For Your Reading Pleasure –
A nice little thread about links and whether or not first text links are the only ones that matter.
Go check it out! You might actually learn something. =)
Quick Question –
Is this guy really all that interesting? I know him, and am just looking for some perspective. He’s alright, I’m more curious what everyone else thinks that he brings to the table.
What About Sub-Domains?
A couple of months ago, I was getting heavy into looking at sub-domains. My concerns, based on client need of course (if you read this, you know I don’t update it often enough to worry about sub-domains and other homes for content!), were around how the search engines treat them and whether or not it’s better to have the content of a sub-domain in a sub-folder of the TLD or in its own neck of the woods via a sub-domain. Wow, now there’s a sentence. Holy cow, is that ugly.
Back on subject. So, how do search engines treat sub-domains?
Well, when I was getting heavy into the question, we only really looked into Google since that’s where the client’s primary concern was. And at the time, say, late November-ish, Google was indexing and displaying results from sub-domains in their SERPs just fine. Furthermore, if they found relevant content on the primary domain, they would display that as well as anything relevant from the sub-domain. That meant, in theory, you could have had four listings above the fold in the Google SERPs if you were relevant to the query. Four!
As with anything, abuse and spam takes its toll, and from what I’m seeing now, it looks like there has been a decrease in the number of sub-domains appearing along with pages from the primary domain. However, that doesn’t mean relevant content from a sub-domain can’t rank. From what I’ve read, Google and the others are still treating sub-domains as separate entities from the primary domain. But sure as soon as I hit publish, someone will find an article that totally makes me look like an ass.
When is it a good idea to have a sub-domain?
If they haven’t been watching sub-domain usage closely, in time, they surely will. So if you plan on implementing a sub-domain, do so wisely. The thing is, while Google and the other search engines use algorithms and whatnot to filter a lot of spam, they still do manual reviews too. So, if some cat from Google is looking at your site and it looks like you were attempting to game them, they’re gonna’ smack your ass.
Therefore, if you’re going to use a sub-domain, ask yourself why it’s even necessary. Could this information have a page on the main site? Would setting up a sub-directory and having the pages stored under it make more sense than using a sub-domain? If the information is a bit different from what your goal with the site is, then yeah, go with a sub-domain. If you have a lot of information, then sure, go with the sub-domain. If it’s ten pages of stuff that fits in with the theme of the main site, put it in the main site.
The thing is, if you require a sub-domain, you better make sure you have plenty of stuff to put in it. And it better be a whole helluva’ lot different than what can be found under you main domain. If not, you’re probably going to be looking a little questionable and it may have a negative impact on your site’s overall performance in the SERPs. Remember, they’re going to be looking at intent. While they don’t get to know why you’re doing something (because, you know, they’re not psychics and mind-readers), your actions will give them enough rope to hang you with.
Before You Build Your Website . . .
Okay, so I’m not writing as much as I promised. But it’s not a big deal since nobody is reading this!!!
If there is one thing that drives me absolutely crazy, like to the point I want to start beating myself over the head with my friggin’ keyboard, it’s got to be sites that don’t have reasonably relevant keyword phrases on their pages.
You know you’ve seen them.
They’re usually trying to get traffic from a niche market (such as rodeo cowboys) but doing it with such vague keyword phrases (such as “shoes”) that they have absolutely no chance in hell at breaking into the top 500 of Google’s, MSN’s or Yahoo!’s SERPs. You know you’ve seen them. And if you magically found this blog, you may even be guilty of this.
If there’s one piece of advice I’d give anyone looking to build their first site, or hell, even their hundredth, it would be to identify reasonable, relevant keywords that actually appeal to the market they’re going after and represent what is actually sold on the site. Doing this will make your internal linking structure reflect what’s on your site better and work to build relevance to important keyword phrases. You’ll also have a better idea of what to put in your page titles, meta-tags (if you choose to use them) and develop your content around.
