february 2008

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Young Guns of SEO - Ann Smarty Before I start, let me first state that as a rule I don't nofollow outbound links (well, at least I try to keep away from that :) ) . My attitude towards nofollowing is very simple and straightforward (you can call it womanlike) - I tend to never use it at all. Why? No matter how hard SEOs try to persuade people that links are not votes (they are just links) and nofollowed links do not mean people hate you (it's just that they try to control the mysterious 'PageRank flow'), their voices won't be heard. A nofollowed link is still a good way to make enemies among webmasters (even if the link under question was not pointing to their own site) who seldom remain untouched when they see rel= nofollow . I've found that it is much better for your 'PageRank...

This post is from from my other blog here

Young Guns of SEO - Ann Smarty Before I start, let me first state that as a rule I don't nofollow outbound links (well, at least I try to keep away from that :) ) . My attitude towards nofollowing is very simple and straightforward (you can call it womanlike) - I tend to never use it at all. Why? No matter how hard SEOs try to persuade people that links are not votes (they are just links) and nofollowed links do not mean people hate you (it's just that they try to control the mysterious 'PageRank flow'), their voices won't be heard. A nofollowed link is still a good way to make enemies among webmasters (even if the link under question was not pointing to their own site) who seldom remain untouched when they see rel= nofollow . I've found that it is much better for your 'PageRank...

This post is from from my other blog here

Young Guns of SEO - Ann Smarty Before I start, let me first state that as a rule I don't nofollow outbound links (well, at least I try to keep away from that :) ) . My attitude towards nofollowing is very simple and straightforward (you can call it womanlike) - I tend to never use it at all. Why? No matter how hard SEOs try to persuade people that links are not votes (they are just links) and nofollowed links do not mean people hate you (it's just that they try to control the mysterious 'PageRank flow'), their voices won't be heard. A nofollowed link is still a good way to make enemies among webmasters (even if the link under question was not pointing to their own site) who seldom remain untouched when they see rel= nofollow . I've found that it is much better for your 'PageRank...

This post is from from my other blog here

Assholes Inc. Creating the Anti-BuzzOk… hold on…. Here we go…. (and bring a sense of humor would ya?)My fine peeps, this is just too damned funny to pass up. If you know anything around here, it’s that I like a good laugh (even more than a good rant). Another thing that I can say is when a mood or an idea hits me.. POOF… I am driven to ride down that path wherever it may lead… I came across a little gem of a topic that is around lately relating to authority and fame.. ha ha ha ha… dats a hoot, we’re talking a very limited fame at best here folks. It seemed to start innocently enough with Jeff talking about authority (http://www.searchenginepeople.com/blog/i-jeff-quipp-am-not-an-seo-im-an-authority-builder.html) building (http://www.searchenginepeople.com/blog/what-is-authority-and-how-do-you-build-it.html) which seemed to get a few other folks into the topic which then seemed to meta-morph itself this week into marketing rock stars asking why...

This post is from from my other blog here

Assholes Inc. Creating the Anti-BuzzOk… hold on…. Here we go….(please pack a sense of humor for today's journey)My fine peeps, this is just too damned funny to pass up. If you know anything around here, it’s that I like a good laugh (even more than a good rant). Another thing that I can say is when a mood or an idea hits me.. POOF… I am driven to ride down that path wherever it may lead… I came across a little gem of a topic that is around lately relating to authority and fame.. ha ha ha ha… dats a hoot, we’re talking a very limited fame at best here folks. It seemed to start innocently enough with Jeff talking about authority (http://www.searchenginepeople.com/blog/i-jeff-quipp-am-not-an-seo-im-an-authority-builder.html) building (http://www.searchenginepeople.com/blog/what-is-authority-and-how-do-you-build-it.html) which seemed to get a few other (http://www.doshdosh.com/how-to-become-an-authority-in-your-niche/) folks (http://www.businessol.com/seo-blog/2008/02/authority-building-best-new-seo-concept.html) into the topic which then seemed to meta-morph itself this week into marketing rock stars...

