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 Hip Links 6-6-07

Ah, another hump day. Another blog post. Another roundup of links. Both educational and entertaining. I don't have much of an intro today. After all, it's just hump day.

The Search and Social Media Industries

The first SMX debuted this week in Seattle. I didn't go. I've never been to one of these conference shindigs. I can't afford it. But I do like to read the notes. And you can find the best notes at Bruce Clay, SE Roundtable and Small Business SEM.

Andy Beard offers trackback tips for those of us suckers using Blogger.

Ian Lurie doesn't feel the need to bring sexy back. And why should he? He's too busy growing email lists.

Lyndoman can't stress enough the importance of writing GREAT headlines.

Kim Krouse Berg celebrates her nerdhood. I still have alot of work to do. My nerdiness factor is low:



Everyone is writing about the changes to the Google Webmaster Guidelines. I just feel like linking to Search Engine Guide today.

SE Roundtable has alot to say about Adsense and Adwords: the integration with Google Maps, the possibilities for Adwords and it's new illegitimate brother Feedburner, and how Adsense allows 3 links per page.

The Gurus show how social media can prevent you from being screwed over by CompUSA.

Marios Alexandrou encourages the use of the aLinks plugin for Wordpress bloggers fed up with the supplemental index.

Lisa Ditlefsen took SMX by storm and turned Rand Fishkin into a Chick.

David Wilson is testing which Social Media sites actually send traffic.

FUN and AWESOME STUFF

Guys, are you trying to figure out a way to con your wife into letting you get an iPhone? Random Good Stuff shows you how.

Looking for an untapped niche? Try personal finance for lolcats.

GeekSugar shows us what to do with all of those useless floppy disks of yore. And they show us an mp3 player that also gives facials. Huh?

Thinking of getting a pet and learning to speak Russian? Kill two birds with one stone and get an owl. (pun completely intended)

Are you always losing pencils? Check with Bruno, the amazing pencil-balancer.

And last but not least, Techorati tags:

seo, search engine optimization, search engine marketing, internet marketing, online marketing, social media, social media marketing

7 Things I Want from Google - NOW!

I'll tell you what I want, what I really really want. What I want is for Google to stop photographing street corners in Manhattan and give me a few much-needed tools! Here's a list of 7 things I want from Google for Christmas (or better yet, July 4th).

1. Search my Google Reader - Hello!? Google, your main thing is, um, Search. Well, someone had to say it. Listen, all I want to do is search my feeds. Is it too much to ask? Why are you making me star everything I might want to go back and look at? Punks.

2. Blogger. Where do I even START?

a. Customizable title and meta tags right there on the post interface.
b. More templates and easier to customize!
c. Accepting the templates I've found elsewhere. There are some super-nice and super-talented people who've created super-great templates but I can't get them to work.
d. Google Analytics right there in the Blogger Dashboard. I know, I know, that's just CRAZY TALK!
e. Let me transfer my blog to another Google account. I changed my name when I got married but you insist on referring to my maiden name.
f. RSS feeds. Now that Feedburner is being added to your harem, let's have all of their options right there in the Blogger dashboard. Including stats.
g. Basically become everything I love in Wordpress, but go one step further and don't make me upload a bunch of plugins. Oh and drag-n-drop EVERYTHING would be icing on the cake.

3. Gmail - I want to be able to reply to emails sent to certain filters automatically using the email address it was sent to. Right now I have to manually change it.

4. Google Talk - Support AIM so my husband doesn't have to download AIM (doesn't that just screw with your computer!) or Trellian. I like it when he uses plain old G-talk b/c it tells me when he's typing :) Otherwise, sometimes I think he's not responding to me.

5. Break up with Wikipedia - So many instances of inaccuracies have been documented, it's a wonder you guys still think this is what the users should find on the first page of results.

6. Index Wordpress better. Too many Wordpress sites are having pages fall into the Supplemental Index. Vanessa Fox is all like "Don't use nofollow" but Google doesn't offer many alternatives. But she's right. I don't want to nofollow my category pages b/c I'm trying to optimize them for the long tail. Figure out what a sidebar is, already!

7. Calendar. Maybe it's just me, but I've never once received a reminder for the events I set up on my calendar.

Technorati: seo, google, gmail, wordpress, blogger

Check out SEO Chicks!

Maybe you're thinking "Great, that's what the world needs - another SEO blog."

But hold your horses.

