If Content Is King - Who Are The Princes Of SEO?

Here's a predication that I know will irritate the technically oriented Kings of SEO: Looking hard into my crystal ball, as one does, I reckon that their days are numbered and that they are a dying breed! Now before the techies swarm around LeadGenerators HQ with pitchforks and flaming torches ready to silence the web-marketing heathen, allow me to explain...

Those of you who know me are probably well aware of my healthy disregard for the techno-centric view of internet marketing. In my mind, instead of technical considerations dictating what we should try to achieve, we marketing managers should dictate what we want and then find the technical solutions to achieve it. I know that this attitude annoys the technocrats who seem to dominate the online marketing world, but my approach has proved successful in its own right.

I have always seen SEO as a two-stage process. The first is to make sure that a client's website is search engine friendly. This process analyses the structural elements of the site to make sure that search engines are able to see ALL the pages of the site and are able to rank (judge) each page in its own right. It's a lengthy analysis that covers many aspects of the site but it's largely a one-off project. Once done, and once the site has been improved accordingly, the techies' work is more or less done.

The larger, second step is all-important and all about the content of the site itself.

For a site to achieve good rankings, we need to first select the right keywords. I won't go into the science of keyword research and selection, but once the best ones have been selected for a client, we need to move into the realm of writing, sprinkling certain keywords strategically throughout the text and the code of each page. It's not just this keyword enhanced copy that requires excellent writing though - link building, press releases, social media - the common denominator for all of these is good writing and communication skills, combined with good old-fashioned common sense, which most technically minded people aren't best suited to provide. It is the writers and communicators - not the programmers - who have delivered our best results in the past and will continue to do so in the future.

There is a rather tacky expression in the SEO community that says "Content is King". I would like to get a little tackier if I may: If content is King, then the up and coming Princes of SEO must surely be the writers and communicators.

Just a thought ... and I look forward to comments.

Frank Orman is the Managing Director of Leadgenerators, an online travel marketing agency.

The Power of Link Popularity

Getting quality links to your site from related web resources can be very difficult. It is a time consuming process and requires careful research. There are two ways to build your link popularity; 1 Make your site attractive to webmasters or 2 go out and hunt them down your self.

Getting webmasters to come to you:

Having lots of useful content on your web site such as informative articles, online tools, studies, etc will make another webmasters what to link to your web site knowing that you will not only help their site's traffic and link popularity, but adding content to their own web site.

Sometimes you may even get webmasters that like your site so much that they will link to your homepage or to certain web pages that they think their visitors will find useful because this adds to the usefulness of their own site by providing useful links.

Keep it clean by avoiding tricks (Blocking access via robots.txt to robots, linking out with JavaScript, etc.) meant to keep your site from transferring Page Rank to other webmaster's web sites and link to your links page on every page of your site.

Sometimes you will get requests for link exchanges with web sites that are not related to your sites topic, these sites should be ignored and you should focus on only related web sites.

Hunting link partners down your self:

Type your keyword phrases into a search engine and wait for the results. The web sites you see on the first few web pages of the search engine results should be your main targets and should be looked at. Visit their site to see if you can find the site owners name and email them asking to exchange links, remember to email them at the right email address, don't email the email address that's for support.

Type your keywords or phrases into the search engine and see who links to the sites that come up first. After finding a few sites that link to the sites that rank high on your keyword phrases email them and ask if they would be interested in a link exchange. This is great if you can get both the top sites that rank for your keyword phrases and the sites that link to the top sites because not only do you have the top sites linking to you, but also the site sites that made them get there in the first place.

Some webmasters use link exchange programs such as www.linkexchangeit.com, these link exchange program help you find link partners easier because the sites are cauterized into their related topics, so you don't have to search for them.

Use those rules and you should do just fine! Just remember to take your time and don't use automated software, instead hand pick the sites that you link to.

Matt Colyer began as a SEO Specialist in 1997. He founded Superior Webmaster in 2004 as a source of articles and tutorials for Web site owners looking to improve their Web site.

Nothing New About Link Building

Everyone knows that constructing links to your website is essential for increasing search engine results. I recently got a question for the methods I use for building effective links. After responding among a thorough discussion about researching websites, finding possible link partners, and a variety of link making ideas, I reached a simple conclusion... stick to the basics.