Seriously, if you’re thinking of developing a new site, consider sitting down, thinking about what the site has to offer and developing a list of keyword phrases around them. Even if you only identify a dozen top level keywords for category pages, you have a good starting point. From there, analyze if that is truly the most descriptive keyword phrase that describes the page you’re going to develop. Are you selling “shoes” or “roughstock boots”? Are you offering “clothing” or “western clothing” or only “embroidered western shirts”? Do any of those words actually appeal to your audience?
Don’t do it for me or for some other search marketer you’ll do business with further down the road. Do this for yourself. It will seriously make your life that much easier. I don’t guarantee you’re gonna’ see instant results and make a million bucks, but identifying and targeting important keyword phrases and then implementing them into your site structure and page elements is going to help you in the long run.
Include Me In the Y!/MyBlogLog Hate Fest
When I read posts by Syzlak and SEO Hack about how difficult it was to set up their new MyBlogLog accounts, I thought they were whining. How difficult could it be?
Now I know.
MyBlogLog was so cool when it first came out. I signed up when I realized it meant people could see that I visited them. What a great search marketing tool! It wasn’t like a link, but instant eye-ball satisfaction that someone had visited your blog and you their’s. The crew at MyBlogLog were geniuses.
Then Yahoo! bought them and got involved.
Now it’s devolved into a crappy, pain in the ass system. Or at least that’s my impression of it. I’d love to tell you more, BUT I CAN’T MIGRATE MY FUCKING USER NAME!!! So, thanks to Yahoo! and their insistence that we use their nightmare User ID system, I think I’m just going to give up. I can’t remember the email I used. And the one they say I set it up with, well, I don’t have it for some reason. I can’t log into it. I flat out can’t use it. It’s not my email address, though I assure you that on MyBlogLog I am, rather, was MrRex. That cat-head logo? I designed it. Send me an email to my new address with some security questions and I’ll have the answers.
There is a moral to this story/bitchfest, search marketers. First, when you sign up for something, make sure you own the email address. I don’t know how I couldn’t because I had to use it to sign into MyBlogLog in the first place, but oh well. Next, make sure you keep on top of what profiles are associated with which email addresses. If you’re running more than one profile, I’m guessing it becomes even more important. And third, as soon as you learn your favorite social media site or tool as been bought out by some big-money assholes bent on making sure you use all their “handy” tools and services (really, do I want one of those dopey-looking avatars that are so popular on Y! Questions?), sign in and update immediately.
Thanks for fucking up MyBlogLog, Yahoo!.
I’ve Been Blog-Tipped!
Well, it looks like everybody’s friend Syzlak has blog tipped me! And while his three complements were much appreciated, he’s right about the lack of posting. So, dear reader, or whoever the hell else happens to drunkenly stumble across this blog, I will do my best to update more often. But let’s start out with something easy, like once a week. Deal?
Now, who do I blog tip?
Hmmm.
I choose you, Pole Position E-Marketing Performance blog!
Three things I like about this wonderful blog put out by Stoney and his crew?
1. Reading lists. Usually marketing oriented, I think they’re not only a great way to let his customer base know that his team studies this stuff, it gives the rest of us a heads up on books we should be reading. It’s like Ebert & Roeper, but with books instead of movies and not that one fat guy or the young guy that replaced that one bald guy who died a couple of years ago. And it’s not on TV. Come to think of it, the Pole Position Reading List has nothing in common with that movie review TV show.
2. Yes, a lot of SEO and SEM blogs are marketing oriented. But in my opinion, this one is more so, which is something I greatly appreciate. Still a lot of good SEO advice, but there’s also a lot of good marketing stuff in there too.
One critique, hmmm. Well, I guess more video funness that show Stoney making a frowny face at the end.
It appears my lack of posting has made this place a comment spammers paradise (morons) so I’ve got some cleaning up to do.
Raffle Links!
Today I was just messing around, checking out who checking whom out via the MyBlogLog on Syzlak’s SEM Blog when I stumbled upon this cat who may have found a brand-new (though probably short lived) way of getting backlinks. Is it genius? Perhaps, or perhaps it’s only genius to me because I haven’t seen it before and wish I’d thought of it.
