SEO vs Site Architecture
If you ask web professionals what their interpretation of the phrase information architecture is, you will get a wide variety of responses. A search engine optimization (SEO) professional might launch into some grand scheme about indexation and PageRank sculpting. A web developer usually views information architecture in terms of fields in a database—how each field (information) will be used on different web pages.
7 Habits of Highly Effective Advertising
Despite the economic meltdown of the past several months, search still seems to be cruising along with barely a hiccup. To be honest, it’s a little surreal. For those of us in the industry, it seems like we’re in a protective bubble while the world falls down around us. To be sure, the impact has been felt, even in our search world. But all things are relative, and relative to every other marketing channel, search seems invincible.
Googles AdWords Product PlusBox
The Product PlusBox has been a limited test since November 2007, but it seems like Google has expanded the test. I asked Google about this and they told me, it is still a limited beta, to test how effective this is as a way of engaging potential customers for advertisers.
11 Wordpress Plugins I use on this Blog!
People ask me all the time what plugins I would suggest and/or what plugins I use. I figured the easiest way to do that would just go into my Manage Plugins page and find out. This list is simply in alpahbetical order as listed on the page.
More SEO Videos
I’m working now on posting more SEO Videos and hopefully I will have them up this evening. I will also be creating my own videos and free e-Book download. I’m still writing every night and once I’m done editing I’ll convert it to .pdf and create a link for you guys.
How to Use Google Website Optimizer
Along with the definition of common SEO/SEM terms I am constantly being asked how to use Google Webmaster Tools. Well along with the Webmaster Tools, Google also offers the Website Optimizer; I figure why re-invinte the wheel so I found this Google produced video that explains the whole process.
5 Areas of SEO to Master
These are highly debatable, but here’s my ranking:
1. Produce Remarkable, Attention Grabbing Content
Everything starts with remarkable content i.e. content worth remarking on and linking to. Do you have unique, timely content? Does you content solve a problem? Does you content provide a new insight? Does you content spark controversy? Does you content start - or contribute to - a conversation?
2. Crawlability
If your content can’t be crawled, you won’t rank. Ensure your site is easily accessible to both humans and search engine spiders.
3. Build Links
Google’s algorithm is heavily weighted towards links. Beg, buy, or earn links, and rankings follow. Get your keywords into the link text. Building links also means building relationships with people. Spend a lot of time doing this, especially in the early stages.
4. Title Tag
It is debatable how much ranking value the title tag has, both it definitely has click-thru value. Your listing fights for attention with all the other links on page. What will make people click your link?
Learn the lessons of Adwords. Match your title tag to the keyword query. Solve a users problem. Arouse curiosity.
5. On-Page Content
Forget endless on-page tweaking. Largely a waste of time. Instead, keep a few keyword phrases in mind when writing. Use semantic variations of your terms in order to help catch long tail terms. Link your page to related pages, using keyword terms in the link.
Bonus: Watch Your Competition. Do What They Do
Google Testing “Preferred Sites”
Google Operating System discovered a new experiment Google is running named Preferred Sites. In short, users who are in this experiment will be able to add a list of sites in their search preferences page as their “preferred sites.” Google will then use that information to show those sites in a higher ranking order in the Google results for that user, when it makes sense. Let me share some examples of how this works.
Questions for your potential SEM (Search Engine Marketing) Firm
Picking the right search engine marketing (SEM) firm is hard. The quality of service and performance varies wildly, but the marketing materials often make it difficult to separate the experts from the pretenders.
And if you are a SEM you might want to read this post and try to answer these questions for yourself. Do a little research and prepare the answers and take them to your potential client. This work is what will separate you from the herd. It will also insure that once you have the new client you don’t get fired on your day off. (Sorry Art)