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Hullo there folks… Dave here. You may have been looking for a post about what a Bad Ass Lyndon is… unfortunately you’ll have to judge for yourselves by his Great Work. (http://www.cornwallseo.com/search/) You see, for the first time in nearly 2 years of writing I am yanking a post. And that is saying something as I have gone off on a regular basis around here. Let us just say that the journey began, by looking to Lyndon for some great posting goodiness (http://www.cornwallseo.com/search/index.php/2007/05/17/the-tao-of-linkbait-method/) and lead somewhere that, in hindsight, would not help the cause, nor Lyndon in any way. My Bad - For that reason this post will self destruct as soon as I can get it yanked from Sphinn… I am also sorry if you’ve come here only to find this… Now move along…. Nothing to see here.

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Your Content; the ultimate link building tool There is a lot of grumbling these days about how search engines value (or have devalued) various types of back links. One thing you may start to notice is that many people are attached to the external or offsite link building practices and have forgotten the ability of on-site work that can harness even greater powers from within. With the proliferation of Social Media Marketing (/internet-marketing/social-media-marketing/), (SMM) there are many new ways to get that great content the exposure needed to garner multifaceted link love. Considering that some of my recent (/search-engines/search-engine-optimization/social-media-marketers-need-a-better-identity.html) posts (/internet-marketing/social-media-marketing/getting-a-grip-on-social-media-marketing.html) addressed the cross-over areas of SMM and SEO, it seems a discussion of Link Bait is a logical direction for me to go next.Link Bait, in simplest terms, merely means creating content that others would want to link to (tell others about) in some way (in a forum, on...

This post is from from my other blog here

Your Content; the ultimate link building tool There is a lot of grumbling these days about how search engines value (or have devalued) various types of back links. One thing you may start to notice is that many people are attached to the external or offsite link building practices and have forgotten the ability of on-site work that can harness even greater powers from within. With the proliferation of Social Media Marketing (/internet-marketing/social-media-marketing/), (SMM) there are many new ways to get that great content the exposure needed to garner multifaceted link love. Considering that some of my recent (/search-engines/search-engine-optimization/social-media-marketers-need-a-better-identity.html) posts (/internet-marketing/social-media-marketing/getting-a-grip-on-social-media-marketing.html) addressed the cross-over areas of SMM and SEO, it seems a discussion of Link Bait is a logical direction for me to go next.Link Bait, in simplest terms, merely means creating content that others would want to link to (tell others about) in some way (in a forum, on...

This post is from from my other blog here

A Quest to find meaning in a world of warm and fuzzy….(be sure to catch Part II in the series) (/Internet-Marketing/Social-Media-Marketing/the-Value-of-Social-Media-Marketing-Part-II.html)There is one thing that can be said of me when it comes to Social Media Marketing (SMM); I am unconvinced. While it is fun and there is a certain level of glamour to it, ( 15 minutes of fame and all) I have been hard pressed to embrace it as a method of marketing that is appropriate for every situation. When it comes to Small and Medium Sized Businesses, (SMBs) there is often a need to have the marketing dollars return a positive cash flow in a timely manner. Considering much of SMM is a branding exercise (/internet-marketing/social-media-marketing/getting-a-grip-on-social-media-marketing.html), that a strong social media profile can take time to develop and show any sort of potential return, often it is not an ideal match. The same can be said of...

This post is from from my other blog here

A Quest to find meaning in a world of warm and fuzzy….There is one thing that can be said of me when it comes to Social Media Marketing (SMM); I am unconvinced. While it is fun and there is a certain level of glamour to it, ( 15 minutes of fame and all) I have been hard pressed to embrace it as a method of marketing that is appropriate for every situation. When it comes to Small and Medium Sized Businesses, (SMBs) there is often a need to have the marketing dollars return a positive cash flow in a timely manner. Considering much of SMM is a branding exercise (/internet-marketing/social-media-marketing/getting-a-grip-on-social-media-marketing.html), that a strong social media profile can take time to develop and show any sort of potential return, often it is not an ideal match. The same can be said of budgetary constraints that mean attaining maximum ROI on the...