SEO Chicks is, yes, another SEO blog. But it's not just any SEO Blog. No, it's not written by baby chickens. It's written by three ladies who have a witty and unique voice.

So if you're tired of reading the same old SEO stuff by a bunch of bloggers who seem to imitate each other (I'm, of course, NOT speaking about the SEM Zone), then check out SEO Chicks. You won't be disappointed!


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

Why Linkbaiting is Nothing New

A year and a half ago, while I was still living in Northern Virginia, the Foo Fighters were scheduled to play at the 9:30 Club in DC. Only a limited number of tickets were for sale. The rest were being given away at various locations on various days throughout the greater metropolitan area.

So one weeknight evening, I dragged my best friend Cathy to a bar in Fairfax in the pursuit of tickets. See, I have this thing for club shows. They're so much better than arena show. And the Foo Fighters are my favorite band of all time. Destiny was calling.

While at the bar waiting for the contest, we met a local Budweiser rep. He promised he could get our name on the list. Not knowing him from Adam, I signed up for the contest anyway. I won the tickets, but it turns out the Bud rep was legitimate.

In fact, his name is Van and Cathy and I hung out with him for a few months after that. He provided a nice supply of beer for one of Cathy's famous parties and got us free tickets to a Gwen Stefani concert about a month later. I couldn't attend that concert due to a family illness, but Cathy went and she bought me a cute tank top from the tour.

What in the world does this story have to do with linkbaiting?

EVERYTHING.

Budweiser sponsored the Foo show. They got a bunch of people out to bars and gave them what they wanted - free tickets to an exclusive show. Notice how I've never forgotten who got me into that concert. Plus, due to Van's generosity and the fact that Bud Light has few carbs, I was drinking Bud Light for months after that.

If you want people to come to your site - give them what they want. Interesting content. Free stuff. They'll remember where it came from, and they'll keep coming back for more.

Linkbaiting is an old marketing tactic simply translated to the internet. I know some bloggers and educational sites may hesitate when it comes to linkbaiting because they want their content to be authentic.

But if you plan to make money from your site, you have to market it. So don't be afraid of linkbait. Embrace it.

How was the Foo Fighters show? Only completely amazing. I wrote a full review on my on-again/off-again personal blog. You can check that out here.

Technorati: seo, linkbaiting

Hump Day Hoppin' Links 5-30-07

It's the last Hump Day in May. And really, it might not totally feel like Hump Day here in the states b/c of Memorial Day this past Monday. Nevertheless, time has come for linking and here we go:

SEO, PPC, and SMO

SEOish asked and the experts answered. How would you market your site if you only had 100 buckaroos?

Scott Wenty thinks you might not know your audience as well as you'd like to think.

Aaron Wall breaks from pontificating long enough to offer up some site productivity tips.

SEO Buzz Box kept up with the latest trends.

Does your site seem a little, um, irrelevant? Jeremiah Owyang tells you how to pull a 180.

In-house SEOers should check out Marios Alexandrou's team structure advice.

Lyndoman admits he goes commando.

Want lots of blog subscribers? Copyblogger tells you how to get them.

Daily Blog Tips introduces us to Feed2Podcast, which uses text-to-speech technology.

ProBlogger reminds us that blogs are about relationship-building. And like any (good) relationship, you shouldn't come on too strong.

FUN and GEEKY

Are you neglecting important relationships for the sake of your internet activities?

Even more proof that cats and soda are a match made in heaven.

After a good party, it's time to crash.

Cute Overload had some TINY PUPPIES this week. Click here, here and here.

Microsoft launched Surface.

Phillips released a video player.

Geek Sugar showed us a crazy awesome desk and a crazy awesome wall-mountable printer.

That's a wrap. Until next Hump Day....


Technorati: seo, online marketing, search engine optimization, internet marketing, ppc, social media

Designed to Sell

Some of my clients ask if it is better to re-design an existing website versus building a new website. What I say, is no matter what you do… ask an SEO consultant how your site would best be received in the search engines before you do anything.

What difference does it make how the website is designed?

The difference is that the information on your website may be indexed in the search engine databases or not. How your website is built both structurally and contextually makes all the difference in the world. For example, there are many advertising agency websites that are very appealing to the eye with tons of Flash, graphics, and interactive links. The problem is… the sites that receive traffic understand how the search engines work instead of just making the site visually appealing.

It is much more time consuming to have to constantly re-design the website. If you speak to a SEO expert the first time, you will save a lot of energy and money in the long run.

