Header Tags: A Pesky Reminder

Today, I came across a client that was using a

tag for their header instead of a header tag. While this isn't the most important metric for the search engines, they do give more weight to the words inside an h1 tag or h2 tag than other words on the page.

You never know when that might make the difference in your rankings!

Also, Wordpress users - beware. Your sidebar headers may contain h1 and h2 tags. Use a lower tag, such as an h4 or h5 tag instead. I recently changed that on one of my blogs and noticed new pages aren't falling into the supplemental index as quickly. That doesn't mean I shouldn't build links (I still have a bunch of pages in that stupid index). And it also doesn't mean Google shouldn't figure out a better way to index Wordpress, but it might help you in the meantime.

Hump Day Hot Stuff 5-16-07

Today is LIVESTRONG day. This is an annual day of cancer awareness and advocacy by the Lance Armstrong Foundation. Take part by wearing those yellow bracelets, educating yourself and your family about cancer, donating to research, and emailing your Congresspeople.

Now, onto the usual business. Here are the links since last week, with your usual round of fun to get you over the hump.

SEM/SMO

Andy Hagans quits his clients and talks domaining.

Search Marketing Standard offers tips on how to optimize your online video.

Li Evans writes about reinclusion requests.

David Wilson explains that B2B is slow to embrace SMO. Their loss!

SEOptimise has the goods on Digg alternatives. Hint: Better traffic, good links!

Daily Blog Tips listed the Top 10 Underrated Wordpress Plugins.

FUN Stuff

MapsKrieg is a mashup of Google Maps and Craig's List.

Sugarrae went to Scotland and I'm jealous!

Turtles really do have ninja skills.

Replace those boring old circular condensation rings with cherry blossom ones.

Before your next bike ride, be sure to check your helmet for bird poop.

Don't just settle for any old hot water bottle. Get one with the Hoff on it.

This sea lion has dreams of touring with Riverdance.

Rebellious cats everywhere are taking over fruit hammocks.

Harry Potter. No wait, Star Wars. No wait, Harry Potter.

Now even your gluteus maximus can enjoy the sounds of the movies when you place this subwoofer under your couch cushion.

Who said gutters have to be boring?

Need to get around your office in a jiffy? Try carpet skates.

Following me around like a duck is the new following me around like a puppy dog.

Kitty cage match wrestling!!!!!!!!

Always meet with your surgeon before they put you under.

The Great BlogCatalog Buzz Experiment

The best new blog this year has started a mass buzz experiement. iwebis is encouraging blogs to plug BlogCatalog today in an effort to generate traffic, networking, and social media marketing.

Of course, this is right up The SEM Zone's alley.

PLUS - iwebis has had amazing success in its three week history.

So without further ado....I'm going to walk you through my very first day on BlogCatalog.

I've just signed up The SEM Zone. Click here to join our neighborhood. Now I'm getting a message that we must link back to BlogCatalog. No problem. (I add that to my list of things to remember when we make the switch to Wordpress).

Now it's time to update our profile. I write a sentence about how awesome we are and upload a random photo of a runner at the starting line.

I'm not sure what to do next, so I just go to the home page. Oh look, there's The SEM Zone at the bottom of the page. A free dofollow link for like two seconds until we're bumped off the Recently Added section.

Now, I have a choice. I can either go back to the iwebis page and read all the wonderful things about BC or I can explore around myself. I choose the latter even though I know it would save time to read the iwebis page. This is how I put furniture, appliances, and toys together. By NOT reading the instructions. Old habits die hard.

I click on "Internet" in the tag cloud. On the results page, Andy Beard's page is first. Go figure. That guy is everywhere. As he should be. He's one of the best blogs I have in my Google Reader.

I notice an SEO link at the top in the categories and obviously I click on it. I scroll through the list of blogs, some familiar, some not. And then it hits me. I've been to BlogCatalog before. So now this post has turned into my second BC experience. Sigh.

I click "more" on the first blog (Search Engine Optimization Journal). It has similar qualities to MyBlogLog except it's somehow easier on the eyes. I see that I can join the neighborhood of this blog. Let's do it!

