Cape Cod SEO

Is Twitter Making You a Lazy Blogger?

Derek Edmond — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 01:48:48 +0000

Apparently, I was a week behind with feeds in my RSS reader but did manage to read Lyndon Antcliff’s post on why he won’t tweet Rand Fishkin. If you’re suffering from writers block yet spending too much time on Twitter, perhaps you should read it as well.

It’s pretty obvious looking through this blog’s archives that I have not written much in 2009. While Twitter is not the only reason for the lack of posts it certainly is a contributing reason.

A 140 character update can seem so much more convenient than writing even a short blog post.

That fact is that while finding and distribute interesting information (via Twitter) certainly has value, so might providing additional perspective on the topics important to your business (via your blog).

Wasn’t that one reason to begin blogging in the first place?

Lyndon’s post sums it up perfectly (and effectively), with reasons from both the SEO and overall online marketing perspective. I hope that it helps your blogging strategy going forward.

Updating Search Engine Friendly Links with WordPress

Derek Edmond — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 01:56:28 +0000

Last week, Melanie Phung pointed me to an interesting post (via Twitter) by Robert Rolfe on how SEO’s are giving the wrong advice when creating search engine friendly links with WordPress.

I’ve historically recommended using a custom permalink structure which includes only the /%postname%/ element. This eliminates the date-based folder hierarchy while still enabling the creation of a keyword-friendly web address.

Rolfe indicates (and this can be supported in WordPress documentation) that using text based variables to begin the permalink structure negatively impacts speed and performance. WordPress “must distinguish page URL’s from post URL’s” and stores this extra information in its database.

According to WordPress Documentation
…it is best to start your permalink structure with a numeric field, such as the year or post ID.

Personally, I have not experienced performance issues using only the /%postname%/ element for permalinks on any of the blogs I run or manage. I find a shorter URL more appealing and (in my opinion) it helps mitigate the potential issue of a long URL breaking due to a line break in email or getting mistyped when referenced.

I also had avoided using a date-based structure because I block archives from being indexed in search engines. Before Joost de Valk developed the Meta Robots plugin, it was a bit more challenging to do this (especially when using date-based permalink structure).

That said, I did find Rolfe’s information of interest and it is an easy adjustment to start using the post ID to begin WordPress permalinks going forward. I’ll make a slight modification to my original post and will be recommending using /%post_id%/%postname%/ as a custom permalink structure from here on out.

Experimenting with Google Friend Connect

Derek Edmond — Sun, 07 Jun 2009 21:57:07 +0000

I’ve started paying attention to Google’s initiatives with the Social Web, particularly Google Friend Connect and the development of Google profile-related initiatives. Here’s a video that explains Friend Connect:

Social Networking and Google
Social networking was up 83% year over year in April 2009. Facebook alone commanded 13.9 billion minutes of our attention, up 700% from a year ago. It’s clear that social networking is a threat to Google online dominance. After all, Google’s primary revenue is through advertisements, which require users to stay on Google web properties. If users’ attention is somewhere else…

Enter Google Friend Connect
Simply speaking, Friend Connect allows site owners to give their visitors the opportunity for a greater degree of interaction (on the site), particularly for those who cannot afford or develop interactive capabilities. There is also a developer API for those with the requisite skills.

At the basic level, users can become “members” of a particular site or “community”. Additional applications (Google Gadgets) are being developed for comments, recommendations, ratings and more. You don’t necessarily need a Google profile to get involved, since Google Friend Connect works with a variety of services, including Yahoo, Twitter, AOL, orkut, and Plaxo.

My opinion is that as (or if) more sites adopt these types of programs, it provides the search engine with a greater understanding of how users value content and information, beyond traditional analytics and search behavior.

So if you are interested…
I’ve added the Friend Connect members gadget to Cape Cod SEO and I’ve love to gain your membership. There’s no strings attached (from Cape Cod SEO at least) and I’m not here to pitch, promote or sell anyone anything by joining with this application.

Joining the Cape Cod SEO community through Google Friend Connect is easy. Simply click the “Join This Site” icon in the left-hand navigation bar and sign in with your preferred service. As indicated above, you don’t even need a Google account to register.

I appreciate your participation and if you do join up and we meet at a conference or event in the future, let me know. The first drink will certainly be on my tab

Digg Broke Up With Me Last Week, But Now We’re Working Things Out

Derek Edmond — Fri, 22 May 2009 02:03:20 +0000

A few weeks ago, I was enjoying a nice relationship with Digg, hitting the front page (FP) with over half of my submissions (less than 1% of all submissions hit the Digg FP*). Things were going great.

Then, last week, the relationship seemed to abruptly end. My next eight submissions failed to make the FP. For a few of those, I wasn’t even close.

What was I doing wrong?

It takes significant time and commitment to have a consistent chance of hitting the Digg FP. When I first started submitting, it took six attempts before I had success. Twenty submissions later I hit the front page for the second time. In between then and now I’ve dugg thousands of submissions, to gain a sense of the type of content that resonates well and to network with the right Digg users.

Fast forward to this month: I felt that my contributions were valuable and the content was of high enough quality. It didn’t seem like my submissions were overly dependent on votes from my network or that I was shouting incessantly.

Nevertheless, I was not making headway.

Instead of getting frustrated or giving up, I took a couple days to reassess. I reviewed the material I was submitting and the categories I like to stay active in, to see what type of submissions were working for others. I talked to people in my network to get their opinions and advice.

