i7o Media » SEO

SEO For Blogs – What Do Search Engines Look For?

JABacchetta — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 09:27:30 +0000

This is a guest post from Joel Carl. If you’re interested in writing an article for this blog, feel free to use the contact form. You will be linked to appropriately.

The Fundamentals of Blog SEO

Blogs are the beez-neez as far as the major search engines are concerned. Google, yahoo and MSN especially love blogs because they constantly provide fresh content and blogs have built in software that pings the search engines each time a new post or page is published.

In a way, blogs are SEO friendly right out the box. This is true, they are SEO friendly, but they still require some fundamental plugins and adjustments to make them 100% SEO optimized. This is where you are going to get ahead of your rivals and into google’s favor!

We will discuss the plugins and adjustments very soon, but firstly we need to understand the fundamentals of blog SEO.

SEO Fundamentals

Consistent regular content: Blogs which are consistently updates with fresh content are recognised by the search engines and crawled more regularly. Obviously fresh content is also adding value for your readers. Search Engines LOVE fresh content.

XML sitemaps: An XML sitemap is a small file on your website which provides a list of URLs which notifies search engines when fresh content is posted. Each time fresh content is added, the sitemap is updated. Search engines love sitemaps because they only need to spider this small file to discover the new content. Major blogging platforms have plugins available which easily setup and rebuild your xml sitemap.

Duplicate content: Blogs can face problems with duplicate content, meaning that the same content is on several pages on your blog. This happens because you have category, archive and tag pages. Search engines may penalise blogs for this. With smart SEO, we can noindex these pages and allow the search engines to simply index the main page or post. The mighty wordpress platform has a plugin called “All in One SEO” which allows you to simply check a box and noindex these pages.

Links: Internal and external linking are important for SEO purposes. Firstly, with linking you can direct your readers to the more important pages on your website. The search engines also follow these links around your websites which helps them find out exactly which pages are most important on your site. External linking to other websites is also looked on favorably by the search engines. Search engines can penalise you for having no outbound links as they like to see “natural” looking websites. It is tough to do though, because you are directing your visitors away from your blog. For SEO purposes, sure google likes to see it, but there are many reasons not to. Its a compromise really. Here is what I do – whenever I have an outgoing link, I will make sure that the link opens in a new window – this way the visitor will still have access to your website on an open browser.

Anchor text: Super important!! Rather than using anchor text such as “CLICK HERE”, you should be using keywords in the anchor text. We will be covering this topic in greater detail in upcoming tutorials.

RSS feeds: Each blog contains an RSS feed – this is a huge advantage over a static website. It gives you another chance to retain visitors who subscribe to your feed.

Tomorrow, we will cover 15 wordpress plugins to SEO boost your site and drive organic traffic.

SEO For Blogs – What Do Search Engines Look For? is a post from: i7o Media

SEO For Blogs – Understanding Google

JABacchetta — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 06:53:07 +0000

This is a guest post from Joel Carl. If you’re interested in writing an article for this blog, feel free to use the contact form. You will be linked to appropriately.

Search Engine Optimization(SEO) is just as crucial for blogs as it is for standard websites. We all love getting free traffic from the search engines, but most of us simply don’t get enough because our SEO is just not cutting it. SEO is more than a skill, it is an art and a wholistic understanding of how the major search engines view and rank sites.

Firstly you need to put yourself in google’s shoes. If you were a part of the google team – what would be your number 1 priority?

“Provide relevant and useful information for google users”

So you need to do that! If you can consistently provide quality content, google will reward you. There are some crucial tips you need to follow in order to be found – we will cover that soon.

Second thing you need to know : Google is smarter than you and always will be! If you think you can beat the google system, you are wrong!

Third thing you need to know : Google loves to reward the good guys. If you are providing useful and relevant information, google wants to reward you with free traffic!

I’m sure you have heard of all the black-hat techniques that webmasters use to beat the google system, sure these things can work sometimes and for a limited time, but if you are trying to create a long-term stream of google traffic, you need to be providing quality and consistent information for your visitors.

Now it is just a matter of helping google “find you”.