This post is from from my other blog here

Almost by accident I started a series here on the Fire Horse Trail that is dedicated to highlighting and sharing exposure for some of the young grinders in the SEO world for all to enjoy. It began innocently enough as I had asked Gabriel (http://seoroi.com/) (SEO ROI) if he wanted to pimp his wares (/internet-marketing/link-bait/4-great-linkbait-ideas-free-for-the-taking.html) over here and then once more when Jordan (http://www.jordankasteler.com/utah-seo-pro-blog/) (Utah SEO Pro) dropped by to play (/internet-marketing/social-media-marketing/social-media-pitfalls:-5-lessons-learned.html). I then realized a few of the other folks I was talking to were of the temporally disadvantaged variety. The wheels were in motion…let me know (/contact-us/).Not a Youngster but still looking for a chance to get your name out there? Not a problem, the ever entertaining and always amazing Dazzing Donna (http://www.dazzlindonna.com/blog/) is taking entries for up and comers of all ages; Check it out! (http://sphinn.com/story/28738)stay tuned. (http://feeds.feedburner.com/theGypsy)

This post is from from my other blog here

Almost by accident I started a series here on the Fire Horse Trail that is dedicated to highlighting and sharing exposure for some of the young grinders in the SEO world for all to enjoy. It began innocently enough as I had asked Gabriel (http://seoroi.com/) (SEO ROI) if he wanted to pimp his wares (/internet-marketing/link-bait/4-great-linkbait-ideas-free-for-the-taking.html) over here and then once more when Jordan (http://www.jordankasteler.com/utah-seo-pro-blog/) (Utah SEO Pro) dropped by to play (/internet-marketing/social-media-marketing/social-media-pitfalls:-5-lessons-learned.html). I then realized a few of the other folks I was talking to were of the temporally disadvantaged variety. The wheels were in motion…let me know (/contact-us/).Not a Youngster but still looking for a chance to get your name out there? Not a problem, the ever entertaining and always amazing Dazzing Donna (http://www.dazzlindonna.com/blog/) is taking entries for up and comers of all ages; Check it out! (http://sphinn.com/story/28738)stay tuned. (http://feeds.feedburner.com/theGypsy)

This post is from from my other blog here

Young Guns of SEO – Jordan KastelerAllow me to introduce myself. My name is Jordan Kasteler also known as Utah SEO Pro. My background is in organic search engine optimization, which I’ve been doing professionally for 4 years now, and I’ve stayed pretty focused on that and haven’t delved much into paid search at all. But as of late, I’ve been playing a lot lately in social media and there’s quite a few things I’ve learned and quite a few things I’ve historically done I wish I could erase. This post is probably going to make me look like an idiot, especially to the SMOs, but hopefully it can save a few headaches for people getting into social media. I’m going to focus primarily on Digg because, in my experience, it seems to be the most complex social media site out there due to its sophisticated algorithm. Mistake...

This post is from from my other blog here

Young Guns of SEO – Jordan KastelerAllow me to introduce myself. My name is Jordan Kasteler also known as Utah SEO Pro. My background is in organic search engine optimization, which I’ve been doing professionally for 4 years now, and I’ve stayed pretty focused on that and haven’t delved much into paid search at all. But as of late, I’ve been playing a lot lately in social media and there’s quite a few things I’ve learned and quite a few things I’ve historically done I wish I could erase. This post is probably going to make me look like an idiot, especially to the SMOs, but hopefully it can save a few headaches for people getting into social media. I’m going to focus primarily on Digg because, in my experience, it seems to be the most complex social media site out there due to its sophisticated algorithm. Mistake...

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Tuning the heart stringsHow much do I love my wife? Well being the search geek that I am, terabytes could not hold all the adjectives that I could amass to merely begin painting a portrait of my devotion. It is a strange thing how over the years one becomes attached to those they love as they would a part of their own being. While of the utmost importance, we can at times forget they are there. It is only in absentia that we truly appreciate the value within our lives.So why am I on about this now? Well, for starters Valentines is approaching and my blog is truly a place of expression for me, not for revenues…. So I hope you will indulge me. Secondly, things have been more than a little trying in my little corner of nirvana of late, which is saying something. My wife and I have...

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Drawing a not-so-thin line in the SandThere is a strange thing happening with my peers that are afflicted by the Social Media disease. I am not sure if it is delusional or merely lack of subjectivity, but they want to mix SEO and Social Media Marketing in some philosophical mish-mash that has me scratching my head vigorously lately. While there are certainly areas that can cross over, to imply that SEO won’t exist without SMM is downright silly. Once and for all – Social Media Marketing is a branding activity. It is not about Optimizing a web page for a search engine. The disciplines and studies are unique as are the service offerings. The problem seems to be that the SEO turned SMM starts to see the links that can be garnered via SMM and says, “Hey SMM is a great SEO tool” – and this is true, I have...