Phew. That was easy. I scroll through the page. I notice that I can look at the other BC users in the neighborhood. And there is a section at the bottom for comments. "Mr. Das" says that he expects more on SEO. I glance through the titles of recent posts. Mr. Das - your expectations are impossible! That whole blog is about SEO! Which is a good thing considering a title.

Another commenter requests a link exchange. Kind of a funny place to make a link request, much less a link exchange. I mean - crosslinking anyone?

I am then easily distracted (that's not hard) by a sidebar widget about discussions. I'm not one for forums, but the discussions at StumbleUpon are pretty user-friendly, so let's check out BC's discussions.

I click on the discussions link and a list of wait for it.... discussions pops up. The first one is about linking. I also notice a discussion from iwebis pal Cyrmrusteve, who recently left me a nice review on StumbleUpon. I click on that discussion and skim the page just for usability purposes. It looks incredibly easy to use. I leave a comment. BAM! It is easy to use.

There's more you can do with widgets and things, but I've got to get back to copywriting for a client today. Plus, after work, I'm going shoe shopping. But I intend to return to BlogCatalog soon for all the networking, linking, and social media marketing glory to be had.

See you there!


Technorati: blogcatalog, seo, search engine optimization, social media marketing

I'm a Proud SEO Mom

I love my son. He's a very unique kid. He's in AIG at school (if you don't know, that means he's super smart) and he can build a Bionicle faster than you can check your analytics.

Lately he's been spending more time on the computer, and [finally] realizing that there's more to the internet than the official website of the aforementioned Bionicles. The other day he found a cute picture of a dog on Daily Puppy and he sent it to me. I asked him where he found it. He said "Google." I felt proud.He's started to use his Gmail account, including the chat feature. His favorite thing to do with Gmail is send me and my husband things he's found. (oftentimes, sending us stuff we've already sent each other). He has a personalized Google home page with a purring kitty and other various curiosities.

Oftentimes we hear about how dangerous the internet is for a kid, but it also brings alot of joy. Watching my children laugh and discover things on the world wide web is pure fun, especially as a mom who works in SEO. There's a bunch of other SEO moms out there and Wendy Piersall has put together a list of the Top Ten Moms in Search Engine Marketing. I'm just an SEO rookie, so I didn't (and wouldn't expect to) make the list. But be sure to check out the ones who did and subscribe to their blogs.

The Art of Asking

The answer is always no until you ask. A friend of mine told me that in college and it's stuck with me ever since.

In the search marketing industry, asking is very important. We ask businesses to choose us as their SEO/PPC firm. We ask clients to upload our recommendations onto their websites. We ask for links. We ask coworkers to go to Starbucks with us. There's just a whole lotta asking going on.

• Over at YOUmoz (the user-generated content blog at SEOmoz) David Chase pointed out the importance of asking. He asked SEOmoz staffer Rebecca Kelley to digg an article. She did. It ended up on the homepage.
  
  
• Speaking of YOUmoz, I recently wrote a Joey Altherr to ask him a followup question about a post he contributed. He responded, but then added me to his Google Talk list and asked me to Digg an article. So I did what any good and decent blogger would do. I digged it. All because he asked.
  
  
• Yesterday I asked Danny Sullivan at Search Engine Land to consider including my post, How to Make Viral Video Work for Your Business, in the daily recap. He did. I've never met the guy and he has no idea who I am. But I asked and he said yes.
  

You just really can't make it in this business alone. As Lisa Barone pointed out today on the Bruce Clay blog, you have to go out there and make some friends. A little asking can go a long way. So go ahead, get your ask on!


Technorati: seo, search engine optimization, search engine marketing, online marketing, internet marketing, digg

Friday Free-for-All 3-30-07

I know Search Haiku was supposed to prevent any roundups from occurring on this blog, but I had too much to share today. So, because you can't get enough Friday roundup, here is your Friday Free-for-All.

SEO

• Michael Martinez at SEO Theory reminds us to choose the right search engine to optimize for.
  
• Erik at SEO Speedwagon demonstrates how two sites with similar quantities in links can rank very differently. A Tale of Two Link Counts
  
• Getting poor results from your email link requests? SEO Hotline passes along the goods for writing the perfect link request.
  
• SEO by the Sea tests whether Google Maps or Yahoo Local is better at restaurant recommendations.
  
• David Wallace offers 10 Steps To a Successful SEO Relationship
  .
  