Finally, I worked harder to find (potentially interesting) information, adding new feeds to my RSS reader and setting a schedule to recheck for RSS items on regular intervals. I also made sure to stay active, commenting and voting on the submissions made by friends in my Digg network and reaching out to new Diggers.

Bottom-line, I wasn’t going to give up or stop working on something I had success with.

New Results
Digg gave our “relationship” another chance this week and I’ve hit the Digg FP with 3 out of my last 7 submissions. However, things change and new challenges - directly and indirectly related with Digg - are certain to impact my success sooner than later.

In addition, there are certainly ways to improve and develop an even more productive strategy. As an example, I always feel like my submission titles (important to successful submissions) continue to need work. While I try not to rely on shouts, I use them. It will be interesting to see how things change once Digg takes this function away.

So What is the Point?
I use Digg as the example but any dedicated online marketing initiative will face challenges and periods with limited (or no) success. It’s pretty easy to give up when things are not working. It could also be tempting to take unnecessary risks that could potentially incur “a penalty” or damage reputation.

Successful, ongoing strategies are a lot like relationships. They require hard work, an ongoing commitment, and the understanding that sometimes one needs to try harder or get a bit more creative. Perseverance can pay off, but it takes time and energy to get there.

*Reference: Pronet Advertising

List of Sites Preventing DiggBar with a Framebuster

Derek Edmond — Sat, 11 Apr 2009 21:51:29 +0000

As an active Digg user, I’ve been paying attention to the discussion around the new DiggBar and it’s pros and cons (see the bottom of this post for articles of reference). I find that DiggBar makes voting on Digg submissions more convenient, but I certainly understand some of the arguments against it.

Since I’ve been using the DiggBar regularly for the past week or so, when a site is using Framebuster or Frame Killer code to disable it, it sometimes can throw me off (particularly if I closed the browser window with the original Digg submission).

A List of Sites Preventing DiggBar with a Framebuster
Here’s a list of sites I’ve compiled that use framebuster code of some sort. I am sure the list is far from complete so if your site uses this type of code as well, feel free to contact me via comment or Twitter and I’ll add your domain to the list.

Here’s Wikipedia’s entry on how to apply framebuster code to your site:

The typical source code for a framekiller script is:

A variation that lets the user know why they are being redirected with the use of a pop-up alert is:

Additional resources regarding Framebuster Code

Webmaster World Discussion (from October 2000)
Frame Buster Plugin For WordPress (I have not used this so I cannot attest to it’s effectiveness)

Various discussions related to DiggBar

7 Simple Ways to Customize a WordPress Blog for SEO

Derek Edmond — Sat, 31 Jan 2009 19:03:33 +0000

WordPress is a fantastic resource for the small businesses needing easy-to-use, free software for running a blog or small website. Most would agree that “out-of-the-box”, WordPress is easy to install, configure and design to fit one’s business needs.

Business owners should note that the WordPress default configuration does lack certain best practices of basic SEO.

In this post I’ve outlined seven challenges all website owners face with search engine optimization. For each one, I’ll outline how WordPress users can overcome these challenges with WordPress plugins, administrative settings and some basic customization.

The Creation of Unique HTML Titles
Its generally believed that the HTML title tag is the most impactful element of an HTML page as it relates to SEO. Under the default configuration, the HTML title in WordPress may be rendered using post titles, category names and general settings, depending on the file type.

While that means post titles and categories should certainly be keyword relevant, installing the All in One SEO Plugin allows webmasters full control of their HTML Titles.

The All in One SEO Plugin’s general settings allow webmasters to easily create a unique HTML title for the home page and logic for creating more specific HTML category and archive titles as well.

When creating new posts or pages, the plugin adds a special section in the administrative panel for adding unique HTML Titles and also META descriptions and keywords.

Prevention of Duplicate Content
If you are not using the “the_excerpt()” function in WordPress, a blog post will be replicated identically on the home page, category and archive pages and search query pages.

Content found in multiple locations may impact a search engine’s ability to rank a particular post for a keyword strategy. You want searchers to find the individual post and duplicate content makes it less clear which web address should be presented in search results.

A solution is to block search engines from indexing category, archive and search-based pages of your blog yet still make sure the search engine follows the links to the individual posts. Search engines will better understand that individual posts are meant to rank for a particular keyword strategy. Joost de Valk’s Robots Meta plugin allows you to do this.

The Robots Meta plugin provides an easy to use checklist of options for preventing search engines from indexing certain sections as well as “nofollow’ing” specific links and locations.

Note on the plugin: More advanced users can create unique content for categories and archives. If that’s the case, there may be less need to prevent a search engine from indexing these sections. Obviously the home page cannot be blocked from indexing and the last tip is specific to making this page unique.

Search Engine Friendly & Keyword-Specific Web Addresses
The optimal SEO friendly URL has a static, directory-based structure, with less than four apparent sub-directories. Having a keyword-specific URL structure is advantageous because when keywords are bolded in search results when they match the search engine query.

WordPress’ default permalink syntax is query based (domain.com/?p=123). Fortunately, this can be modified easily in the admin panel under “Settings –> Permalinks” to replicate a static, folder-based structure.

NOTE - UPDATED 6/14/2009
I recommend using a custom permalink structure which includes only the /%post_id%/%postname%/. This eliminates an unnecessary date-based folder hierarchy while still using a numeric ID as recommended by WordPress. I’ve updated this recommendation based on learned information discussed here.

When writing new posts, make sure to customize your permalink structure per post, to reflect the applicable keyword strategy. Trim permalinks that are extremely long as well. Shorter web addresses are easier to copy and help minimize the risk of an error in typing them.