Anyways, what if I told you that if you linked to my blog, I’d put a buck in the pot and enter you into a drawing for up to 500 bones. Would you link to my blog? Would you then go out and tell all your friends to link to my blog in the hopes of upping the ante to the $500?
That’s what the guys (or guy? Maybe gal? Hell, who knows. At any rate it’s these people who are putting on the contest) over at SiteFever.com are running a contest that is exactly what I proposed above. You go to the contest page, grab a bit of the link code they have there for you (there’s two versions – good thinking!), drop it in your blog and send them an email telling them what page or post you dropped the code in.
My guess is that after the drawing, the page with the contest details will go away. And hopefully, they’ve got a couple hundred links coming into their site. If I were them, I would have considered dropping that page extension into the robots.txt file they’ve set up just to keep the search engines from finding it. But then again that might’ve looked sketchy whereas making the page available to spiders shows they’re not trying to scam anything. To me, it’s kinda’ like snitching on yourself by leaving such an obvious trail that if they don’t follow it they’re stupid and it’s their own damn faults. Anywho, I digress.
So what kind of link would the search engines consider this to be? If you’re entered into a raffle for linking, is it considered a paid link? And you’re sure as hell guaranteed not to get a reciprocal link, so all the recent grumbling about Google considering reciprocal links as part of a link scheme are somewhat moot. However, while it’s not a reciprocal link, it is a link scheme. And I have a feeling that’s part of the reason this will be fairly short lived. That, and the fact if the contest is only over a short amount of time means there will be an influx of backlinks that would surely set off some sort of warning system. Add to it the value of blog links aren’t that powerful and all the incoming links will be from fairly random sources . . . well, you get the picture. Great idea, I just don’t know if it would help all that much in this context. Perhaps if you were an automotive performance parts website and you offered such a contest to other auto-minded sites and forums and you held that drawing in a year, you might have a positive impact. The links would be much more relevant, it would offer auto enthusiasts a reason to come to your site and by having it over the span of a year they might be added much more regularly.
Want the chance to see if you can win $500? Follow the link to the contest. If you have huevos, aren’t depending on the internet for a living and are interested in seeing if it would work, give it a whirl! Just be prepared for the consequences. 😉
So, Author, Time for a Website? SEO Advice for Writers.
Sometime last week a good looking gal with one helluva’ figure and a novel in the works asked me what she though would be a simple question. “If I’m about to finish my book and start looking for publisher. When should I build a website?”
Me, hoping to impress her with my wealth of knowledge on search marketing, starting talking about whether a site was necessary or if a blog would be better and the virtues of both and what to do to start getting an audience. On and on I went with recommendations and advice. Then I looked into her big blue eyes and saw that they had glazed over. Damn it. “How about I put my SEO advice for writers into a blog post you can link to?” A glimmer of life shone again.
So, when should a writer build a website or have one built for her? In my opinion, the sooner the better. As soon as you start writing and you think you have a shot at being published, you should have some sort of web presence. After all, with the internet as prevalent as it is now, there is at least a 90% chance someone is going to go to their favorite search engine and try and see what you’re about. And wouldn’t it be great if you had something to show them? If they “googled” you, don’t you want something other than your arrest record to show up for your name? Of course you do! But ranking for your name alone takes time. So, the sooner the better.
However, I don’t know that it’s necessary for every budding author to have a website. Seriously. Unless you dig coding or have some sort of experience messing with websites, you’re gonna’ end up paying someone to do it for you. Between the cost of having the site built and hosting it (which if you’re not careful, you could end up with some sort of wacky contract that doesn’t offer you the level of service you deserve), you’re looking at a few hundred dollars at minimum. If you have GoDaddy.com as the host, you’re spending at least $5 a month over a year. Figure at least$500 to have the site built, and that’s an extremely low ballpark. This is all for a site that may or may not help you net a publisher.