Hump Day Hooray Links! 5-23-07

I seriously almost forgot to do the hump day links this week. But thankfully, it hit me when I was going through my Google Reader. So, here we go.

SEOPPCSMOETC

Neil Patel investigates creating landing pages for social media referrals.

Meanwhile, Search Marketing Standard posts about those traditional paid search landing pages.

Would people find your site if search engines didn't exist? That's the question over at Half's SEO Notebook.

Sexy Widget explores the love affair between search and widets.

Rand Fishkin is going all Phillip Bauer on us. (That's a 24 reference for those of you who don't watch). The only difference is I'm pretty sure Rand didn't get blown up on an oil rig of the coast of Cali this week.

David Wilson analyzes Tim Ferriss' success in marketing his new book by networking with bloggers.

Scott Kirsner has updated his chart of sites where you can make moolah off your awesome video and films.

Are you intimidated by the A-list? Don't be. Chris Garrett tells you why.

FUNCOOLAWESOMERADICALGEEKYNEATO

In the market for a mini-stove that cooks cups of noodles to perfection? I thought you might be. You can stop searching now. AudioCubes has come to the rescue with the Instant Noodle Perfecting Timer.

Chargepod has come up with a device that will charge six of your gadgets simultaneously.

Have an injury? Use the Nintendo Wii to rehabilitate.

Need a nudge? These puppies will do the trick.

Before you put your hand in that can of Pringle's, make sure it has chips and not - cats.

Can't find your dog? Check the chair! No, really, look closely. He's right there!

At least I'm not the only one who has a cat that steals drinks.

These pets have the answers to world peace.

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

Five Things Hollywood Can Teach Us About SEO

Some movies entertain, others inspire, while yet other films educate. Let's look at 5 films and what SEO Lessons can be learned from them.

1. Desk Set. In this classic film, Spencer Tracy is hired to install a computerized database in the research department where Katharine Hepburn works. Katharine and the rest of her staff are worried they will lose their jobs to a machine. In the end, the machine was designed to enhance their services and not replace the staff. SEO Lesson: No matter how good your technology is, it takes talented specialists to interpret the data and determine a strategy that will get results.

2. Hot Fuzz. Nick Angel is a London police officer. He’s so good at his job that he’s sent to Sandford, a small town in the country, so he doesn’t show up the rest of the force. Sandford has a deep dark secret that angel uncovers and determines to overcome. SEO Lesson: Don’t just optimize the home page (London). Make sure your interior pages (Sandford) are catching long tail searches as well. Also, don’t engage in black hat techniques (deep dark secret). It will catch up with you in the end and you won’t get away with it.

3. The Blair Witch Project. Years before MySpace or Digg were founded, the Blair Witch Project used the power of viral marketing to market the film. Some may question whether all of the sites were legitimately developed by fans or were put in place by the producers themselves. Either way, the film grossed $248 million worldwide. With a $60,000 production budget, that’s a huge profit. SEO Lesson: Don’t ignore social media marketing.


4. Rear Window. James Stewart plays an injured photojournalist confined to his New York apartment as he recovers. Using his telephoto lens, he spies on a neighbor and discovers that he killed his wife. The man discovers Stewart’s spying eyes and comes after him. SEO Lesson: Keep a constant watch on the competition and your keyword landscape. If you’re ranking well, your neighbors will come after you.

5. Swingers. Jon Favreau moves to Los Angeles to pursue a career as an actor. He thinks he’ll be hitting the big time in no time. Six months later, he struggles to find work. SEO Lesson: Optimization takes time as does the indexing of a new site.

This post was designed for participation in Problogger's latest group writing project.

Hump Day Hot Links 5-9-07

It seems that everybody and their uncle's ferret is doing Friday roundups, so I've decided to move mine to Wednesday. Let's face it. It's hump day and you need a boost. So here's the SEO, PPC, SMO and fun links for Wednesday, May 9, 2007.

SEO

SE Roundtable notices others noticing Google's inclusion of Blog Search Results in the regular search results. Later they inform that Yahoo won't be updating the keyword suggestion tool anymore.

John Andrews reveals that the New York Times is getting SEO down pat.

A post on Cornwall SEO is resulting in people choosing between Team Directories and Team Social Media. These type of discussions always baffle me. Just call me Switzerland.

Aaron Wall does not recommend the new Yahoo! nocontent attribute.

SEOmoz identifies 17 rules for e-commerce sites.