Notify Google of Your Updates
Google can index blog posts in less than an hour. Posts are first visible in Google Blog Search but are quickly integrated into traditional search results. While it is simple enough to submit your blog to Google, WordPress also has the capability to automatically notify the various blog search engines that new posts have been created.

In the admin panel, under “Settings –> Writing” (bottom of the page under, “Update Services”), blog owners can input the desired search engines they wish to notify. Every time a new post is published, Google will be notified of your updates automatically.

Google’s specific ping URL is http://blogsearch.google.com/ping/RPC2 but I notify the following services as well (simply copy and paste if you’d like to notify the same services):

http://blogsearch.google.com/ping/RPC2
http://rpc.pingomatic.com/
http://www.a2b.cc/setloc/bp.a2b
http://api.feedster.com/ping
http://api.my.yahoo.com/RPC2
http://www.blogdigger.com/RPC2
http://www.blogshares.com/rpc.php
http://www.blogsnow.com/ping
http://www.blogstreet.com/xrbin/xmlrpc.cgi
http://coreblog.org/ping/
http://ping.blo.gs/
http://ping.feedburner.com
http://ping.syndic8.com/xmlrpc.php
http://ping.weblogalot.com/rpc.php
http://www.popdex.com/addsite.php
http://rpc.blogrolling.com/pinger/
http://rpc.technorati.com/rpc/ping
http://rpc.weblogs.com/RPC2
http://topicexchange.com/RPC2
http://xping.pubsub.com/ping/
http://api.moreover.com/ping
http://rpc.icerocket.com:10080/

Internal Link Architecture - Cross-Links to Related Posts
Cross-linking into related content enables search engines to crawl more of your blog’s material, particularly posts that are older and deeper in the archive.

This can be especially important when cross-linking a very popular post (which ranks well in search engines) to other posts which may not have done as well (but you want them to rank in search). SEO value between web pages can be potentially transferred through proper internal link architecture (cross-linking)

I had used the “Yet Another Related Post” plugin, but found I was not always agreement in the “related posts” the plugin would suggest. As a result, I will often add cross-links (when relevant) within context or simply add “Related Posts” to the bottom a new post.

Important Note: If you’re concerned with the impact of these links with the initial readership, there’s no rule against adding cross-links after a post has done well in social media outlets or gained inbound links needed.

Remember, don’t overdo it. A few relevant cross-links are fine; a few dozen are overkill.

Integration of a Blog Sitemap
An end-user sitemap will enable search engines to quickly crawl and index the important pages and posts of your website. Dagon Design’s Sitemap Generator provides a customizable solution for this.

Once installed, the plugin provides an easy-to-use interface for configuring your sitemap.

Unique Content Differentiating the Home Page
As indicated above; duplicate content is an issue when search engines need to determine the right web address to show in search results. Since the home page is usually your most valuable asset on a blog, you cannot “noindex” it, but you should still make it as unique as possible to differentiate it from individual posts.

This requires two customizations:

1.) Use post excerpts in lieu of the full post with the Post Teaser plugin.

I recommend the Post Teaser plugin because it requires less customization of the main design and knowledge of PHP. The plugin replaces a need to use WordPress the_excerpt() function (which shows a snippet of each blog post) and can be configured to display a “read more” message of your choice.

I also favor the plugin because it creates a clean link to the individual post, instead of an unnecessary anchor link when a reader clicks to “read more”.

2.) Create unique content for the home page exclusively.

This can be done by editing the theme design (”Appearance –> Editor –> Main Index Template”). If you want content to only appear on the home page, wrap the desired content with the following PHP: Content

Easy to create content for a home page may include an introductory paragraph, blogroll or specific navigational elements.

What Do You Think?
I chose these 7 opportunities because they are relatively easy to integrate and important to an SEO strategy. There are certainly additional capabilities and WordPress plugins which also are valuable, beyond SEO and for a more complete online marketing strategy. I would love to hear your success stories and recommendations.

Related Posts of Interest

Joost de Valk comprehensive PPT on WordPress Optimization Strategies
How to Create Search Engine Friendly Websites

Do You Have What it Takes to Make the Digg Home Page?

Derek Edmond — Sat, 10 Jan 2009 17:03:48 +0000

Approximately every 10 minutes, a new article makes the Digg home page (front page or Digg FP). In the highest traffic hours, more than 10 new articles are submitted to Digg every minute. How will your submissions stand out from the rest?

The average Digg submission is lucky to receive a handful of votes. It often can have nothing to do with the quality of content; it’s that the user does not have enough reach to get people to notice. With hundreds of submissions per hour, you can be certain that good material falls through the cracks.

If Digg (and other social news sites) is part of an online marketing strategy, being an active participant in the community is just as important as submitted quality content. To help illustrate the point. here is a snapshot of 13 Digg user profiles who’s content was found on the Digg FP very recently.