Tomorrow’s Blog Post will cover how you can SEO optimize your blog to maximize search engine traffic.

SEO For Blogs – Understanding Google is a post from: i7o Media

Optimal URL Structures

JABacchetta — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 09:28:56 +0000

Optimal URL structures are important for two reasons:

1. Better search engine rankings: Although not as important as other factors (such as title tags, and keyword density), URL structures are still relevant in SEO.

2. People are more likely to click on your link: Short URLs get clicked on twice as often as long URLs according to an eyetracking study.

How to optimize URL structure:

Include Keywords: 5 keywords is usually what you’re aiming for. Any more than that, and the value of each word is diluted.
Use Hyphens As Word Separators: Underscores are gaining acceptance, but hyphens are still considered optimal.
Use Static URLs: No ampersands, equals signs, or question marks.
Keep It Simple: Less is more. Try to stick with one or two parameters.

Results:

Poor URL Structure: http://www.bizboink.com/2009/04/24/seo/optimalurlstructureformaximumseobenefit

Optimal URL Structure: http://www.bizboink.com/optimal-url-structures

Optimizing URLs with Wordpress:

If you’re using Wordpress, you can set up an optimal URL structure in under a minute. Go into your control panel, and click on “Permalinks” under “Settings.” Click on “Custom Structure” and then copy and paste /%postname% into the box. Congratulations, you’re all set!

Optimal URL Structures is a post from: i7o Media

Link Building: Directory Submissions

JABacchetta — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 05:51:21 +0000

Submitting your website to directories is a very simple way to begin building your link equity. Granted, the value of getting into directories isn’t what it use to be – but you need to start somewhere. There are still a few directories that hold a bit of weight on the internet. DMOZ data for example, is used by many sites throughout the web (including Google). Getting into top web directories can improve your authority and search engine rankings.

Many new publishers don’t take the time to read the guidelines on each directory. This leads to their website being declined without a fair review from the editors. Knowing where and how to submit your website will make the process painless. Rather than risking your money to pay for a website submission service, learn how to do it yourself.

Choosing Quality Directories

A lot of people aren’t aware that not every directory is worth submitting to. Actually, some of them are a complete waste of time. What to look for:

Are “free” directories still accepting free submissions? Many of them will eventually stop paying attention to free submissions, with a backlog of thousands of sites.
Are they established? Many directories are started, and sold soon after – only to be abandoned. Check to see how long the directory has been around.
Do they have authority themselves? A directory with a PR 0 won’t do much for you.
Do the directories allow Do-Follow on your links?

Here’s a good list of directories to start with.

Guidelines

Choose the correct category for your site. Be sure to check out other links inside that category, and make sure that your site would be a good fit. Directories tend to have many very similar categories, so it’s best to take a look at the trend of accepted sites inside each one.
When entering your url, do not place a forward slash at the end of the address. Some directories have filters that will automatically decline these links. For example, http://www.mysite.com/ should be entered as http://www.mysite.com
The title should only include your business name, or the name of your website. Some directories allow additional text, such as your tag line – but if you plan to add additional information to the title, you should read the guidelines to that specific directory.
Do not use all capital letters, anywhere in your submission. Avoid capitalizing every word in a sentence.
Do not use fluff, or promotional language in your website description, or anywhere else in the submission. The description should be objective, and well-written (complete sentences, correct spelling, proper grammar, and punctuation). Using phrases such as “the best” or “the ultimate” is a sure-fire way to annoy editors.
If the directory allows you to add keywords to your submission, do not enter more than ten.

Additional Factors

Your site design should keep content organized.
A good load time helps.
Editors look down on a site that is difficult to read or navigate with broken links.
Affiliate sites, or even a site with quality content that has too many affiliate links could be declined.
Your website should be complete – not under construction.
Illegal content will most likely be declined.
Some directories do not accept links to porn and/or gambling.
Content should be unique.
Keep your content up-to-date.
Do not spam multiple submissions – once is enough.
Do not submit a url that redirects.