David Wallace shares scary information about an IRS proposal to force e-commerce sites to hand over SSN numbers of certain customers.

Google Analytics has a new look.

Lisa Barone asks whether or not clients should link to their SEOs.

PPC

Bill Slawski talks about geo targeted ads for Google Maps and Earth.

eWhisper tells us that Google now offers mobile ad conversion tracking.

Search Marketing Standard examines the use of negative keywords.

The Gurus bust myths about Google Quality Score.

SMO

There's a new group writing project over at Problogger. The deadline is end of the day tomorrow.

Chris Garrett has been talking corporate blogs. Find out how your company's blog can generate indirect profits and increased traffic.

New blog iwebis has had an incredible first week. And Mona is sharing her experience on how it all came to be.

Douglas Karr is in the know about a Wordpress comment form spam-preventing plugin that's been upgraded.

FUN

Find your way around Milan. With a fly swatter.

Triumph the Insult Comic Dog fills in as guest weatherman.

A new take on the ol' tape dispenser.

When your current air guitar finally breaks down, you can replace it with a newer model.

Are your kids, husband, or roommate taking too long in the shower? Then you need this shower timer.

CUTE

On hump day, I'm always ready for a nap.

Cutest. Deer. Ever.

COOL

Can't think of any good mother's day gift ideas? Get your mom an inflatable outdoor theater system.

A new filing system for all those business cards you collected at Happy Hour.

If you like asymmetry, this dresser is for you.

Carry your reading glasses in your wallet.

It's my first mother's day and I'm accepting the following bribes gifts: this, this, this, and this.

StumblingUpon Search Engines

I decided to take Matt Keegan's advice given in the comments of a recent iWebis post. I decided to do several minutes of Stumbling.

I narrowed the category to just "search." And here's what I came across.

Netvue - an image search engine. The results appear in a new page as a slide show. You can set the speed of the slide show. Pause the show by clicking on an image. Unfortunately, the first result for a search of the word cat turned back this:

Next, I thought I stumbled on Google. But upon closer examination, I had stumbled upon Google Pig Latin. Unfortunately a search for atcay returned a page about a gene card.

Scirus labels itself as a scientific search engine. Sure enough, the first result for cat is a page about CAT Scans (which I'll gladly take over an MRI anyday).

I know this will come as a huge shock, but Imagery is another image search engine. When you mouse over a result, a new box appears over the image offering users the option of opening the source code or opening the image in a new window. Thankfully, the first result for cat is this cutie:

So that's a peak at some of the search engines featured on StumbleUpon. So go on, get your search on!

Technorati: stumbleupon, seo, search engine optimization, sem, search engine marketing, social media

Friday Free for All 5-4-07

There was aLOT of funny stuff on the interweb this week. I'm half-tempted to just skip the SEM links for the week. But that's not what they pay me the small bucks to do. So, without further ado, I present the Friday Free -for-All for Cuatro de Mayo, 2007.

SEO

Rebecca Kelley checks out Wordze.

Neil Patel teaches us how to build links - NOT!

Matt McGee is one of many to discuss the new nocontent attribute introduced by Yahoo!.

SearchGrit told us that Marketwatch told him that Microsoft is dating Yahoo! again.

Bruce Clay introduces a new SEO Contest.

Paid Search

Like a good emom, Wendy Piersall (her blog rocks) tells you what to do when you've been banned from Adsense.

Andy Hagans says CPA is hot hot hot!

SMO

Darren Rowse tells us to let others republish our content - offline, that is.

Got icons? Lifehacker does.

Chris Garrett teaches us to monetize our blogs.

Then Daniel warns us not to go overboard by including in-text ads.

Copyblogger peppers the blogosphere with a series on blogging with metaphors.

Rand Fishkin says del.icio.us is a better search engine than Google.

Fun Stuff

This referee loves his job

What would happen if the Muppets remade Pulp Fiction?

This dog wears sunglasses a little differently

A cat gets her happy hour on.

Forget the Kentucky Derby, chihuahua racing is where it's at!

Granny shows us how it's done.

Maybe every child should be left behind at Lexington Middle School.

There's been a prison break. Has anyone seen this guy?

I hope the marketers over at Nintendo know their target audience.

If you can't telecommute from the beach, bring the beach to your desk.

Women are better than men at grammar.

Now you can go trick or treating with your car.

Hey Diggers - now you can wear that HD-DVD code.