Talha Dar (talhaasifdar)
A 21 year-old male who joined Digg on November 23rd, 2008

Activity & Network:

Articles Dugg: 3,515
Comments Made: 25
Submissions: 31
Submissions Made Popular: 9 (29% Popular Ratio)
176 friends & 295 fans

Scott McIntyre (ScottMcIntyre)
A guy from Scotland, UK (UK) who joined Digg on July 4th, 2008

Activity & Network:

Articles Dugg: 36,544
Comments Made: 1,893
Submissions: 762
Submissions Made Popular: 270 (35% Popular Ratio)
152 friends & 2,711 fans

bamafun (bamafun)
A female who joined Digg on May 24th, 2007

Activity & Network:

Articles Dugg: 96,325
Comments Made: 1,474
Submissions: 1,388
Submissions Made Popular: 278 (20% Popular Ratio)
407 friends & 5,752 fans

XDVX (xdvx)
A 19 year-old male from Lithuania who joined Digg on November 28th, 2006

Activity & Network:

Articles Dugg: 41,575
Comments Made: 403
Submissions: 440
Submissions Made Popular: 78 (17% Popular Ratio)
468 friends & 2,416 fans

Shiner76 (Shiner76)
A person from Massachusetts (US) who joined Digg on January 29th, 2008

Activity & Network:

Articles Dugg: 13,188
Comments Made: 121
Submissions: 54
Submissions Made Popular: 8 (15% Popular Ratio)
201 friends & 946 fans

Surferess (Surferess)
A female from California (US) who joined Digg on April 17th, 2007

Activity & Network:

Articles Dugg: 44,371
Comments Made: 2,790
Submissions: 316
Submissions Made Popular: 86 (27% Popular Ratio)
128 friends & 3,087 fans

Ronbry (Ronbry)
A male from the United States who joined Digg on February 11th, 2007

Activity & Network:

Articles Dugg: 5,205
Comments Made: 0
Submissions: 568
Submissions Made Popular: 54 (10% Popular Ratio)

Network:

Ronbry hasn’t added any friends (unknown number of fans)

Louie Baur (louiebaur)
A dude from Southern California (US) who joined Digg on December 23rd, 2007

Activity & Network:

Articles Dugg: 50,534
Comments Made: 3,627
Submissions: 1,377
Submissions Made Popular: 466 (34% Popular Ratio)
231 friends & 4,383 fans

neorocker (virgintech)
A 22 year-old male from India (IN) who joined Digg on November 6th, 2008

Activity & Network:

Articles Dugg: 10,291
Comments Made: 260
Submissions: 68
Submissions Made Popular: 13 (19% Popular Ratio)
256 friends & 571 fans

tbhurst (tbhurst)
A 36 year-old male from Colorado, USA (US) who joined Digg on August 2nd, 2007

Activity & Network:

Articles Dugg: 26,101
Comments Made: 494
Submissions: 255
Submissions Made Popular: 103 (40% Popular Ratio)
212 tbhurst & 2,851 fans

Mr. Baby Man (MrBabyMan)
A gentleman who joined Digg on December 27th, 2005

Activity & Network:

Articles Dugg: 123,466
Comments Made: 2,161
Submissions: 11,780
Submissions Made Popular: 3,278 (28% Popular Ratio)
242 friends & 14,021 fans

Griny (Griny)
A gentleman from Manchester (UK) who joined Digg on February 27th, 2008

Activity & Network:

Articles Dugg: 36,106
Comments Made: 176
Submissions: 243
Submissions Made Popular: 101 (42% Popular Ratio)
168 friends & 2,044 fans

SirPopper (SirPopper)
A 37 year-old gentleman from Stuttgart (DE) who joined Digg on April 3rd, 2008

Activity & Network:

Articles Dugg: 72,075
Comments Made: 475
Submissions: 6,025
Submissions Made Popular: 676 (11% Popular Ratio)
335 friends & 4,466 fans

What Do These Diggers Have in Common?
Here are some of the key takeaways and observations of this exercise:

All of these users are incredibly active, with no less than 3,000 articles dugg per user.
The ratio between articles dugg and articles submitted is at least 10:1, and often much greater. I.E., you need to digg more than just the articles you submit.
While comments may impact individual submissions, it does not appear that most of these users are overly active with their comments (similar ratio’s to overall digg activity). Takeaway: Don’t comment for the sake of commenting; comment because you really have something of value to say.
Age of profile plays only a limited role in this sample set. 2 of these users have profiles less than 6 months old and SirPopper has 600+ popular stories in less than 12 months of contributions.
Only 1 of 13 does not have an active friend network greater than 100 with a considerably larger “follower” base. Also, because Ronbry does not have a friend network, it’s unclear if that user may have additional Digg followers as well.
No one listed has a 100% success ratio and most fall under 30%. That means that for every visible success, these users are contributing 2 or more other submissions which do not make the Digg home page. Takeaway: Don’t get discouraged if it takes time and more than a few submissions for others to notice your contributions.

Tips for Being a More Active Digg User

Focus on Digg categories you enjoy most, or are part of your business strategy. Network with other users you see are active in those categories.
Maintain active participation in the “Upcoming” sections of Digg categories
Make use the Digg Recommendation Engine to find submissions and users who share your interests.
Use an RSS reader to aggregate the type of content that does well on Digg.
Use an RSS reader to follow the activity of Digg users who submit material you enjoy.
Make sure to add a complete Bio (and avatar) and include links to locations other Digg users can contact you or learn more about your interests.
If you don’t enjoy the community, you’re much less likely to have success

Conclusions
Participation is the key to most social media communities and Digg is no different. Contribution, quality and networking are all components of building a productive Digg profile, designed to gain an impact with Digg submissions. Remember, less than 1% of Digg submissions make the Digg home page. You face an uphill battle from the start.

In a similar way that Google penalized webmaster’s who abused the system, Digg has become more aggressive in removing the profiles of those taking taking advantage of the system or using shortcuts to automate activity. The point being: if you figure out how to cheat, Digg will eventually catch on and ban you (maybe for good).