Even though the "basic" system to link producing isn't sexy, it works. Here are just a few techniques you should focus on for building quality links to your websites.

1. Find authoritative websites in your industry. Look for those websites that list a number of your competitors and process them for an inbound link or link exchange. These sites command a great PR and are subject issue related.

2. Develop a link exchange program. When you exchange links amid a site, the overall value to Google and other searching engines isn't as high as a one-way link but it does improve your rankings. Take your time, find the right sites, and generate sure that the Google PR of the site that's linking to you is the same or better than your outbound link.

3. Link to something of value. Get other sites to link to you by offering something they do not own on such a website. A widget, tool, or content can be enough to encourage a link to your site. Let others know what you have and what's in it for them. You'd be surprised how fast people can link to something that ads value to this website or webpage.

Vanson Tan, Honors In Engineering (University of Queensland) has been teaching individuals for over 5 years and developed multiple streams of internet incomes across the globe.

He focused on teaching Internet Marketing to open up the minds of those who wanted to have an extra source of income without quitting their day job, thereby enhancing the lives of the individuals.

His ability to help individuals is also reflected in his blog (massivecashgenerator.blogspot.com) where he targets scaling the business from the inside out. He believes that everyone wants to get rich, but lack of confident. Therefore he created MCG to allow them to start their internet business while keeping their day job until they have grown their internet business massively to escape from rat race forever!

His most recent work can be found at http://www.massivecashgenerator.com where he aims to help those who wants to have massive income with no or minimum capital.

Vanson is the author of best selling ebook "MassiveCashGenerator", which improves the lives of many within the shortest time possible.

How to Use a Broad Keyword for Local Use?

How to use a broad Keyword or Keyword Phrase for local use. That was something I had never really given much thought. A first, I would construct a web page, buy a domain, upload the HTML to my domain and I was done. But when reality sank in and I could not locate my site within the Search Engines Result Pages it was then that I discovered that my site was still missing something essential.

That something was a key piece of building a website.

Here is the story. I found this HTML template that really impressed me. It was not graphically challenging and it seemed to match my expectations. So I purchased it and I began to modify it. After I uploaded it. I then waited for businesses to see me in my local area. Well, I waited and waited but it never happened.

I have been working with web pages for well over 10 years. But the fact that I knew HTML did not make me a crack shot at getting my own web site seen by Search Engines. In fact, this became a very good test of my experience and how I perceived the Internet's inner workings.

At the core, I knew that most Search Engines would need to spider my site but somehow I fell into some preconceived idea that they would find me by themselves. Boy was I stupid.

When I refocusing my perspective I soon discovered how Keywords were so influential for search engines.

The site I built was related to 'Web Design'. So after performing many searches on Google I found that there were considerably more than 862 million web pages dealing with my two Keyword Phrase. Once again I started checking page after page and when I did not find my site it was then that I began to agonize over 'What was I missing?'

Then I discovered some new keywords to study that focused on search engine strategies; "Search Engine Optimization" or SEO.

After researching and studying, I soon realized what I was not doing. Even though my site looked great and everything structurally was there. The site's problem was that it had not been optimized for Search Engines; my site, in effect, was in a hole or 'Sandboxed'. My chances of being seen by anyone other than myself was pretty remote.

Since, my Keyword Phrase 'web design' was in a large body of web pages. In essence, it represented a broad sector of an industry that was spread out over some 862 million pages. By adding a single keyword to my broad keyword phrase; such as 'Lynchburg'. Doing this one thing resulted in dividing the market into a workable segment of competition. Now my keyword phrase is 'Lynchburg Web Design'.

By adding that one word reduced the number from 862 million web pages to a mere 669 thousand web pages. Even though this is still a large number it will be easier to move higher in the Search Engine Result Pages or SERPs.

Now you know my Keyword Phrase technique.

Copyright (c) 2007 Buddy Shearer

Buddy Shearer is not a sought-after Internet marketer but rather a regular guy trying to make a living. He can be found building up SEO Tactics and other useful information. He also works to Support Missions and is looking for True Internet Success.