Yo momma might be more tech savvy than you thought.

To be a successful Sumo wrestler, begin training at an early age.

Cool Stuff

Scan documents with a pen.

In Japan without a cell phone? No problem.

Is that an mp3, dvr, camera, camera, radio and webcam in your pocket or are you just happy to see me?

In clock fashions, words are the new numbers.

Move over, Shuffle. The new $40 Creative Zen is rolling into town.

New SEO Friendly Wordpress Theme Released

Blogging Expertise has released a new search engine friendly wordpress theme. It's a great looking theme with an orange border around a white text area. The background is a soft grey. The design features a minimalist look with a modern, spunky twist.

Here at the SEM Zone, we're considering switching over to Wordpress. This looks like a fantastic theme to use should we make the change.

Great job, Blogging Expertise!

Friday Free for All 4-20-07

What a crappy week it's been. Of course, the tragedy at Virginia Tech has been the main contributing factor. But it's come the same week as commemorating such horrific events as the Oklahoma City bombing and Columbine. Additionally, in April of 1993 a guy from my high school (I was a freshman at the time) was shot and killed in an after-school fight at the park next to campus. Sadly you can't find anything about it on the internet. How quickly we forget.

And sometimes, it's ok to forget. Especially in the wake of tragedy. It's ok to take a breather from mourning and reflecting. To give your heart and mind recess from the burden. And that's what we'll attempt to do here. Let's take a look back at some of the more lighthearted things that occurred in the world of Search and Social Marketing as well as some fun stuff.

Search

Pronet informed us that we might be misinformed about traffic numbers.

Brandon Hopkins is bringing sexy meta tags back (to Wordpress).

On Wednesday, Rand Fishkin talks about a common problem: bloating.

Search Engine Land lets us know of Google's content removal tools 2.0

Actually, Google was quite busy this week. They changed Froogle to Google Product Search, mashed up a StumbleUpon-like service with personalized search applications for a new button on the toolbar, announced a Powerpoint-ish presentation that's coming to Google Docs, bought Marratech, and chatted with Clear Channel.

And if that wasn't enough, GeekSugar informs us that Trekkies (i'm talking to you, Rosario Dawson) can conduct Google searches in Klingon

Social

NorthxEast had tremendous success recently with a newly launched blog. And they're sharing the wealth. Of knowledge, that is. Check out How We Took a Blog From 0 to 2000 Subscribers in just 12 Days, and since I'm new to them, I totally missed March 29th's 9 essential posts every blogger should know

Social Media Marketing examines NBC's internet presence.

Brian @ Copyblogger gives constructive criticism on headline mistakes

Lisa Barone tells us to chill out on all the keywords stuffed in blogs

David Wilson shares Bloomingdale's social shopping search plans

Daniel from Daily Blog Tips offers 6 ways to speed up your site

Darren Rowse tells you how to list your blog on MySpace

(Does your name need to begin with D in order to be a successful social blogger?)

Fun

At Stuff on My Cat, we see that spring fever has definitely set in. Jeannette takes on a grey bath towel, Cody the Cat got tricked by her humans to pose for this photo, and Bruce is a magnet for remotes.

Meanwhile over at Stuff on My Mutt, Cassie has a superhero complex, Karma was using a stuffed aligator for a pillow, and Lucy celebrated her 1st birthday.

If you've ever wanted to spend a romantic evening in a crane, now's your chance. Nerd Approved has the details.

Sick of the music loop when you're playing Mario Brothers on DS? Then you need this DS radio.

And if you're a fan of 24, then you'll love this cartoon recap of Monday's eppy. (which thankfully was more entertaining than the actual episode).

Have a good weekend. Don't take yourself (or me) too personally. And eat alot of cupcakes. They're oh-so-yummy.

Paid Links roundup

Last weekend, Matt Cutts ignited the blogosphere with talk of reporting paid links. Here are links to what's being said out there in blogland.