There are many who would say Digg is just a popularity contest. This post does not refute that point and if anything, shows that having a network of Digg friends makes it much more likely you’ll have success.

However, I have noticed that in most cases, more than 50% of the votes must come from outside of a users network to get a submission to the Digg home page. It also takes at least 60 digg’s (more so for more active users and competitive categories). That means that as important as your network is, the quality of your submission still must resonate across the overall community.

I hope you find this information valuable and welcome questions, discussion and opinion in the comment section below.

Other Helpful Digg-Related Resources

Cape Cod Twitterers: 70+ Twitter Profiles on Cape Cod

Derek Edmond — Sat, 03 Jan 2009 14:10:21 +0000

With millions of users and over 3 million visits per month (according to Compete.com), Twitter has rapidly grown from a niche service into a mainstream online application for communication, branding and networking.

70+ Twitter Profiles on Cape Cod & The Islands
In the spirit of recently published Twitter user lists including everything from prominent members & brands to online marketers and even home builders, here is a list of Twitter profiles in and around Cape Cod and the Islands.

I’m sure this list is not comprehensive, so if you or someone you know is missing, please feel free to add them via comments below, @reply me through Twitter or simply send a message. I hope you find the list valuable and are able to connect with some interesting people!.

Twitter Profiles on Cape Cod (organized alphabetically by profile name)

