Posts tagged SEO – Search Engine Optimization
When Stumbling Leads To Success
Mar 9th
Man is inherently a discoverer — a truth that many social media networks attempt to exploit, but only a chosen few like StumbleUpon effectively optimize. As an 8-yr old site it boasts 234,000,000 inbound links, 1,100,000 monthly visitors according to Quantcast, an Alexa rating of 362, and a (so far) indomitable reputation as a top social bookmarking site.
What it basically does is bring the spotlight on quality websites based on the formation of a collaborative opinion with the help of its users. Its more than 8 million users can add sites they just happen to find and recommend it under one of the around 500 topics used by StumbleUpon. Also, items with the lowest/oldest ratings are regularly removed to maintain its image as the go-to place for the moment’s best of the web.
From the online marketer’s point of view, it is indeed a social discovery site. What a lot people don’t know though, is that it can reserve a certain number of daily page views for the right price. Web publishers participate in this cleverly designed ad network for a minimum $0.05/StumbleUpon user who visits.
It may be best employed for brand or campaign awareness rather than that of a sales tool. So, does being a high-traffic site translate to being an effective source of new visitors for the bookmarked sites? Well, according to several experimental studies such as the one by www.social-media-optimization.com it does, especially in comparison with the other social media sites. What is even more convincing is the observation that SU users being in “discovery mode” tend to explore the destination website rather than other sites where they leave after the landing page. This behavior leads to its potential for improvement as a direct e-commerce driver.
Taking SMO Seriously
Mar 6th
If even the dictionary takes the matter of recognizing the word “Twitter” seriously — then you probably should, too. Right on the tails of the SEO industry is the concept of Social Media Optimization — making your online communication materials easier to immediately share among your audience’s networks.
An important tenet of SMO is to know which tool would be most effective to use for achieving the end goal, regardless of whether the aim is to influence a particular demographic, harness the unique potential of “crowdsourcing,” or to get direct feedback on your newest project. Therefore, at the very least a familiarity with the following online behemoths would be the best place to start.
- Micro-blogging. Even the already established publication, The Guardian, made the revolutionary move to be exclusively found on Twitter (after 188 years of being on print). The micro-blogging site represents some of the best things about the World Wide Web —- literally up-to-the-minute-news, social and professional networking, niche insights, and domino-effect information broadcasting. All those features — in 140 characters or less. Other micro-blogging sites include Tumblr, Plurk, and Squeelr.
- Video Sharing. After the success of YouTube, which can only be described as phenomenal, video sharing has become an important player in SMO. In tri-media, TV advertisements cost tons of money, whereas a video uploaded on YouTube can generate impressive hits for virtually no cost comparison. An interesting video with good reviews and ratings can singlehandedly lead to swift traffic swelling to your site. To help give your videos a push, consider the channel profile, the keywords/tags used, even the very title of the video.
- Picture Sharing. As cliché as it may sound, a picture paints a thousand words. And as a number of psychologists have employed over the years — an image can affect one’s disposition. At the forefront of this would be the Yahoo-owned Flickr, which Technorati is also affiliated with. As characteristic of the most successful social networking sites, their communities are very involved. For those involved with online marketing, the site’s link embedding capabilities, comment subscription for ease of response, affordable annual Pro membership, and good privacy options, Flickr has understandably become quite the choice.
- Social Bookmarking. Del.icio.us, Digg, Stumbleupon, and Technorati are sites that help collect, play up, distribute content online (so as to diminish the impending threat of information overload on netizens). Article tagging, link sharing, keeping on top of the hottest items online, and browsing by user tags all define in SMO. Del.icio.us, for one, has over 4 millions who have collectively bookmarked over 100 million web pages. Amongst social bookmarking users are the sought after bloggers, for whom using some variation of “add this to ” is almost reflexive.
Clearing Linkbaiting’s Name
Mar 3rd
It’s likely the term “baiting” that gives the wrong impression when it comes to referring to an online presence building technique that simply involves writing such compelling content that people are drawn to it. However, when one thinks about it, link baiting is as basic as both SEO and SMO can get — nothing sinister or deviously deceiving to it at all. Then again, confusion on the proper use of the term has doubtless led many to mislabel it as a black hat method.
One of the more appropriate descriptions of link baiting is that of www.seomoz.org. The site describes the term as creating “link-worthy, linkerati-targeted content.” In other words, it involves setting a standard of quality that does not only seek to promote a certain product/brand/campaign-in-your-face. Instead, it provides what any reader (who is a potential customer or influencer) is looking for — value.
