SEO Marketing Posts from the Internet Marketing Blog
SEO Tool Review: SEO Spyglass
Spying is all the rage in SEO. Search marketers love to secretly spy on their competitors to try and decode their winning tactics. The logic (and hope) is that if they can determine why a particular site is ranking so well, then they can apply the same strategy to their own websites to best the competition.
The inherent flaw in this logic is that it is impossible to duplicate a site's link profile, even with all their link data. Bottom line is there are some links you will never be able to obtain, no matter how crafty you are or how hard you beg (which speaks to the importance of building quality backlinks so your competitor's can't easily turn the tables and duplicate your link profile). But that's okay. Your goal shouldn't be to replicate a competitor's link profile, link for link. You g... > Read more
R.I.P: Search Engine Optimization is Dead!
There's been a lot of talk recently about how "SEO is dead." The claim is based largely on the specter of mounting algorithmic complexities, rising barriers to entry, the advent of personalized search, integration of social usage data signals, global warming, the Tea Party movement, blah, blah, blah, (insert your own fatalistic theory).
There was one post in particular that I read a few months back where a blogger used a pretty compelling graph from Google Trends to make the case that SEO is on life support due to a steady decline in query popularity juxtaposed against a meteoric rise in social media query activity. Going by this graph, it appears that SEO is in fact "on the back nine." So if you make your living as an SEO, or if, like us, you just launched a line of ... > Read more
Web Spam: The Definitive Guide
This is a guest post by David Harry. David Harry is an SEO and search analyst with Reliable SEO. He also writes on his SEO blog and runs the SEO Training Dojo, a top community in the SEO space. You can also track him down via Twitter: @theGypsy.Understanding the Boundaries and How to Play SafeAre you a web spammer? No, seriously, I mean it.
If there is one area that a lot of search peeps and marketers aren't always clear on, it's penalties and filters from search engines. This is something you will find very common in SEO circles. We need to look no further than something like duplicate content. While it is (generally) a filter, there is no shortage of people that call it a "duplicate content penalty."As such, I thought it would be a good idea to look at the many faces of web spam, from th... > Read more
How to Organize and Create Content for SEO
I thought I'd post the presentation for the Webinar we hosted yesterday, which was titled "How to Organize and Create Content for SEO." The presentation was a step by step process detailing how you can create an SEO-friendly information architecture for better Google rankings, and how to create and organize content geared for search engines, which includes some tips on keyword research and integrating specific SEO best practice page elements.
This post includes both the slide presentation and the script I used for the Webinar. SLIDE 1 – INTRODUCTION Hi, everyone. Thanks for joining us for today’s webinar: How to Organize & Create Content for SEO. My name’s Ken Lyons and I’m the Senior Online Acquisition Marketing Manager for WordStream. Today I’... > Read more
Need-to-Know Spring Cleaning Tips for Your Site
This is a guest post by Kaila Strong. Kaila works for Vertical Measures, an Internet marketing and search engine marketing company based in Phoenix, AZ. She's very active on Twitter (@cliquekaila) and on the Vertical Measures blog, and has started guest blogging regularly. Spring is in the air, bringing thoughts of flowers blooming, spring break, and reevaluating the direction of your website.
Alright, so maybe that isn't the first thing that comes to mind when you think of spring, but it should be. This time of year is as good a time as any to get your website priorities aligned with your goals, look at areas in need of improvement, and most importantly do a bit of keyword research to see if your efforts need a change. Keyword Analysis When was the last time you looked at your keywords? A... > Read more
Best Practices for Building Scalable Information Architecture
This is a guest post by Terry Van Horne. Terry is the founder of SeoPros and a 15-year veteran of Web development, currently working out of his consulting and development firm International Website Builders. Terry's interests are primarily the socialization of search and analysis of social Web traffic and applications like Twitter.
This post was inspired by a discussion/questions in the SEO Dojo forums and the Google Webmaster Central blog announcing microdata is supported for Rich Snippets. Microdata is part of the HTML5 specification. Over the years not much has changed IA (Information Architecture) wise. The only real big change is the use of MRL (Machine Readable Languages) for distribution and use by Google's Rich Snippets. The Salmon Protocol is an innovative protocol that could subs... > Read more
Review of Link Assistant's Rank Tracker
A few months ago, I published an article about the Best SEO Rank Checkers. In it, I wrote a quick review of a keyword rank checking tool called Rank Tracker, by Link-Assistant.com. Of all the paid rank checkers I featured in that article, Rank Tracker was one that intrigued me the most. So recently, I decided to do some more extensive work with Rank Tracker to get a real taste for the tool's full capabilities.
And I'll tell you, after using this keyword SERP tracker for the past few weeks, I'm hooked. So let's take a closer look at Rank Tracker, so I can explain my newfound enthusiasm for this tool. Rank Tracker: Key Benefits There are a lot of keyword SERP trackers on the market, but they have their share of issues. First, they can be agonizingly slow. Some can only run checks on groups ... > Read more
SEO Dojo Review: SEO Training for Search Warriors
SEO Dojo is an social community run by David Harry that focuses on high-level search optimization learning and advanced SEO training. Recently voted the Best Paid SEM Subscription Community, the SEO Dojo is the best collection of search geeks on the Web, and the level of knowledge, expertise and technical depth in this community is unparalleled.
BTW, in the interest of full disclosure, I'm a member of the Dojo and proud of it. So when I sing the praises of membership, I'm speaking from experience. To me, what really makes the Dojo a special place and sets it apart from other SEO communities are the members. The whole spirit of the Dojo is one of teaching, sharing and learning the art and science of search marketing. The Dojo community features some of the best in search, including Lee Odde... > Read more
Is SEO Dead? Nope, It Has Just Come Full Circle!
This is a guest post by Terry Van Horne. Terry is the founder of SeoPros and a 15-year veteran of Web development, currently working out of his consulting and development firm International Website Builders. Terry's interests are primarily the socialization of search and analysis of social Web traffic and applications like Twitter.
Do I think the days of easy manipulation via links are gone? You betcha! Do I think SEO will require more "marketing" knowledge, not link algo manipulation? Oh Yeah!! On that point I'm of the opinion that third-generation SEO ("the blogging linkerati") is dead; "on-page" algos are still important because they are tied to query relevance, and unwanted manipulation using text makes it easier for search engines to determine intent. I h... > Read more
How to Use the Free Keyword Grouper to Plan a New Site Design
When you're launching a new website (or doing a site redesign) it's vital to take SEO into account. From square one, you should do everything you can to make sure that the people interested in what you offer will be able to find you. And most people will be looking via search engines. There's an endless list of things you can do to optimize a website for search engines, but at a basic level, SEO-friendly site design is user-friendly site design.
It's important to create a site that: Is logically structured Incorporates keyword research to ensure relevance to your audience Is easily navigable from both the home page and deep pages You can actually use our new Free Keyword Grouper to start planning out the structure—or information architecture—of your new website. Here's how: S... > Read more