• Michael Gray at Search Engine Land offers great tips on writing headlines.
  
• Lisa Barone at Bruce Clay makes sure you're ready for mobile search.
  
• Pink is one of my favorite colors. Unless it's covering up your website. Andy Beard explains why pink websites are ugly.
  
• PRWeb releases new distribution statistics.
  

Social Media

• Ask a Ninja Interviews Will Ferrell and John Heder Movie studios engaging in social media is nothing new, but movie studios allowing ninjas into the press junkets is. America's favorite ninja interviewed the stars of Blades of Glory. He was far more entertaining than your usual entertainment interviewer. I mean, who else is going to talking about naming nunchucks? DISCLAIMER: In February, I saw the man behind Ask a Ninja perform at the DSI Comedy Fest in Carrboro. This dude is funny and well-versed in the skills of improv and comedy. And you should be too.
  
• Over on Techdirt this week: If you're thinking about blogging or creating an animated replay of a certain tournament this weekend, Techdirt reports that you might be committing copyright infringement. And is Trademark law going too far?
  
• Daniel at Daily Blog Tips shares 7 low cost ways to market a blog.
  

Geek-a-riffic

• GeekSugar introduces us to WiFi protecting paint
  
• LifeHacker offers up Top 10 Free Windows Downloads
  
• TechnaBob posts about a keyboard that can be washed in the sink. Spill away!
  
• The Chief Happiness Officer embeds a video about Cranium's office in Seattle. Now I'm wanting to ride a scooter at the office.
  

Prediction for the Week Ahead

• Neil Patel's SEO recommendations will continue to increase traffic for Jason Calcanis.
  

Another integration campaign

Last night I allowed my husband watch the most recent Mythbusters episode on his TiVo season pass and at the end of the show, they directed viewers to the internet for one last mythbusting adventure - whether or not changing lanes can enable a driver to dodge speed cameras.

I went to the website and was delighted to find that the video clip immediately appears and plays. After users have watched it, the vid disappears and you're left to explore the rest of the site. Even a refresh of the browser (at least in Firefox and on a Mac) doesn't bring it back. There's still a link at the top for "raw footage." There, users can find archived clips based on previous episodes.

By the way, no you can't dodge speed cameras with changing lanes, license plate covers, hairspray, or anything. Seems obeying the law is the order of the day.

Related content: Integrating Offline and Online Campaigns

Technorati tags: advertising, marketing, online marketing, sem, search engine optimization, seo, integration

Restaurant Owner Blames Google for Bad Business

Techdirt is reporting that a restaurant owner is blaming Google for negative publicity in the search results for his eatery. Apparently, a restaurant employee helped his brother escape prison. A reporter covering the story included the accomplice's place of business in his story. That story was ranking first for a search for the restaurant.

However, upon doing a search for "Ceritano's Restaurant" or "Ceritano's Ristorante," it becomes apparent that the entrepreneur has done nothing to optimize for the search results. In fact, Ceritano's Ristorante has a few pages, but they're on TinaGourmet.com. Unfortunately, though, the very first link on the top left side leads to the Beverage page, which has a 404 error on it. Last but not least, the link from the home page on TinaGourmet.com has "click here" as the anchor text.

Let this be a lesson to all: Optimize or be optimized!

Now, is anyone else hungry for gnocci and tiramisu?

Technorati tags: seo, online marketing, internet marketing, search engine optimization, sem, search engine marketing, google, restaurant

Integrating Offline and Online Campaigns

If you were one of the millions of people watching Heroes on NBC last night (or one of the many wives blogging while her husband does - wait was that just me?), then you probably noticed the sneak peak at the upcoming Spider-Man 3.

At the very end of the teaser trailer, viewers were directed to NBC.com where they could, for the next 24 hours, watch 7 and 1/2 more minutes of the fanfared flick.

My husband's geek streak kicked in and immediately his fingers were typing in NBC.com into his browser. But he was caught in the web of high traffic and was not immediately able to see the exclusive clip. Guess it worked. No doubt NBC will get a ton of links from this as well.

And that's not all - at the end of Heroes, NBC encouraged fans to upload videos where they can express their theories of the hit drama's plot points.

Are you integrating your offline campaigns such as television and radio ads, print ads, and direct mail with your SEO campaigns? If not, take a page from the NBC playbook and watch your ROI soar.