This entails content that is informative, accurate, relevant, updated, and insightful. As much as it is important to provide the latest developments, it is also vital to present the basic principles of the subject matter. Specialization in a field of interest also aids in establishing a credible reputation to make whatever linkbait you produce a resource worth viewing.
In an article on this method, several particular “hooks” were enumerated by the writer as an effective means of catching people’s attention.
- News. “Now” is the operative word when it comes to the Internet’s strength against other media. Optimizing this involves creating content that’s definitely in the know.
- Contrary. Although not necessarily taken to mean creating arguments for its own sake. Rather, being contrary in linkbaiting is taken to mean providing another critical view, a new insight to a pre-conceived notion, or the discovery of an entirely new area of interest for that matter. Originality—whether in layout presentation, approach to the main topic, and most of all, in terms of content—can spell the difference between a well-linked piece and a missed article.
- Resource. Being the authority on something (and having to earn that credence) is a distinguishing factor for any writer. A number of the most-read or viewed material online imparts knowledge that one can only get from the experts.
- Humor. Ah, never underestimate the power of rapport that can be built with a laugh. Humor in linkbaiting makes it something you instinctively want to share with other people. After all, one good laugh deserves another.
16 Things Experts Say About Social Media Optimization (SMO)
Jan 28th
Within the past year alone, there have been a considerable number of resource materials that sound like the social media subject equivalents of self-help books.
What remains to be one of the most comprehensive and effective lists, however, was created back in 2006. As to be expected, within the next four years the game has been changing dynamically — but the fundamentals have proven to be the same. The 16 Rules for Social Media Optimization as penned by five of digital marketing’s go-to professionals are an excellent springboard for review and innovation of strategies.
Rohit Bhargava, who has been credited for terming Social Media Optimization or SMO, outlined the bulk of the list with:
- Increase Your Linkability. The key performance indicator of any social media campaign revolves around link building. The simple commitment to maintaining a blog for one, can do wonders for increasing linkability.
- Make Tagging and Bookmarking Easy. Twitter, Facebook, StumbleUpon are names to be recited by online marketers as sacred. The easier it is to share your content, the likelier it is to be spread.
- Reward Inbound Links. Positive reinforcement works in most cases, but in building your credibility, also bear in mind that not all inbound links ought to be automatically reciprocated.
- Help Your Content Travel. Through RSS feeds, newsletters, social media updates, and downloadable files, content that can conveniently be communicated expands your reach.
- Encourage The Mashup. The fact is, your content will be available for most of the world to see. Encouraging your followers to add their own take on the matter will make for an entirely productive interaction.
Enumerating two important points, Jeremiah Owyang, emphasizes the need to:
- Be a User Resource, Even if it Doesn’t Help You. Well, doesn’t help “directly” — it will return in the form of recognition as the go-to authority for information on your field of expertise.
- Reward Helpful and Valuable Users. Following the Pareto Principle of 80-20, forming relationships with your influential VIPs are a valuable investment.
Four things that Cameron Olthuis shares never to underestimate are the value of:
- Participation. Being involved, belonging to a community to which you significantly contribute to — that is what social media is all about.
- Knowing How to Target Your Audience. To ignore this piece of advice would be folly.
- Create Content. Real content is different from space-fillers in being relevant, informative, and reliable.
- Being Real. Sooner or later the truth will prevail. Fakers, scammers, hypocritical identities will backfire no matter the short-term advantages.
Creating a difference is simplified by keeping in mind the two things contributed by Loren Baker:
- Don’t Forget Your Roots, Be Humble. Do not forget the people who have one way or another brought you where you are today.
- Don’t Be Afraid to Try New Things, Stay Fresh. Be critical, yet open-minded about opportunities to constantly improve.
Lee Odden completes the list by focusing on Social Media Optimization with the easy to understand advice to:
- Develop an SMO Strategy
- Choose your SMO Tactics Wisely
- Make SMO part of your process and best practices
Maximizing Article Submissions for Link Building
Jan 8th
A link building technique that can be utilized to direct some of that much needed exposure your way is through article submission. Any SEO strategy should incorporate article submission to secure the best link popularity results.
Article submission to directories is one of the most effective ways to publish content on the Web quickly. In fact, a link building company or a link building service usually offers article submission to help optimize web pages for the promotional campaign of a business or organization.