By now you’re probably thinking I’m talking in circles. “You just said you need a web presence yet you’re not recommending a website! What gives?” In my opinion, unless you have some sort of name recognition, have some sort of notoriety and have a few recognized books published, a website may be a waste of money. You should get a blog instead.
Blogs are beautiful things. First, they’re free. Some company is hosting it for free. The code and the user interface are free. All you need is an email address and some sort of idea for a name for your blog. Free is good. Free is awesome. Free is free.
Another beautiful thing about blogs is they are dumb simple to use. Seriously. If you can operate a mouse and have a day to day level of operational logic, you can set one up. They are set up to get you typing and posting right out the gate. You name your blog post, type something up and boom! You have your first page done. Want to add pictures? They have simple uploading procedures for you to follow and your book cover art can appear.
Speaking of pictures and appearance, most blog hosts have a myriad of themes to choose from and if you don’t see one that grabs your fancy you can either tweak the css (cascading style sheets) or hunt down a theme you like. Since you’re going to use this for marketing, you really should take the time to find a theme you like or have one developed. Just don’t do like I did with this blog. You’re actually trying to attract attention.
Hopefully, I’ve convinced you, first time writer, on the value of a blog. So now, which kind of blog should you use? There are a lot of different blog hosts out there and opinions of which you should use vary as well. In my opinion, go with WordPress. I’ve used Blogger before, and it was okay. But since their switchover it has become a little cumbersome. Or, I’m just not able to adapt, which is entirely possible. However, I still like WordPress better and some of my search engine optimization and marketing colleagues agree. Both offer an easy to set up and go format. Blogger seems more geared towards personal blogging, whereas WordPress seems more for those looking to other things with their blog. One thing I think WordPress has over Blogger is the fact WordPress automatically sets up an about page for you to tweek. Blogger may do that; I just haven’t seen it yet. And you can set up more than one page. And these static pages (pages which don’t change with every publishing of your blog) are the bones to a website.
Okay, now that I’ve went on and on about how you should set up a blog instead of a website, you may be thinking, “That’s all fine and good, but I really don’t want to set up a damn blog! I’m trying to write a novel – I don’t have time for blogging!” To that, I say fine, don’t set up a blog. But if you want to have any chance of starting to work on your name recognition and to market yourself and your book to a potential publisher, you’re going to have to build out content (read: create more words for search engines to be interested in your site). Instead of paying someone to put up a few pages for you, a free blog is going to be much more cost effective – and in some ways flexible. We’ll get to that next time.
Digg Is Important – How?
For some reason since SMX, SMM or social networks or social media or social media marketing seems to be phrase to drop in search marketing conversations. Or perhaps it’s just that I’m paying more attention than I used to.
Anyways, it seems like no one can talk about social media without bringing up Digg and ooing and ahhing over Digg and the legions of the Diggnation that can make or break your story. Me, I’m not all that impressed with Diggnation. Yeah, it’s great if you love Apple or WoW or anything else a 19 year old boy living in his mom’s basement might like. Well, not all diggers are like that. But unless you have some sort of story that will appeal the hyper-tech savvy young male, Digg is pretty much worthless for you.
It isn’t Digg’s fault the world of search marketing has held it up as THE social media site. If you spend one minute analyzing the various topics on Digg and then another minute reading a few of the posts, you’ll quickly realize that Digg has a very narrow audience. Most of the retail sites I’ve worked with in the past would not have any relevance to Digg or its audience. Yet, in forum after forum and discussion after discussion, Digg is regarded as the pinnacle of social media and none of the other social media sites are mentioned.
Then there’s the question of do you really even want to get dugg? Seriously? Think about it. If you’re looking for a one shot blast of traffic, then yeah, it’s probably alright. Beside the fact little, if any, of that traffic would convert. More than likely a digger will just pop in, read the headline and disappear. So why waste time with submitting stories to Digg?
I guess my question is this: Why the hell does Digg even matter? Seriously, why?
MrRex Sez - Another SEO Blog 