned with the value of doing so, because it is difficult and time consuming to write good articles uniquely for a lot of different sites.
Directory link buying
Perspective: SEO
Yea, okay - the engineers are right on this one - it was only for the rankings. Yahoo directory and two or three others is probably as much as we want.
Perspective: Engineer
Muahahaha. We’ve eradicated 99% of directory link popularity since update Florida.
Perspective: Visitor, Owner, Consumer, Partner
I know a bunch of great directories we can get links. I have a list of awesome places we can submit!
Press Release link buying
Perspective: SEO
These aren’t going to help a whole lot, but every little bit helps. We might as well pay the extra money to get our link embedded in the release, as the anchor text could help a bit.
Perspective: Engineer
Any press release sites probably shouldn’t pass a lot of link weight because anyone can buy them.
Perspective: Visitor, Owner, Consumer, Partner
Will the links even count if we put them in a press release?
Partner link buying
Perspective: SEO
I’ll buy some links from their sites, and sell them some from mine in trade if the partner is a good fit through non-reciprocated (or some reciprocated) sites.
Perspective: Engineer
We know all your partners. Have you seen touchgraph? Our data is WAY better.
Perspective: Visitor, Owner, Consumer, Partner
Is this a link scheme that will get me banned? I’d ask someone at google, but all I ever get is canned responses.
Affiliate link buying
Perspective: SEO
I don’t really want to piss off the affiliates, but a few extra links where it doesn’t is kinda nice.
Perspective: Engineer
Not enough people have figured this out yet anyways to tell if 301’s are really working for affiliate urls.
Perspective: Visitor, Owner, Consumer, Partner
Our affiliate program is either really important, or hasn’t yet been started.
Paid link buying
Perspective: SEO
I’ll buy some links for my clients where it is relevant.
Perspective: Engineer
No comment. Send in your spam reports.
Perspective: Visitor, Owner, Consumer, Partner
Is this a link scheme that will get me banned? I’d ask someone at google, but all I ever get is canned responses.
Viral link buying
Perspective: SEO
Good content is expensive - we’d better make sure we can promote it effectively.
Perspective: Engineer
Please send in your linkbaiting reports.
Perspective: Visitor, Owner, Consumer, Partner
Is this a link scheme that will get me banned? I’d ask someone at google, but all I ever get is canned responses.
My question is - if paid links are going to be discounted - where will the link juice come from?
Overall perspective on link purchase:
Perspective: SEO
Links help my rankings. Rankings help my sales, and the sales of my clients. We need to develop strategies for more effective links.
Perspective: Engineer
People are always trying to find the short road to rankings. We frown on our search results being manipulated in any way, and want to stop it wherever possible.
Perspective: Visitor, Owner, Consumer, Partner
We need traffic and sales. We want relevant results when we search.
Conclusion:
Every link has an inherent cost - whether it be time, money, or a combination - most links are sponsored in one fashion or another.
Google can certainly discover your links and discount them, but they hopefully also respect the effort it takes to purchase effective text link advertising. Labeling purchased links as "grey area" makes the job of engineers a bit easier, by buying time until the algorithm is more effective by becoming dependent on other factors. Links has long been a MAJOR factor in rankings - and making the most of links is the job of a good SEO.
You should purchase RELEVANT on-topic links. If you can NEARLY justify the purchase for clickthrough, it’s probably well worth taking a leap of faith on the link passing link popularity. As a visitor, owner, consumer, or partner - your site NEEDS links, and the handful of links from friends and relatives just isn’t going to cut it.
More on the paid link debate:
Public aside to Matt and the world’s greatest spam fighters:
With all the great things you guys do for webmasters, this is truly a disservice. They look to you for clarification, and having the average webmaster expect they can rank at all without paying in some form for some links is sending them on a fool’s errand. With the highest level of respect, I really think this is a debate/ problem which will work itself out through the marketplace - and NOT with the help of the FTC. I hope you will continue to consider the nature and philosophy behind paid links without resorting to creating this level of fear, uncertainty, and doubt with web publishers.
Filed under: Blogger Theory by Stuntdubl SEO at 10:42 am,
Jim tagged me - helping to spread the “why do I blog” meme. There are plenty of great reasons why I choose to blog, most of which have been covered by Jim, and several of the other great responses. There are plenty of reasons I don’t as well. Since blogging has been light lately, I figured I’d give some of the reasons I don’t blog, instead of going right along with the meme (it’s fun to be the counterpoint sometimes).
1. I’m working on something other than commentary.
2. I’m not sure who it might offend.
3. The post could negatively effect my projects.
4. The post could negatively effect someone else’s project.
5. It’s not remarkable. No one cares.
6. I don’t want to be an idiot blogger.
7. I have a bad attitude about something.
8. Lack of inspiration.
9. Off topic posts suck.
10. Competitive conflict.
Other than these, I really enjoy writing about topics that interest me. Thought aggregation is probably the number 1 reason that I do blog now, and the fact that others enjoy reading some of it certainly helps as well. Blogging has become a great form of communication on many different levels, but it is also hard work to maintain in an intelligent fashion.