Like all other link building tactics, there are things to bear in mind in order to make article submissions work for your site’s link popularity. In order to have your articles contribute to a surge in your rankings, you must learn what works and what does not when submitting to article directories.
Basically, every article directory you submit your articles to require the following:
- Article Title
- Article Description or Summary
- Name of Author
- Article Body
- Resource Box
- Category
- List of Keywords
Prior to submission, it is wise to read the directory’s terms of service to make sure that you understand and consent to the process of republishing your work.
The good thing about article submission is its “viral” nature. A well-written and interesting article will be published, re-published and spread over and over again, giving your site tremendous publicity. Thus, when done effectively, article submissions can indeed give you the link popularity results you need.
In accomplishing article directory requirements, keep these snippets of advice in mind:
- Make a strong article title. Come up with a unique, snappy, and content-relevant title that contains at least one strong keyword. Readers gravitate to catchy titles. Your article title has to be distinct because directories usually reject duplications. You can test your title’s uniqueness by typing it on the search field and see if there are hits on the search engines.
- Write an attention-grabbing article description. This is not a requirement in all directories but it helps to write a summary prior to proceeding with submission. Readers get a sneak peak of what the article is going to be all about with your article description so it is equally important to come up with (an) attention grabbing sentence(s).
- Include the author’s name. You can use your real name, or a pseudonym for that matter. Attaching your academic degree may also help establish prestige. You can also use the company or organization name.
- Write a 100% original article body. Everything in the article has to be original. High-quality articles incorporate expertise, wisdom, and knowledge so it is easy to spot software-manufactured articles. Another option is to hire a freelance writer or copy editor to come up with original and relevant articles. In addition to original content, produced work must be free of marketing undertones. Written pieces must be journalistic in style. How many words should an ideal article contain? The preference lies within the range of 400 to 800 words, but a 200-word stand-alone article will suffice for publication. Moreover, articles for submission need to have simple formatting. Curly quotes, extended formatting, apostrophes and quotation marks will cause problems. Writers are advised not to use contractions or dashes (-) because pieces that have them do not get published properly. Article directories go for very basic html formatting.
- Resource Box. Be sure to place crucial contact information and credentials that will be valid within a six-month period in the resource field. Also, a 30-50 word sentence about yourself will work. This way, publishers pass on information and link you provide in article directories when they are interested in republishing your work. Some experts advise against including an email address and recommend you to input a phone number instead. Include your web URL and if you have more than one, pick the most relevant link.
- Select a proper category. Article directories have an assortment of categories for you to choose from. Some directories allow you to configure your own category in case nothing in their selection suits your article.
- Use the right keywords. Keywords are a tool to enhance the article. If used effectively, keywords enable readers to find your site through search engines. Several resources and software are available to help you decide which highly-searched keywords to use.
When done right, article submission can be an effective link building technique that will boost your rankings in the search engines. Article submission creates a reputation for your company and establishes your position as an authority in your industry. Although it can be a time consuming link building strategy, article submission is an economical investment that could generate a massive volume of back links for link popularity and topnotch search engine rankings.
Enhancing Link Value with Forum Participation
Jan 8th
In any link building campaign, it is important to have an open mind about any link building opportunity. Techniques to direct traffic to your site, establish link popularity, and land a top spot in the search engine rankings abound. Each link building method has its own advantages and disadvantages, and some companies outsource some of these services to a link building company.
Link building campaigners can maximize the link value of their site by focusing on reputation building through forum participation. By interacting with other people and exchanging ideas with them effectively, relationships are built and online prestige is created. Compared to other link building tactics that are time-exhaustive, forum participation is a relatively easy method to acquire free links.
Forum pages are valued by search engines and are hence visible to non-participants of the forum. The visibility and credibility that could be potentially reaped out of your participation in an online forum has the potential to direct traffic toward your site and possibly get links pointed to it to establish link popularity.
The original intent for any forum participant is to interact with others in a meaningful discussion of topics. From a link building point of view, forums provide a venue where you can add your URL(s) to your profile as well as your post footer. If your forum posts and ideas stand out, a direct result could be minimal link juice for your site and a perfect opportunity to grab the attention of a viewer to visit your web page. Forums shun direct advertising, so great care has to be taken when putting up posts.