action4ifaw (action4ifaw)
Bio: Helping to create a better world for animals and people
amandablum (Amandablum)
Bio: The Suck Stops Here PR, Marketing & Design for Small Businesses & Non Profits
AskCarrieLee (AskCarrieLee)
Bio: Internet geek, Tweet Twit, Youtube Partner, Vlogger, Blogger, Daily commuter to ACK. Let’s be buds.
@bar (atbar)
Bio: Read, Listen to our writings and ramblings about tech and business
babyonthego (babyonthego)
Bio: Mom, Baby Gear, Knitting, Work Full Time
Angela Tanner (baublegarden)
Bio: I am a landscape architect and the owner of a small crafts business
bethdunn (bethdunn)
Bio: Specialist in the social media & branding adventures of cultural organizations & other nonprofits. Simmons MBA ‘09.
bobstaake (bobstaake)
Bio: I’m and illustrator, a writer and a baker of chocolate chip cookies
bs2sense (bs2sense)
Bio:
Andrew Newman (CapeCard)
Bio: designer, illustrator, photographer, tubist, trombonist, shellfisherman
Linda Stranger (capecodjewel)
Bio: I’m a wife, mom, foster parent, lunatic, Synergy WorldWide distributor, Zrii IE, The Sample Bag Ma Manager and cat lover.
CapeCodRealtor (CapeCodRealtor)
Bio:
Cape Cod Times (capecodtimes)
Bio: News updates from Cape Cod Times/Cape Cod Online, the one-stop source for everything Cape Cod
Chad28 (Chad28)
Bio: PSN - robitrock (inside joke, lol)
Eileen Foster (ChilmarkD)
Bio: Accessible Web Development, Deaf/HI, documentary films, tiny cottage, two kids, and a Sweet Guy.
Chris Obrien (chrisobs13)
Bio: Design + Graphics Studio
jessica (coollibrarian)
Bio: Cool Librarian
curiositykeeper (curiositykeeper)
Bio: special collections librarian, mom, concerned eater
David Churbuck (dchurbuck)
Bio: VP Web Marketing, Lenovo
Derek Edmond (dedmond29)
Bio: Director of SEM at KoMarketing Associates. I write at KoMarketing and Cape Cod SEO. Feel free to connect and say hello anytime!
Dave Fravel (dfravel)
Bio: Husband and Father living on the Cape, running marathons and developing software for a living
digitalteacup (digitalteacup)
Bio: http://www.digitalteacup.com
DineArdeo (DineArdeo)
Bio: Mediterranean Taverna - dine in, take out, catering
dschn (dschn)
Bio: Web Developer
dvsjr (dvsjr)
Bio: Mild mannered IT director for a great metropolitan design firm. Former Mac Genius, settling into role of village idiot. Lives on Cape Cod. Works in Cambridge.
Elizabeth Dunn (elibates)
Bio: Technology advocate for arts nonprofits and artists.
Emily Blodgett (emilyblodgett)
Bio: so what if i’m a sinner?
Drake P (fafnir)
Bio: Guerrilla Haiku Enthusiast Seeks Attention
falmouthdesign (falmouthdesign)
Bio: freelance web developer
Loretta Feeney (fenwayart)
Bio: artist, writer,Red Sox fan
Monte Ladner (FitnessRocks)
Bio: Host of the Fitness Rocks Podcast - www.fitnessrocks.org
Peter Cohen (flargh)
Bio: Senior editor, Macworld. News writer, resident game guy. Curmudgeon. Cape Codder, father of three, anime fan.
Leslie Fishlock (Genevangelist)
Bio: Ruby on Rails Development Firm, Internet Marketing Evangelist, Marketing Diva and all around good person
Chris Corriveau (Genevate)
Bio: Ruby on Rails Code Monkey. DesignFTP creator
gmsheehan (gmsheehan)
Bio: CEO Cape Medical Supply, MBA, committed community leader, husband, father, athlete, survivor, fundraiser
Grant Sanders (GrantSanders)
Bio: Born, grew up, sort of, not dead yet.
Jack Daniel (jack_daniel)
Bio: Sporadic blogger, Tech Community Activist, InfoSec Curmudgeon, Amateur Blacksmith, and stuff.
Jean Claude Bouvier (jcbouvier)
Bio: American Mutt.
Jim Hill (jimhill)
Bio: Designer/Writer/Mojovator
John Melanson (JohnMelanson)
Bio: Check out the site to really find out who I am.
Karen Billard (KarenBillard)
Bio: Designer - costumes, beadwork, web sites
Kathy Schrock (kathyschrock)
Bio: District Tech Administrator, DEN Star, Adobe Ed Leader, Google Certifed Teacher, & Webqueen
lcarrillo (lcarillo)
Bio: Research Director following tech & organization trends/strategies, personal trainer in spare time
lisajorudy (lisajorudy)
Bio: write! Find my autism writing at www.autism.about.com, my homeschool blog at http://www.examiner.com/x-2007-Homeschooling-Examiner.
lizajuse (lizajuse)
Bio: Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment.
Mark Palmer (ManFmNantucket)
Bio: gruvr founder,neighborring.org,SEO,MySQL,geo-web,startups,finance -ORIGINAL ManFromNantucket on web
MaryRichmond (maryrichmond)
Bio: Free lance artist, writer and naturalist lucky enough to be self supporting by mixing it all up.
milocaruso (milocaruso)
Bio: Artist & Geek Rolled Into One
MustBeBenHughes (MustBeBenHughes)
Bio: Accomplished Graphic Designer, Musician, Dancer, Tech Enthusiast, Vlogger, Podcaster and Twitter-addict galore.
Nantucket Artist (Nantucket_Art)
Bio: News and blogging from the Art Community of Nantucket Island
Nantucket Island (nantucketisland)
Bio: Salty, Whaling, History! Ask us questions or make recommendation here @nantucketisland.
Andrew Newman (NewmanDesign)
Bio: I’m a really good designer.
jessica melgey (overyonder)
Bio: less-than-famous grad student who studies fish and loves an endearingly-troubled mutt.
Dave Caolo (panache)
Bio: Blogger. Consultant. Tech maven. Say “Hi!” — http://tinyurl.com/a8lzcr
Patty Gray (pattygray)
Bio: ‘ve been a writer, editor, PR exec, fundraiser, interior designer, artist, internet entrepreneur, and, now, twitterer. Alice Cosmetics is my baby.
Sean (pilotage)
Bio: Living, thinking, sweating, succeeding
raddji (raddji)
Bio:
refreshcapecod (refreshcapecod)
Bio: We are Promoting Design, Technology, Usability, and Web Standards on Cape Cod
Chris Gillis (saltlinestudio)
Bio: I love design • Live on Cape Cod • Love Cape Cod • Work in UI/CSS/XHTML
Cindy Coy (Saucygrrl)
Bio: Presentation designer, Twitter addict, lover of Indie Pop, and accomplished baker.
Stacey Hedman (sdhedman)
Bio: Experience marketing strategist at George P. Johnson. Biker, hiker, runner, photographer, sewer and dog-lover.
Seaside Designs (seasidedesigns)
Bio: Hi there! I create coastal home accents, seaside stationery and sea-themed soaps out of my studio on Cape Cod. my blog: www.seaside-designs.blogspot.com
Sergio Balegno (SergioB)
Bio: MarketingSherpa, Senior Analyst for Email Marketing and Social Media Marketing/PR
Sharon Van Lieu (SharonVanLieu)
Bio: http://www.acksite.com My husband, Dirck, and I are landscape and architecture photographers living on Nantucket year-round. www.flickr.com/ph
spires1776 (spires1776)
Bio: designer, composer, agorist, rothbardian, ninja gaiden fanboy, chiptune love, NES player
Sean Polay (spolay)
Bio: Husband of 1, father of 3 and back in the saddle developing audiences for Ottaway Newspapers. When I grow up, I hope to be a guru.
Marcia McLean (thecapecoder)
Bio: Software developer, User Group leader, Libertarian, STEM Advisory Board member, .NETizen; “Rough seas make skillful sailors.”
Tim Merrill (timeril)
Bio: Principal at Wonderwheel: a web, print & ID design firm. ? = daddydom, design, Boston, indiepop, Drupal, the great outdoors, geekery and general silliness.
TOMKNN (TOMKNN)
Bio: COME CHECK ME OUT ON YOUTUBE: TOMKNN
Velma Smeddling (Velma)
Bio: Not my real name.
Pat Morley (webnut1)
Bio: I’m a Web designer and Graphic designer.
WLCapeCod (WLCapeCod)
Bio: WickedLocalCapeCod.com is the regional web site for The Cape Codder, The Register, The Provincetown Banner, Harwich Oracle, Bourne Courier, Falmouth Bulletin, a
YACK ON (YACKon)
Bio: The Nantucket Online Community.
melissa averinos (yummygoods)
Bio: I’m a fabric designer and shopowner, yoga -lover, color fiend, good listener, cape codder, lover of strawberry -rhubarb pie.

Additional Twitter Resources & Information
If you’re completely new to Twitter, I suggest reading Caroline Middlebrook’s Big Juicy Twitter Guide or Buzz Blogger’s Comprehensive Twitter Guide to learn more about Twitter, it’s uses, tools & techniques. And if you enjoy this post and Twitter as much as I do, I hope you follow me and say “Hello!” sometime soon :-).

Here are a few other resources for using Twitter and finding people in and around Cape Cod & the Islands:

Twitter Tools for Community and Communications Professionals
Twitter Grader’s Twitter Elite in Cape Cod, MA
Cape Cod Networking - What Cape Cod is doing now (inspired by Twistori). Genevate’s tool aggregates Twitter feeds from profile locations within a 50 mile radius of Cape Cod

Related Posts

The Time May Be Running Out on Your SEO Strategy

Derek Edmond — Sun, 16 Nov 2008 21:46:31 +0000

The one competitive SEO advantage small business owners still have is speed.