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Slow death for social media? – As any good reader around here would know I have been luke-warm up until now as far as the over-all viability of social media as a marketing tool. Not that I believe it isn’t an effective route, but because I believe it is situational. It is not for every business or every market necessarily. In simplest terms, all that Glitters is not Gold. There is some grumblings recently that point to some other cracks in the marketing darling that is social media (and networking). . eConsultancy asks; is the novelty wearing off (http://www.e-consultancy.com/news-blog/364988/social-networks--is-the-novelty-wearing-off.html)? And muses about some leaky Facebook financials (http://www.e-consultancy.com/news-blog/364979/facebook-s-leaked-financials-reveal-leaky-business.html), while Phil had a nice post with; Are Social Networks Dying (http://www.phil-butler.com/2008/01/31/networks-dieing/)? Social Media Marketing performance to be weak (http://www.webpronews.com/topnews/2008/02/06/performance-of-social-media-marketing-decidedly-mixed) on a few levels. How about some proof that FaceBook Ads don’t work (http://blog.auinteractive.com/facebook-ads-dont-work-heres-proof)? Hell, even Google is having troubles monetizing social spaces...

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Microsoft and Rand Team up to Squash the SEO IndustryLast time I heard the powers that be in search engine land told us that manipulating the rankings is a no-no. In many ways, much of what SEO is about has never been looked on favourably by search engines. They certainly have some guidelines and the ever popular ‘Terms of Service’ but ultimately there has been a ‘them against us’ feel in the game over the years.So, when I heard the Microsoft was getting into the Search Engine Optimization biz…. I had to rub my eyes. Yup...that’s right, I give you the; Microsoft ISV SEO Program (https://partner.microsoft.com/40046001)the PDF of services (https://partner.microsoft.com/40046116)and some tidbits sure do seem interesting; let us review together shall we?

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How do you measure success? So you want to measure the success or popularity of your blog do you? My pal Jeff Quipp was thinking out loud again a while ago about this very concept; Measuring Blog Popularity (http://www.searchenginepeople.com/blog/benchmarking-your-blog-post-quality-so-you-can-improve.html). In the post he outlined some possible measurement tools (sources) and asked for some thoughts from everyone. Once I began to craft a comment I found that it was running away from me early on. And so I shall continue the Canadian connection posting handball habit that my fellow Canuck and I began last year on a few occasions. My beer to his pizza... let's look at benchmarking a blog. I think the first thing one needs to address is that trying to use analytics to measure engagement will get you no end of grief from many in the analytics sector and with good reason. They are not readily measurable and...

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For those of you whom hadn’t picked up on it yet…. It seems Microsoft is actively seeking to try and take-over Yahoo. This should be a very interesting ride if you ask me. As the saga moves along I shall keep posting updates to this post. Microsoft Offers 44.6B for Yahoo (http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/M/MICROSOFT_YAHOO?SITE=VTBRA&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT) - Associated Press Microsoft Bids $45B for Yahoo (http://www.reuters.com/article/innovationNews/idUSWNAS894220080201) - Reuters Microsoft Pownces on Yahoo's weak Q4 (http://www.marketingpilgrim.com/2008/02/microsoft-pownces-on-yahoos-weak-q4-makes-446b-offer.html) - Marketing Pilgrim Microsoft Offers 44.6B to aquire Yahoo! (http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/02/01/wow-microsoft-offers-446-billion-to-acquire-yahoo/) - TechCrunch What would a combined Microsoft Yahoo look like? (http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/02/01/what-would-a-combined-microsoft-yahoo-look-like/) - TechCrunch The Conference Call (http://searchengineland.com/080201-093007.php) - Search Engine LandWhat will it look like? (http://searchengineland.com/080201-094751.php) - Search Engine LandHow would it all Mash-Up? (http://blog.searchenginewatch.com/blog/080201-100256) - Search Engine WatchYahoo thinking it over (http://www.reuters.com/article/technologyNews/idUSWNAS894220080203?feedType=RSS&feedName=technologyNews) - ReutersYahoo and Google Alliance? (http://www.reuters.com/article/internetNews/idUSN0362915520080204?feedType=RSS&feedName=internetNews) - ReutersMicrosoft A-Bombed by Google (http://blog.searchenginewatch.com/blog/080203-180501) - Search Engine Watch .... this all takes me back to when I said that...