Author Archive - admin

Have I suddenly discovered the best SEO strategies ever through revelation?  No, I have not.  Moreover, I probably wouldn’t tell you if I did (can you say trade secret?).  I do have a thing or two to say, however, about this quest we marketers are on to formulate the best, most flexible SEO strategies and link building campaigns; that is, generalizing our tactics so that they are useful in every situation.  Having a handy-dandy formula may make us confident and give us a sense of security when addressing a new client, but it is ultimately not for the best.  Here is why.  (more…)

Link Building Secrets: The Intangible Element

Here’s what you probably already know about the link building process…

We set forth creating unique valuable content on a site and start building relevant links to promote this content in order to bring more traffic to your site.  Throughout the link building process, we incorporate elements of SEO in order to make it easier for visitors and search engines to find you.

Here’s what you may not know about the link building process:

Oftentimes we forget that there is an intangible aspect to the link building process.  It is this incorporeal element that can be considered the secret (more…)

Or disturbing, depending on your view of online advertising and the technological metropolis that gave rise to it.  According to a recent study by the Kaiser Family Foundation, children ages 8 to 18 spend most of their day (7.5+ hours) utilizing a smart phone, a computer, and, of course, a television.  This means a number of things for those who have a message or product to deliver/present to the public, and indicates that the field of Internet Marketing has a very healthy future ahead—assuming nothing happens that either takes us back to the stone age, puts our fate in the hands (or jaws) of zombies, or both (which would really suck; who wants to fight zombies without guns or chainsaws?). (more…)

Sadly, we SEOs do not have enough in terms of insider jokes that we can be proud of, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t a special batch of us who aren’t trying!  Let’s face it:  When you’re in any industry long enough, you become engrossed in all kinds of new concepts and jargon that you can create humorous relationships among.  Of course, only certain people will understand these abstruse, short, but clean jokes, yet that fact is where half the humor lies; for you are then certain of your being an elite SEO nerd. (more…)

Nope, this is not another rundown for how businesses can/should use social media to their advantage, nor is it an additional expose about how useful social media is for link-building efforts and reputation management.  I do not know how much has been written regarding what social media means for you (me, us, etc.) as a person-or of what quality what has been written is-but I intend to make something of a reflective stab at the matter before our New Year sets in.  Note that when I say person, I mean the person you are when you’re away from work and less socially wary; that is, yourself in a more ‘fundamental’ form, more or less. (more…)

Beginner’s Guide to Travelling Solo

Solo travel sites are transforming the travel world. I was recently inspired after attending a lecture with Cathy Law, who has travelled to 53 countries from Laos to Yelapa, as a female solo traveler.   It got me thinking about solo travel and putting together a beginner’s guide to the best solo travel sites.  Seeing as solo travel is usually tied with budget travel, many of these sites are also good places to find cheap travel destinations and accommodations as well as fellow solo travelers.

First-Time Solo Traveler Sites

Below are solo travel sites that may hopefully inspire you to move forward if you have dreams of traveling solo or simply open our eyes to the power of social networking.

LonelyPlanet.com is not only an excellent place to obtain practical information and travel guides, but it also has a Going Solo forum.  I just checked it and saw this exchange below:

If you’ve ever backpacked, you know that the relationships you form with fellow travelers are often for a lifetime.  And sometimes, the relationships you form online can be even deeper than those formed in person when there is a common bond and more openness.

CouchSurfing.com and Hospex.net are great solo travel sites when budget is also a concern.  Both these sites were actually (more…)

This will blow your mind....

What intrigues me is that there is an interesting and very intelligent comparison of postmodernism and SEO on another blog (and it is a mere two weeks older!).  I thought this post would be something of a first of its kind.  Nonetheless, I intend on going into the true nature-assuming there is one-of Postmodern SEO, and not just a simple exposition.  What the postmodern approach means for the entire SEO enterprise will be made quite clear in the following.

And do not worry; there is a moral at the end of this extremely strange story which shows both SEO and relativism/postmodern philosophy at their worst. (more…)

Effective Search Engine Optimization Explained Using Simple Tao Principles

Effective SEO like Taoism involves getting back to basics.  Tao simplicity also incorporates nature.  And it just so happens that search engine optimization deals with “natural” or “organic” search results.  We begin our discussion on the Tao of effective SEO looking at how to improve the quality and quantity of traffic to your site based on some simple Tao principles….

Tao

Literally translated, the word Tao means “way”, “path” or “route”.  It can be thought of as a natural flow to all of the energy and life of the universe.  Heavy stuff…  But for our purposes, let’s consider for a moment that your site is part of this great big cosmos that we call the internet.  And this universe (aka the internet) is dynamically evolving.  So how do you find (more…)

She may be beautiful, but she can't help you with your SEO.

The SEO guarantees that follow this section must be read with your tongue firmly planted in your cheek.  Again, the SEO guarantees that follow this section must be read with your tongue firmly planted in your cheek (this means they are unforgivably sarcastic).  Now that that’s out of the way, I now can say that the real point of this post is to poke fun at the grandiose claims some SEO firms make for their clients, and to hopefully reinforce the clients’ right to investigate the quality of the organization they are considering.  Here is a pair of simple rules for businesses who are ready and willing to make the wise move of incorporating SEO into their strategy for success:  investigate everything about your potential business partner and draw your conclusions. (more…)

5 Tips for Creating Valuable Website Content

So we’ve all heard the about the importance of “creating valuable website content”.  But what exactly does this mean and how does one go about doing it?  A logical starting point for developing good website content is to figure out:

• Who are you creating your web content for?
• What are the needs of this audience?
• What is your central message?

Answering the questions in this order helps to maintain the focus on your audience first.  If this is your first time considering these questions, consider brainstorming all your ideas on paper and then picking out central themes.  Developing good website content involves maintaining a strong focus.  The reason is this helps to keep your web content relevant, which means your visitors’ expectations will be fulfilled when they find exactly what they’re looking for.

Now you can begin creating good website content – here are 5 tips to help you get started. (more…)