The small business owner should take heed of Weip.net’s recent post, The Day All Large Companies “Got It”. There are distinct advantages that larger companies have only begun to realize when it pertains to a search engine optimization strategy.

Just like the retail giants Wal-Mart, Blockbuster or the Home Depot moved into a community and force small storefronts to closed their doors, the same may happen to the keyword strategies the online business holds, when big business makes online marketing (not just SEO) a priority.

Some of the general advantages big businesses have:

Larger spending budgets
A larger workforce or ability to hire a workforce
Greater ability to hire specialists or raw talent
Already developed traditional marketing channels

These often translate to specific SEO advantages such as:

Creation of links through sponsorships, public relations and mainstream news coverage
Greater capacity for content creation and web development
Domain strength and access to additional domains and/or website properties
Budget to attend conferences, network with professionals and reach out to other SEO professionals for advice or even contract work

Where does this leave the small business owner?
The major disadvantage big business will face is in the layers of management and decision making processes. Whereas the small business owner can simply act, a larger company has more stakeholders to account for. Decision making on technology, channel development and communication is usually slower, with more management involved and analysis required.

Small business owners need to think about their major strategic advantages.

Faster decision making ability
Greater flexibility for adapting to an ever changing technological environment
Immediate communication without restriction - online and offline

In general, speed of action is how the small business will maintain their competitive advantage in their search engine optimization strategy.

The Final Factor to Consider
The final, most important variable that must be considered and favors big business is time. Time is running out on those that fail to make the decision or act on the strategies in front of them.

The longer you delay in crafting your SEO strategy - building content, building links, participating in the online communities your customers are a part of - the greater the chance your competitors will find and act instead. SEO is challenging enough without big business making it a priority; what will happen to your SEO strategy when they actually do?

For more detail, opinion and recommendations on how small businesses can still take advantage of their opportunities in search, make sure to check out two posts related to this discussion.

The Advantages Of Being Small - SEOBook
Why Being Small Can Be Better - Weip.net

9 Free Resources for Learning Search Engine Optimization

Derek Edmond — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 13:22:04 +0000

There’s no shortage of resources for learning about SEO. From books to blogs to conferences to articles, the list is endless. The challenge for business owners new to SEO is where to go and what to read first.

While I personally would advocate an understanding of the fundamentals of web design, development and search engine optimization first, the question then becomes “where to go next?”.

The Answer: Forum Communities
Online forums are some of the best free resources for information, discussion and communication on strategies and techniques website owners used for SEO, SEM, website marketing and other important skills.

Here are 9 online forum communities I would recommend checking out:

Search Engine Forums - The first SEO community I was regularly active in.
High Rankings Forums - I know Jill Whalen invests a lot of time making sure this forum is successful.
Cre8asite Forums - A very friendly community with a wide range of topics and expertise; lots of good contributors
Forums at Search Engine Watch
SEO Chat Forums
Webmaster World - Probably the most widely known as a forum covering all aspects of website management and online business.
Digital Point Forums
SitePoint Forums - I personally feel beginners would the topics a bit more advanced, but I’m not active in this community enough to make a solid judgment.
Forums on Search Engine Journal - I’ve never subscribed or contributed in these forums, but as you continue reading, you’ll understand why I would recommend them.

Why Forum Communities?
Blogs and articles in industry publications tend to dominate search results for those not entrenched in the SEO community but looking for relevant information. While there’s nothing wrong with these resources (and many are quite good), here are a some reasons why forum communities provide a solid alternative for research.

There’s a greater opportunity for 2-way communication. Blog comments provide some communication but rarely are used to tackle additional issues or delve into specific circumstances.
You’ll get multiple opinions and perspectives. Even though there are multiple author blogs, it’s only in a comments section where more than one person contributes (directly).
There’s a wider range of discussions happening all the time, across multiple topics. While most search blogs do cover a range of information, the coverage is based on what the blog author wants to write about, whereas forums can offer a discussion on any topic at any point in time.

As with any resource, make an attempt to understand the perspectives of those in a discussion to determine how appropriate it is for your situation.

How to get the most out of forum communities
There’s nothing wrong with using forum communities only as a place to research information, but you’ll get more value by participating and contributing knowledge. Here’s a few suggestions on how to get started:

Read the forum community guidelines and terms of use first so you understand what is and is not acceptable.
Read through some of the messages to get a feel for the community and communication style.
Add an introductory post in the “Welcome New Members” thread (or thread with a similar title). It’s good as an ice breaker (see my introductory post from Cre8asite Forums above) and will make your presence known in the community. If you are a beginner, don’t be afraid to say so.
Before asking questions, see if there are threads/messages that already tackle the issue, and try to contribute in those threads first, if possible.
Don’t be afraid to offer insight but be prepared to acknowledge mistakes and consider others perspectives & experience.
Have fun and don’t take things personal or let anger or emotion get in the way of a good discussion (see Aussie Webmaster’s little jab below - all in good fun and I’m embarrassed how long it took me to post anything in the first place!)

Search Engine Roundtable
Since it would be challenging to be a member of every forum, Search Engine Roundtable does it’s part by keeping the busy website owner up to date on what’s happening in all of the major communities.

