All Entries in the "Search Engine Optimization" Category
How To Get Free SEO Advice For Your Specific Web Site
The places to obtain free SEO advice are plentiful. There are forums, blogs, articles, ebooks, webinars, and even live internet radio shows such as WebmasterRadio.fm. However most often the advice given is more of a general nature involving specific techniques or strategies that can be applied to a multitude of sites. If advice is given about a specific site, such as in a forum, it is most often generalized so it can help all who visit the forum as opposed to just the site owner themselves.
SEO Is Not Rocket Science, It’s Like Baking a Cake
At least that is what Dave Pasternack of Did-it.com is saying. Yes he has stuck his foot in his mouth once again. Are you tired yet of hearing from this guy? I know I am. In this latest DM News article, he answers a series of questions, one of which he compares SEO to baking a cake. Sound foolish? Wait, there’s more.
What To Look For in a SEO Friendly E-Commerce Application
We very frequently receive RFPs (requests for proposal) from e-commerce sites. The application behind the e-commerce store, often referred to as a shopping cart application or product database, can be an off the shelf product such as osCommerce, MonsterCommerce or X-Cart to name a few. Or it can even be proprietary, custom developed by a web programmer. No matter how the e-commerce site is powered, there are specific features that we look for in order to know if we will have full liberty to optimize the site so that it has the best opportunity to position well in the organic search results. Some applications already have SEO friendly features built in but many do not. Therefore if you own or are getting ready to set up an e-shop, make sure your product database has the following SEO friendly features.
WebGuerrilla Exposes the Half Truths of Frogs
Greg Boser (aka WebGuerrilla) doesn’t post often on his blog but when he does, boy does he have something to say. This latest post which refutes the half truths being spread first by Did-it.com’s president, David Pasternack and followed by executive chairman, Kevin Lee, is no exception. Both David and Kevin’s articles attempt to paint a picture that SEO is a dying art while the future is all PPC. Greg exposes their hypocrisy in a most excellent post. I’ll provide a few excerpts below but definitely take some time to read it in its entirety.
CSS, Ajax, Web2.0 and Their Impact on Search Visibility
During the recent Search Engine Strategies conference held in Chicago, I had the privilege of attending a session entitled “CSS, Ajax, Web2.0 and Search Engines.” On hand was Shari Thurow of Grantastic Designs, Jim McFadyen of Critical Mass, Scott Orth of Selytics, and from the search engines themselves, Amit Kumar from Yahoo and Dan Crow from Google. Shari, Jim and Scott each took turns discussing these three buzz words of 2006 while the search engine reps were able to offer some additional thoughts.
Is Your SEO a Quack? Ten Telltale Signs That They May Be
While there are many fine SEO firms spread out across the globe, there is equally a share of bad firms as well or as Jill Whalen calls them, “Quacks.” In her most recent newsletter, Jill provides 10 signs that your SEO may be a quack. Some of them are obvious but others might not be quite so obvious to those shopping for SEO services. That is why when searching for an SEO vendor, it is so important to perform due diligence so you can have confidence in who is finally selected. Jill’s tips will help identify firms to stay clear of. I will list them below but for more detailed explanation of each, visit her newsletter archive.
SEO – One Time Fix or Continuing Strategy?
SEO, short for search engine optimization is the act of optimizing web pages so that they position well in the organic search results for related keyword phrases. Hopefully the effort drives traffic and increases conversions in the process. Part art, part science, part common sense, SEO has become a necessary ingredient for web sites if they are going to capitalize on the 70 – 80 percent of searchers who click on organic search listings. Is SEO a one time fix – something that can applied to web pages once and then leave them be or is it more of an ongoing practice?
The Difference Between Tactical and Strategic SEO
Aaron Wall (aka SEO Book) has authored a new article that takes a unique look at the difference between what he calls “Tactical SEO vs Strategic SEO.” He explores the idea that many SEO tactics work well at achieving a certain goal, but to be wildly profitable one needs to go beyond tactics and approach things from a strategic front. “Many people who are great tactical SEOs do not build much equity because tactics without strategy have little value,” Aaron proclaims.
How Search Engines Possibly Rerank Web Pages Prior to Query
Bill Slawski who is an expert at tearing into all the patents search engines file and explaining them in layman’s terms has put together a list of twenty possible ways search engines rerank pages before they deliver them to a searcher. I’ll list the first three below but definitely check the entire article out as it is an interesting read.
How Much Information Should SEO’s Reveal To Their Clients?
In performing search engine optimization, should SEOs keep their procedures and strategies secret from clients? Should their clients sit patiently by, waiting for the end results and not be concerned about the process that gets them there? I would answer no on both questions. In fact, I firmly believe that the client should know everything that is being done to optimize their sites for organic search. Not only do I believe in full disclosure, I believe in documenting it in writing.
Signs That You May Need a Break From SEO
I live and breath SEO and SEM. It is certainly a passion of mine and has been for some nine years now. However even passions can get weary and sometimes I just need a break. With that thought, my friend Matt McGee has come up with a list of 21 signs that may indicate you need a break from SEO.
Is There Any Use For the Keyword Meta Tag?
This question is often asked in various forums related to search engine optimization and marketing. Answers typically vary from “yes” to an astounding “no”. So are keyword meta tags useless? Should even bother with them anymore?