How does one maximize the potential of forum participation as a link building method? Here are some things to keep in mind:
- Forum participation is all about contribution. Forum participation is worthless when you have nothing significant to contribute to the discussion itself. For any post to be considered significant, it has to count in terms of how it can enlighten people on a given subject. Posting lines such as “I agree” or “Me, too” on a forum discussion will not help you build a good reputation. What you write and say to other commentators on the forum has to have substance. When your opinions stand out or make sense, it receives attention of other participants. In link building, attention goes a long way. It may earn you visitors, readers, and followers, who will contribute to traffic, possibly free back links that search engines love, and ultimately, link popularity. Spamming is taboo in online forums. Avoid it by all means.
- Be respectful. Some people love to disagree online on the basis that being disagreeable is more interesting and more attention-grabbing. While this may be true and opposing opinions are inevitable, it is important to present arguments in a respectful manner. Picking fights at online forums achieve absolutely nothing for link popularity. In the end, relevant forum threads may get deleted and the link building opportunity wasted.
- Obey the rules. Forums are established with their own rules in place. Your participation to the forum is in itself a commitment to abide by a set of rules. Once you disobey the rules, you will get yourself booted out. This will prove injurious to your reputation. Forums vary in terms of posting rules. Some allow signature lines, while others do not. If the forum permits signature lines, leaving a simple and concise signature line with a URL or two at most, will be enough to earn you traffic based on the quality of your post.
The link juice that can be expected from forum participation may be minimal, but it remains one of the best reputation building techniques that can provide you with natural and quality links needed to create link popularity and bolster your position in the search engine rankings. The most important thing to remember is to conduct yourself appropriately, stand out in the posts you contribute, and build relationships in order to maximize the benefits of forum participation as a link building technique.
BING: Reverberating an SEO Revolution
Jan 1st
Netizens were decidedly intrigued with the beta launch of Microsoft’s Bing.com – branded as a much-needed innovation by serving as a pioneer Decision Engine. For several years people have been grappling with information overload online, finding it difficult to move from what-they-found-on-the-web to what-they-can-DO with what-they-found-on-the-web. And that’s if they found what they were meant to look for in the first place (more often than not, several re-queries have to be made to get it right).
Bing.com differentiates itself in this aspect.
- Credibility on Domain Age With Microsoft as Bing’s backer, everyone involved in the SEO industry is keen on investing time on this tool as well. One of the most immediate things that becomes evident is how this new site pays a lot of credibility on domain age. Therefore acquiring key domains that have been registered for a long time are valuable purchases.
- Titles could very well make or break the page rank on Bing.com. Pages with titles and main headings that contain key words are more likely to get picked up for search queries. Everyone knows text-heavy sites are more favored in searching, this is all the more true with this new alternative to Google. Might as well throw in meta keywords as well for good measure.
- DEO (Decision Engine Optimization) One thing to also consider in what is being touted as DEO (decision engine optimization) is the linking out. As opposed to the main search engine competitor’s perception of linking out, Bing takes this as a plus point for any site.
- “linkfromdomain” Feature How else does Bing empower linkbuilding? What anyone involved in SEO will be especially gleeful about is the site’s ability to help in pinpointing excellent linkbuilding targets. Or, if there is already a reputable website one is eyeing, Bing helps one find possible avenues to get links from them. This is made possible by the new player’s unique “linkfromdomain” feature. Simply put, it enumerates the pages that are linked-to from the specified domain by entering “linkfromdomain:”. Think of it as finding just the perfect crowd to run around with.
Although its measurable impact has yet to be seen, the changes it brings to the game of link-building and web search optimization are something to keep an eye out for. As a press release on Microsoft explains, Bing’s initial priorities are on helping making choices related to trip planning, local business searches, health information, and e-commerce’s foundation of purchase decisions. This is a red flag for online marketers in these industries and a virtual neon sign for those from other fields to get a head start as early as they can.
Critical Credibility: Verifying Facts and Figures
Jan 1st
Credibility is such a strong word. In the link building aspect of web content writing, this word plays an even stronger role. The sheer, overwhelming expanse of the Internet is full not only of useful information you could never have found any other way; it is also littered with unwanted facts, broken links, unmaintained sites since a decade back, befuddling jargon, and most problematic of all – misleading content. From serious cases of misrepresentation or misleading details, to accounts of harmful trolling, the need to verify information first has become a must when posting any material online.