• Would You Report Paid Links? Search Marketing Gurus
  
• Paid Links Under Scrutiny by Google Again Search Engine Land
  
• Revisiting Paid Links SEO Buzz Box
  
• Google vs. Paid Links TheVanBlog
  
• Why Google Shouldn't Punish Us for Their Incompetence SugarRae
  
• I am Not a Link Communist Revisited: Perspectives on Buying Links Stuntdubl
  
• If I Were Google, Here's What I'd Do About Paid Links Small Business SEM
  
• Matt Cutts: I Hate My Job SEO Loser
  
• The Real Reason Google Doesn't Like Paid Links SEO Book
  
• Google Paid Links - Google Sliding Down The Slippery Slope of Evildom Andy Beard - Niche Marketing
  
• Matt Cutts Invites Humans to Snitch Out Paid Links SearchRank
  
• Paid Links Brouhaha SearchGrit
  
• Why Does Google Hate You? SearchAnyway
  
• Matt Cutts of Google on Paid Links Again
  
• Google's Motives are Selfish and So are Yours and Mine Half's SEO Notebook
  

The most entertaining of all the blogs has been JLH Design, who is having a little fun at Google's expense:

• I Submitted My Spam Report
  
• In Other News
  
• PageRank 8 Links for Sale
  

technorati: seo, paid links, google, matt cutts

Answering Alister Cameron

Today Alister Cameron was the guest blogger on Problogger. He dug into Google's patent for Blogsearch which is borderline Big Brother. At the end, he posed questions for readers which I will attempt to answer here.

1. Does it make sense to have Blogsearch separate from the main Google search engine? That's a tough question to answer. On the one hand, a niche search engine for blogs is highly useful. Where I get concerned is how Google handles blogs in its "regular" engine.

2. As Google Blogsearch gains in popularity, will new (or adjusted) SEO strategies emerge along with it? In Alister's post, he talks about how tagging, inclusion in Blogrolls, and even links in emails and IM are factors in Blogsearch. So I think the strategy should be a fusion of SEO/SMO.

3. How many people actually use Google Blogsearch (http://blogsearch.google.com)? I tried to find this information out by plugging it into Compete. It defaulted to Google.com. So then I plugged in the url for the Blogger based Blogsearch (search.blogger.com), but there wasn't enough data from Compete's users to offer traffic estimations.

4. Do you use it? I do use it! I have a personal movie-related blog and I use Blogsearch to get links for roundups. I've also found my posts listed in the first page of results for Blogsearch but nowhere to be found in Google. My blog is new, so it might still be stuck in the sandbox. Could it be that there's no sandbox for Blogsearch?

5. How do you find Google Blogsearch compares with Technorati? I've found far better results on Blogsearch. Having said that, Technorati is probably searched more, so it might make more sense to optimize for that.


Speaking of which: seo, smo, social media optimization, blogsearch

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.

Starting out on the Web

When Eric Volz, an American citizen, was arrested for murder and rape in Nicaragua without any evidence of his involvement in the crimes, his family turned to the internet to get word out about his case. For months, they posted updates and urged visitors to write their Congressmen to assist in gaining his release. Slowly but surely, the family gained support on the blogosphere. Eric Volz was convicted in a Rivas courtroom by a sole judge (no jury), who threw out evidence supporting his innocence.

Eventually a MySpace page supporting Volz popped up as well as a YouTube video documenting the facts of the Volz case. The press largely ignored the case as they were preoccupied with all things Anna Nicole Smith and Britney Spears. But as news about the two blonds had dwindled, media outlets have begun to take more interest in the case.

It's no secret the internet is offering opportunity for people to achieve things they may never have been able to before. We tend to think of that in terms of achieving minor celebrity status, such as LonelyGrl15 and Ask a Ninja or in terms of launching careers, such as Improv Everywhere getting a pilot deal with NBC and John Mayer building a fan base on the internet before bursting onto mainstream radio.

In the case of Eric Volz, the internet has provided a voice while he is locked up in a maximum security prison outside of Managua.

For whatever purpose you find yourself starting out on the web, there are a few things to keep in mind. Be careful about depending on one method. It may be tempting to focus on organically ranking in the top 10 for Google on a single key phrase. But don't forget about ranking for long tail phrases as well. Additionally, explore PPC options as well as delving into social networking. If you have the budget, then try to implement an integration campaign with offline media such as radio, tv, and print publications.

With the increasing popularity of the internet as a primary source for news, shopping, and information, starting out on the web is the way to go. It's worked for many people so far, and hopefully soon it will pay off for Eric Volz as well.

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.
  

Search Engine Smackdown

Just in time for hump day, Pronet Advertising is offering a nice distraction from the daily grind. Search Engine Showdown allows you to fulfill your dreams of becoming Larry, Sergey, Bill, Jerry, David, or Paul. Choose your guy then choose your opponent. Duel it out trivia style, then watch as punches are thrown for right and wrong answers.