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This post expands on one of the ten blogging tips I presented at the SEOMOZ pro seminar yesterday. I'll be writing about the others over the next few weeks, and will tie them all together when they're done. I'm not a video guy.... Read More »
I've heard it sooo many times: "But I didn't know!!!!" That comes shrieking forth shortly after this chain of events: CEO hires a Guru to develop their web marketing plan. Guru comes in, collects check and nods sagely while saying stuff "Engage your... Read More »
Lisa Barone's post today about a tax on business bloggers, and the squawking and flapping that ensued thereafter, got me thinking about 'fair' versus 'honest'. Especially in the world of marketing. In marketing, 'fair' doesn't exist I find that when folks start talking... Read More »
Fresh from the blog:
September 1, 2010 by ian
I presented yesterday at the SEOMOZ Pro Seminar. I had the incredible misfortune of going right after Rand Fishkin, aka SEO Rockstar, aka He of the Fashionable Wardrobe. But it was still a blast. It was one of a bunch of great moments at my first Mozinar. I heartily recommend it to anyone looking to really learn SEO. Here's why: You'll learn real stuff. Every presenter comes on stage with executable to-do's and examples. I've never attended a training seminar that delivered as much hard information in a short timespan. I learned new stuff. I'm not saying that to somehow…
Continue Reading 5 reasons to go to the SEOMOZ Pro Seminar next year »
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September 1, 2010 by ian
This post expands on one of the ten blogging tips I presented at the SEOMOZ pro seminar yesterday. I'll be writing about the others over the next few weeks, and will tie them all together when they're done. I'm not a video guy. I know I use screencasts a lot, but the idea of having to watch myself on screen is about as itch-inducing as sleeping in a pile of rotting vegetables. But, video has its place. First, getting a video to rank for a given phrase is a hell of a lot easier than getting a page to rank.…
Continue Reading Video sitemaps can cleanse your soul »
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August 27, 2010 by ian
It's true. As egos go, mine is a bit small, damp and non-resilient. So, when I search for my own name on the web, it's mostly to see who's writing mean things about me and making ready to defend myself. Years ago, I set up a page on Wikipedia, so that someone I knew in 7th grade couldn't come along and write about how, at that age, I looked like ET with a wig. Imagine my surprise, then, to find out that I'd been marked for death speedy deletion: Note that I check in on my Wikipedia account about once…
Continue Reading Monday, I could be dead: Marked for speedy deletion »
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August 26, 2010 by ian
I've heard it sooo many times: "But I didn't know!!!!" That comes shrieking forth shortly after this chain of events: CEO hires a Guru to develop their web marketing plan. Guru comes in, collects check and nods sagely while saying stuff "Engage your audience". Guru writes down a plan with steps like "Get good links". CEO hands plan to marketing department. Marketing department, afraid to tell the CEO she's an idiot, executes the plan, which also happens to execute most of the company, too. A year later, CEO has no marketing budget left, a lot of unhappy customers and zero…
Continue Reading Internet marketing due diligence: Checking the plan »
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August 24, 2010 by ian
Lisa Barone's post today about a tax on business bloggers, and the squawking and flapping that ensued thereafter, got me thinking about 'fair' versus 'honest'. Especially in the world of marketing. In marketing, 'fair' doesn't exist I find that when folks start talking about 'fair', what they mean is 'fair for me and mine.' Or maybe 'easy'. 'Fair' is relative: I'm a cyclist. I drive a Toyota Prius. So raising gas prices to $5/gallon and doubling the size of bicycle lanes seems perfectly fair to me. You, on the other hand, are getting ready to let loose a tirade of…
Continue Reading Great marketing is honest. Not fair. »
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August 20, 2010 by ian
Google just announced a change to their algorithm: They're now going to show more pages from a single domain for certain queries. You're tempted to run out into the street, strip naked with sheer joy and yell OMG all our troubles are over reputation management now a cinch!!! Wrooooong. Stay inside. Keep yer clothes on. Google's webmaster blogging team is as detailed as ever (cough). They use the query 'exhibitions at amnh' as their example, and sure enough, that turns up 7 results from from amnh.org: That may seem like a sign that you'll dominate page 1 of the rankings…
Continue Reading Google algorithm change - big brand bias? »
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August 20, 2010 by ian
Heather Lloyd-Martin knows SEO copywriting like I know sarcasm. She's coming to Seattle September 15, 2010 to teach her SEO Copywriting Training course - if you've already read my SEO copywriting e-book and want a full day of hands-on, in-depth training, you need to go to this seminar. The specifics: When: September 15, 2010, 9-4 PM Where:Coast Bellevue Hotel, 625 116th Avenue Northeast, Bellevue, WA. Cost: $895 until September 1, 2010, then $995 Some people will say "I can't afford that". Seriously? If you learn the necessary skills to grab a top 3 position for a phrase, that's not worth…
Continue Reading SEO Copywriting Training Coming to Seattle »
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August 19, 2010 by ian
Link building is all about risk management. There are lots of ways to build links. But search engines do not like to be manipulated. They work constantly, with lots of really smart people, to find ways to filter out links secured purely for SEO purposes. That makes many forms of link building risky, because: Search engines do not consistently apply the rules. You may see your competitors doing something and getting away with it. You try it a few weeks later and bam: Penalty. The rules change. What's safe one week might not be safe the next. That's life. Your…
Continue Reading Link building techniques: Risk vs. reward »
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August 17, 2010 by ian
50% of SEO (search engine optimization, in case you live under a big rock, or you've never been to this blog before) is staying out of the way, staying out of trouble, and letting search engines find everything on your web site. It should be easy, but people seem to constantly create new ways to get in the way. Here's one of my favorite examples: The exploding URL, AKA... The Duplication Toilet Bowl of Death There are lots of little problems that can generate duplicate URLs. But the worst is the Exploding URL, aka the Duplication Toilet Bowl of…
Continue Reading SEO worst practices: The content duplication toilet bowl of death »
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August 16, 2010 by ian
Per my post of a few minutes ago, I can laugh at simple-minded content thieves. But, as I've said in the past, so-called 'professional marketers' who steal other agencies' sites and copy need to go to a special circle of Hell. Today, I bring you Caerus Digital, an agency apparently located in New Jersey, not far from where I grew up. Here's their home page, with stolen text highlighted: I found them with my traditional search-for-the-first-sentence trick. But then a little voice in my head said, hey, this looks familiar: So I suspect they actually lifted our entire site design,…
Continue Reading It's plagiarism day! Part 2: An agency steals everything »
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