Link Building: Directory Submissions is a post from: i7o Media

The Ultimate Bookmark (For Online Entrepreneurs)

JABacchetta — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 05:34:05 +0000

NOTE (Read First): This list is still in the process of being updated and especially organized. Plenty more links to add, and plenty more to be done to improve navigation of these links. This list is for your benefit, as well as mine. Put simply, I got tired of having so many bookmarks for my business. Now, I have one.

Conquer The Web

Learning to conquer the web can actually be quite easy, as long as you have the tools and resources you need to do it. Many aspiring internet marketers have no clue where to begin – they subscribe to more than enough feeds, buy overpriced books, and spend more time on forums than they do on their actual business.

This is your solution – the ultimate bookmark. My goal was to create a portal. Here you’ll find a list of everything that I believe to be worthy of your time. I will continue to keep this list up-to-date, so all you need to do is bookmark it, and refer back to it whenever the need arises. Want to recommend a link? Contact me, and I’ll look it over. This list is in no way “complete.” The whole point of it being “The Ultimate Bookmark” is so that we can continue to update and add to it.

You love it – we understand. Tell your friends, link to us, comment, subscribe – all that good stuff.

Analytics

ClickTale – Watch mouse movements and clicks from visitors.

Crazy Egg – Heatmaps that allow you to see what’s hot on your site.

Google Analytics – A must have – learn more about where your visitors come from, and how they interact with your site.

Quantcast – Shows your audience reach and composition. Allows you to attract higher ad rates.

Directories

Alltop – Stay on top of what’s being said in your niche.

Best of the Web – The internet’s oldest directory.

BigBoards – Forum rankings and directory. Find out which forums are hot in your niche, and then join the community.

Blogged – Find out who your competitors are, and then make them your friends. Also see what other people think about your blog.

DMOZ – One of the hardest directories to get into, but many argue that it’s well worth the wait.

Yahoo! Directory – Expensive, but you know you want in.

Firefox Add-ons

Fireshot – Create screenshots of webpages.

PageSpeed – Improve the load time of your website.

SEO Book Toolbar – The one and only add-on you need for SEO.

ScribeFire – Full-featured blog editor.

ShareThis – Instantly share content from around the web through an array of social media and bookmarking sites.

Hosting

Host Gator – The host I recommend to people looking for shared hosting.

Liquid Web – The host I recommend to people looking for dedicated servers.

Who’s Hosting The Top Blogs – These web hosts are favorites among top bloggers.

Images

Big Stock Photo – Another excellent source to find images for your articles, or any other projects you might be working on.

Crestock – Creative stock images.

iStockphoto – My personal favorite. Probably the best selection of images, and they even have a free image of the week.

PicApp – An excellent way to get images for your articles (especially from recent events). It has it’s advantages and disadvantages (read up on it).

Legal

Copyscape – Search for copies of your page on the web. Make sure the content that your writers are producing is unique and original. Plagiarism and a bad reputation isn’t a good way to start a business.

Disclosure Policy Generator – Need a disclosure, but have no clue how to create one? Click a few buttons, and be done with it.

LegalZoom – Online legal document services – trademarks, patents, copyrights, etc.

Marketing

AWeber – Email marketing – newsletters, autoresponders, RSS to email.

BlogBurst – RSS-based blog syndication network for online media publishers

Blog Carnival – Submit your articles to a variety of blog carnivals for more exposure.

Entrecard – An excellent way for small bloggers to get started. Create a stream of traffic, get your name into the blogosphere, and make contacts.

MyAds – Advertise on MySpace.

PRWeb – Press release distribution.

Sphere – Connects your current articles to contextually relevant content from across the web.

Subvert and Profit – Black market for votes on social media sites. Use at your own risk.

TubeMogul – Distribute your videos to multiple sites.

Monetizing

OIOPublisher – Take control of your own advertising, and forget the middleman. Direct advertising doesn’t get any easier than this. Sell banners, text links, reviews, ebooks, or whatever else your heart desires. Even set up your own affiliate program.

Pluck On Demand – Adds contextually relevant content and social media to your site, earning you revenue, while increasing pageviews and user engagement.

Vibrant Media – In-text advertising.

Kontera – In-text ppc ads.