Link popularity may be enhanced by a number of so-called black hat means, but nothing can rival the effectiveness of well-written articles that are convincing, substantial and accurate. Writers who take the extra step in double checking information (or using only credible sources in the first place) find it rewarding at the end of the day to know they are giving readers their due. A high standard link building company, for instance, would want to select only trusted sources for the articles and sites they are handling. What possible measures or guides can one consider in evaluating the content of an article online?
One of the most basic things to do would be to ask questions first:
- What do I need to know exactly?
- How is this data relevant to the article and to the audience?
- How will I be able to use this information in the most logical and persuasive way?
These questions will inevitably lead you to the right kind of reference work to use. For instance, on medical or scientific matters, peer-reviewed academic journals of a specific field would be the best sources. Government-issued reports are also often cited for facts on the state of the nation or for those that talk about government policies or laws.
Some time ago, there was quite a big fuss on this particular issue involving an online resource site where its users can author articles with their discretion. In order to answer the growing concern, it has made it a point to ask for citations in all its materials.
Quotations are especially sensitive, as a single word can alter the meaning of a statement. The same way an ill-placed link would do more harm than good to an article. This emphasizes the importance of a link building service not only in generating online buzz, but in getting the right kind of information and feedback.
To make sure that your articles are credible and deserve attention, verify all the facts including all the sources that you used.
Writing Quality and Compelling Content
Jan 1st
It is one thing to string one word after another, and quite another to be writing effective copy. This significant difference is even made more distinct by the creation of link building in web content and other forms of writing. Why all the fuss about something so basic? Well, for one thing, attention spans get shorter by the minute especially with all the information that the Internet has to offer. The unique dynamics of the World Wide Web ups the ante on the strategies of any other writer wanting to go professional today.
What works online with a link building service can be trickled down to “emphasis,” especially since the target audience is overburdened with having to deal with too much information, every single day. From focusing on active keywords, to using different attention grabbing formatting styles (bolds and bullets), to giving headlines and sub headlines more thought, it has become clear that the playing ground is as expansive as the options the writer knows he has.
The online universe continues to grow at an exponential rate, credibility and verifiability have risen in priority concerns as well. Proper citation, accurate quoting, and critically thought out wordsmithing separates the effective article from doubtful drafts. This is where employing a link building company that is dedicated to and knowledgeable about this function can be an advantage. At the end of the day, the most important thing to have for an article to be considered powerful is its substance.
Link popularity will be crucial in driving people to your site; however, if there is nothing worth reading there, it will eventually end up becoming an opportunity loss. Many well-written pieces (on the surface) end up no better than spam because they miss the point they were trying to get across in the first place. Style and structure shape the presentation, but this cannot change the fundamental purpose of writing – communicating information. Buzzwords and jargon in particular, have a proper place and a proper time of usage – something overeager marketeers and writers alike often forget.
A professional communicator writes more than words, he pens information. The writer who communicates effectively then is the one who knows the distinctions and their implications to the article, and ultimately, to its target viewers.
Link Building for Blogs: Not Just Winning by the Numbers
Jan 1st
Successfully maneuvering the dog-eat-dog world of link building takes a blogger with an eye for opportunity. Link building companies know the tricks of the trade, but what a number of bloggers fail to realize, is that they have the power to start working on this as well. Therein lies one of the most amazing things about the online community – an individual’s voice can be as loud as he shapes it to be through link building popularity.
When link building for blogs, content has been declared “The King” when it comes to this industry, but for it to rule, the site requires a number of strategies to improve its following:
- Back link analysis on one’s benchmarks and competing sites. No blog is an island; choosing the right blogs to be linked to on their blog roll and vice-versa is a must. Contribution writing for good causes and nonprofit organizations often dedicate links in their donor pages as well. Another proven tactic in improving a blog’s search viability is through link baiting. As another link building service, this helps generate traffic to a blog by showing how it can be a win-win situation for both the blogger and the interested webmasters.
- Submitting to press release distribution sites. The basic rule is to include the blog’s URL whenever possible and proper: articles that prove useful and re-blog worthy, author profiles for guest writing exposures, social media site biographies, content sponsorships and so much more.
- Using connections to get the client on mainstream media. Whenever involving other parties (be it blogs, websites, press hubs) through cross sharing content, sponsored writing and exchanging links, the standard of quality writing should be raised higher. Nothing is more damaging to a relationship than obvious self-serving articles that prove to be non-beneficial to the other partner. Think of everyone in your online network as a professional partner – which is why a simple “thank you” recognition is a given as well.