UPDATE: Check out the Mythbusters integration campaign

Technorati tags: nbc, spiderman, seo, marketing, advertising

A Short List of Social Media Blogs

So far, I've posted lists of copywriters and RSS blogs. Today it's all about Social Media. Here we go....

Clickinfluence is a sharp looking blog written by Nick Wilson. But Mr. Wilson recently put together a Yahoo! Pipes feature where he mashed up feeds from a bunch of Social Media blogs. Check it out - it's called the Social Media List.

The Social Media Marketing Blog contains Scott Monty's thoughts on how social media interacts with B2B marketing.

Social Media Optimization is David Wilson (what's up with all the Wilsons?), co-owner of a search marketing and web design company in New Hampshire.

Jennifer Jones podcasts her way into your social media heart with Marketing Voices.

What are YOUR favorite social media blogs?

Technorati tags: sem, search engine marketing, internet marketing, social media

Google: Virus Alert

No, not a computer virus.

Apparently the staff physician over at Google issued a memo telling employees to stay home if they're sick. One of our account managers was directed by her doctor to stay away from the office for 48 hours so as to not spread the germs.

I've been sick for what seems like forever. But after trying to rest all last weekend, I got a bit stir crazy. Can't seem to shake this thing, whatever it is. But it's vicious.

And I can't blame the doctors for their directives. When both of my kids were sick a few weeks back, their physician said the practice was crazy busy. It didn't help them that the kids got sick on different days resulting in two different appointments. Then again, I did keep them home and later my husband and I both got sick. I stayed home when I initially got sick but when I returned to the office I heard the sound of sniffles abound before I had the chance to "Achoo" all over the place.

So what's your opinion? If sick America stayed home, would fewer people get the bug?

Technorati tags: virus, flu, sick, cold, google, online marketing, search engine marketing, internet marketing

Search Haiku 3-1-07

Take time to give back
The word from SEO Scoop
You won't regret it


Technorati tags: seo, sem, haiku, search engine marketing, search engine optimization, marketing

Put RSS to Work for You

Over the weekend, I noticed that Starwood Hotels (think Westin, Sheraton, and Four Points) provides RSS feeds to publicize special offers and packages. And today, I read on RSS Specifications that the New York Subway system offers an RSS feed for the F Train. Subscribers can get service notices and users can make comments as well (a bit of a bold move, I would imagine). These are fantastic examples of how businesses can implement RSS to work for them. Here are a few things to keep in mind:

RSS isn't just for blogs or news. RSS seems to be heavily associated with blogs and news sites, but companies can use it to release information about anything including press releases, new products, software upgrades, sales - the list goes on and on.

Ensure usability and education. This is where Starwood Hotels could improve. Clicking on an RSS feed takes you to a page full of code. Savvy users will know to copy and paste the feed into their reader. But a better option is to have a landing page of sorts with pretty buttons allowing people to select their reader and having the feed automatically added to said reader. Additionally, this is a great place to provide a little education to users who don't know about RSS. This can go a long way in creating loyal customers, so don't underestimate the value of providing assistance on this method of communication.

Offer Special Incentives for RSS Subscribers. Build and maintain your subscriber list by offering incentives offered only to RSS readers. This is a great linkbaiting tool. And as we are all well aware, linkbaiting is hot right now.

Commit to Communication. Provide relevant and interesting content for your RSS feeds on a regular and consistent basis. It will keep your readers coming back for more.

Unlike Email, RSS Cannot be Spammed. Even if you're not a huge retailer, spam can still affect your e-mail subscribers due to the sheer amount of spam (think accidental deletions) and products being "offered" through spam. RSS avoids all of that. Sure, spammers use RSS, but they can't offer their feeds through your site. And if readers subscribe to spammy feeds elsewhere, they can unsubscribe from them. The equivalent is near impossible to do with email. Having said that, give your customers a choice. Allow them email or RSS. The important part here is accessibility.

Technorati tags: seo, search engine optimization, search engine marketing, rss, online marketing, internet marketing

Will the real Dave Pasternack please stand up?

So you think you know Dave Pasternack, but do you really? Did you know he's a top chef at NYC restaurant Esca?