Infolinks – Linking text to revenue.

AdBrite – Internet’s ad marketplace

Networks

Other Excellent Resources

99designs – A designer marketplace. Crowd sourcing at it’s best.

AMember

Angelsoft – Tools for startups, VCs, and angel investors.

Brightcove

Business Models on the Web

Buy Text Links

Escrow

Widgetbox – Find and create web widgets.

Lulu – Self publishing (books, calendars, etc.)

Magpie – Ad network for Twitter.

Most Valuable Blogs

Elance – Hire experts.

Flippa – Buy/sell websites and domains.

Webmaster Central – Webmaster tools from Google.

Sphere – Connects your current articles to contextually relevant content from across the web.

Unfollow All

Kaltura Video Platform

Yume

IZEA – A few great web properties that come in handy.

Printing

UPrinting – Quality printing at great prices. Brochures, business cards, flyers, letterheads, etc.

Security

COMODO – Our recommended firewall

ESET NOD32 – Our recommended antivirus/spyware software

Social Networking

Facebook – Connect and share with friends, family, and contacts. Create a page for your business and build a fan base.

LinkedIn – Exchange information, ideas, and opportunities with other professionals.

Twitter – A simple way to communicate and stay connected with short updates. Possibly the easiest way to contact people who otherwise would have been unreachable.

Studies & Research

Design Study Of Big Blogs – Find out how many columns, which typeface, and even the fonts that big blogs are using.

Design Study of Big Blogs (Part 2) – Structure, advertisements, and functionality.

Search Engine Ranking Factors

Why Readers Unsubscribe – 34 reasons provided by readers.

Themes

Wordpress

Joomla

Tools

BrowserShots – Check browser compatibility.

CamStudio – Screen recording doesn’t get any easier than this. It’s as simple as pushing record, pause, stop. There’s also a few advanced features if you’re wanting to test your skills. Not as pro as Camtasia, but CamStudio is free, and it gets the job done.

Digsby – IM + Email + Social Networks. Get a notification when you get an email, add contacts from all of your IM accounts, twitter from your desktop, and read the feeds from your Facebook and LinkedIn accounts.

Gimp – Need to open psd files to edit layers? Want to enhance an image, or retouch a photo? Gimp can do just about everything that Photoshop can, and it won’t cost you anything.

Website Grader – Does a pretty good job at measuring the marketing effectiveness of your website.

bit.ly – Shorten, share, and track your links.

Zemanta – Suggests tags, links, photos, and related articles for enrichment of your blog posts.

Ultimate Guides/Lists

101 Techniques for Wordpress – Building a powerful CMS with WordPress.

404 Error Pages Examined – Some good advice and great examples.

Adsense Performance – An ultimate roundup.

Advertise Yourself – 30+ ways to do it.

Affiliate Marketing Guide – A crap load of affiliate marketing tools, articles, and experiments.

Blogger’s Glossary – Definitions for new bloggers.

Building Links – 101 Tips and strategies.

Collection of Wordpress – Tutorials, tips, and themes.

Everything Twitter – Learn the basics of starting a twitter account and attracting followers. Then discover the different twitter apps, and plugins that are out there.

FaceBook Fan Page – How to set up and promote one.

Headline Formulas – 102 of them.

IAB Ad Unit Guidelines – Follow these guidelines when placing advertisements on your site, especially if you’re not large enough yet to seek out direct advertisers.

Internet Marketing Blog Rankings – The who’s who of internet marketing.

Internet Marketing Handbook – The best tools and resources needed to master internet marketing.

Iphone Apps for Business – A list of 21 apps that will help you run your business.

Link Building – 69 solid tactics.

Link Worthy – 11 ways to increase your chances of being linked to by a blogger.

Make Money Blogging – A list of different ways to make money from your blog.

Multi-Author Blogs – 35 tips to manage them.

Press Release – 20+ Free Distribution Sites.

Web Apps For Freelancers – 100 of them.

Web Hosting – Everything you need to know before deciding on a web host.

WordPress Expert – 300+ Resources to get you started.

WordPress Hacks – 40 of them.