Chef Dave Pasternack who was handpicked by Iron Chef Mario Batali and Joseph Bastianich to help start the seafood-rich Italian restaurant is the innocent bystander of a [ridiculous, time-wasting, ego-tripping] SEO contest to ruin the reputation of a certain other Dave.

It's a shame really, because it takes a certain amount of [unnecessary] digging to stumble upon some truly remarkable recipes created by the great Dave Pasternack:

Dave Pasternack's Razor Clam Chowder
Dave Pasternack's Wild Alaskan King Salmon
Dave Pasternack's Tomato Sauce on MarthaStewart.com
Dave Pasternack's Spaghetti with Lobster, Chiles, and Mint for Esquire Magazine

True [sea]foodies will want to check out the chef's cookbook: Young Man and the Sea: Recipes and Crispy Fish Tales from Esca

And a radio interview on - what else - fish!
Radio Interview about Fish with Chef Dave Pasternack

To learn even more about the real Dave Pasternack:
New York Times Style Magazine profile on Dave Pasternack
A Profile about Dave Pasternack for the Gourmet Institute
A listing for Dave Pasternack on Epicurious
A Wiki About Chef Dave Pasternack's Restaurant Esca on Savory New York
Dave Pasternack participated in the 2003 Iron Skillet Competition

Want to know what he looks like?
Find Chef Dave Pasternack Among Pictures of Celebrity Chefs on WireImage

BTW, if you're going to SES NYC in April, you might want to join other SEOs for dinner at Esca. It's the least our industry can do.

Technorati tags: dave pasternack, chef, seo, recipes

The Wonderful World of Honey Pots!

When you follow a process it's sometimes hard to remember to think creatively. That's why Pandia's post on using honey pots and sleepers to get higher search engine rankings really snapped me out my process-induced coma.

According to Pandia, successful search engine marketing strategies require the use of a wide variety of web pages. Which made me realize: all this focus on article syndication for linking purposes and driving traffic to our client's websites is great, but there are other things we can do too.

Why not talk to clients about all-in-one resource pages for their site? Search engines list good content that helps searchers find good quality information. No matter what industry you’re in, from software solutions to industrial parts, you can gather important links to the best industry-related sources of information and attract not only in-bound links but visitors too!

Does your website have a resource page like this? Seen any good honey pots lately?? Please share! :)

Introducing "Search Haiku"

Tired of weekly (or worse daily) roundups? Are all the Search Marketing blogs in your newsreader starting to sound alike?

Welcome to Search Haiku, the new column from The SEM Zone. Learn what's going on in the search marketing industry in 17 syllables.

Here's the first one:

Google Adwords changed
Al has another headache
Tylenol in droves

More to come in this inconsistently published column! Check back frequently or better yet - subscribe to our feed!

Technorati tags: seo, sem, haiku

I'm Down with RSS, Yeah You Know Me

I'm on a list kick. And today, I'm posting my list of blogs where the primary topic is RSS.

• The RSS Marketing Diary and The RSS Cases Blog are both part of MarketingStudies.net
  
  
• RSS Specifications Blog
  
  
• FeedForAll Blog
  
  
• RSS Applied
  
  
• The RSS Blog
  
  
• And for our German readers: RSS Blogger
  

Technorati tags: RSS, blogs, blogging, seo, sem, search marketing

These Are a Few of My Favorite Blogs

As a rookie on the Search Marketing Copywriting scene, I like to look to others for inspiration and good tips. Here are some great copywriting blogs (both SEO and non) to help keep the juices flowing:

Content Done Better Carson Brackney lures you into his posts with solid headlines and follows up with thought-provoking content.

Copyblogger Brian Clark educates bloggers and writers about online marketing and SEO techniques to help improve their reach and quality of their content.

Marcom Writer Blog Dianna Huff covers everything from Superbowl ads to Job Success to promoting business. After all, there's more to being a copywriter than just writing.

The Copywriter Underground Tom Chandler is a straight shooter infusing marketing concepts with solid writing.

The Copywriting Maven Roberta Rosenburg offers great tips for writing, ranking and the real life of a copywriter.

Copywriters Blog Sixteen authors contribute to this blog, where recent posts talk about believability and research.

What are your favorite industry blogs?

Technorati tags: seo, sem, copywriting