Search Engine Roundtable’s mission “is to provide you with a single source to locate the best search engine marketing threads on the Internet”.

In addition to regular blog post highlighting important threads, visitors can use SE Roundtable’s custom search engine to look for specific archives of interest. As I put the finishing touches into this post, I also realized they have a nice list of the same forums (and a couple others worth checking out) as well.

Conclusion
Hopefully you will find these communities forum as valuable as I have and if there are other forums that have helped you in your SEO endeavors, I would love to know in the comments below.

Before Your SEO Strategy: 6 Tutorials You Want to Read

Derek Edmond — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 12:25:18 +0000

Do you own a small business? Are you interested in SEO and want to use online channels to drive sales and revenue for your business?

While many business owners want search engine traffic they don’t understand the fundamentals that enable websites to “work” online.

The danger in that the lack of knowledge is that it can lead to a very uninformed decision when selecting SEO services or working on an SEO strategy.

Here is a list resources small business owners interested in search engine marketing should read first, before engaging in an SEO strategy or hiring an SEO consultant. I would bet the bulk of this material could be read and worked through in less than a week’s time.

An HTML Tutorial
HTML is the foundation for how web pages are built. While it’s true that most sites incorporate more advanced programming than HTML, there are always core properties of a web page, rooted in traditional HTML.

How Web Servers Work
Being able to build a web page is one skill, but actually publishing and managing a website is another. We (those writing about SEO) often forget many business owners don’t have much familiarity with an HTTP response, FTP transfers or the DNS settings of a domain. This tutorial will give a business owner the high level overview with enough detail to answer some of the common web administration questions that arise.

Tutorial: How Web Servers Work

Choosing a Web Host
Taking the time to research hosting packages may seem trivial, since there is a variety of low-cost providers competing for a company’s business. However, the wrong web hosting package may impact the ability for you - or an SEO specialist - to build an SEO friendly website.

I’d like to write a post on how SEO can be impacted by the selection of a web hosting package shortly, but here are 2 articles on selecting the right hosting service from a business perspective.

How to Choose a Web Host - a high level overview and quick read.
Best Practices for Choosing a Web Host - a more in-depth analysis from CNET (a bit dated but covers material in a more detailed manner).

Search Engine & Search Engine Optimization Tutorials
Before getting absorbed in top 10 SEO tips posts and “SEO success in 10 seconds”, invest in learning how search engines work and how the technology has evolved to what it is today. It’s important to understand why specific variables - on the web page and connected to the web page - impact a website’s visibility in search engine results and how these variables have changed over time.

These 2 resources are old (by Internet standards) and somewhat dated but will give the new user an understanding of the evolution of the SEO industry. At the least, it should initiate better questions and discussion when evaluating a proposed SEO strategy.

The Long Term Investment in SEO
Small business owners do not need to master these tutorials to be successful with SEO but they should familiarize themselves with the information. Even if the decision has already been made to hire a consultant to handle the SEO strategy, understanding the core fundamentals of web design, web administration and search engine technology will allow for better decision-making in the hiring & evaluation process.

Related Posts

5 Ways Companies Half-Ass Their SEO Efforts

Derek Edmond — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 02:40:14 +0000

Why it matters and how to prevent the same mistakes…

A good search engine optimization strategy requires a difficult mix of analytical prowess, creativity, and a detail-oriented mindset. While not all of us are able to decipher algorithmic formulas or draft the most powerful piece of linkbait; we can improve in almost every aspect of SEO by maintaining strong attention to detail and a commitment to getting things done right.

This post talks through 5 potential ways companies fail to fully develop a strategic SEO initiative and why it can lead to ineffective or even disastrous results.

1. Not Considering the Long-Tail

Somewhere between millions of searches per day and zero there are opportunities for “long-tail keyword searches“. This term refers to longer variations of keyword phrases which may bring a few visitors per day or even per month from search engines to a website.

While competitive search terms may get all the attention, the trickle of traffic from long-tail keywords can lead to incredibly profitable website visits if the site is built & designed effectively. It never surprises me when website owners fail to realize and capture the power in ranking for a large portfolio of these keywords over the course of their keyword strategy.

With the enhancement of Google’s keyword tools to better understand search volume, there’s really no excuse for not taking the extra time to make sure your content is optimized for any and all opportunities.

Still not sold on the idea? Here is a spreadsheet of a few hundred Cape Cod related keywords with approximate search volume in Google. I’ll bet that any relevant site (or maybe even irrelevant site) could quickly rank for some of these long-tail keyword opportunities with a bit of good content and a proper SEO site structure.

2. Implementing Web Address Changes

For individual web address changes, the SEO effort is usually pretty straight forward. For site-wide changes (such as creating static web addresses for dynamic websites) it can get complex. Your job (or your developer’s job) isn’t done just because you’ve uploaded the new page or new piece of code. Bug check your work.

Web administrators should be 301 redirecting the original web address to the new destination(s), and also making sure that the specific web address changes have been incorporated in all facets of the website design structure.

Where you need to check for web address consistency:

Main navigational elements (traditional nav, footer, utility links)
Breadcrumb trail
Internal cross-links
Sitemaps (for the user and for search engines)
404 pages
Inbound links & offline marketing collateral

Why you should check for this?
A 301 redirect only protects you from oversights and should not be used to “solve” the problem or save time in implementation. In some (rare) circumstances, 301 redirects can not be implemented as a result of business-specific issues or constraints.

Failing to cover all instances where an outdated web address appears can result in duplicate content, confusing search engines, and possibly incurring search penalties or a devaluation of the targeted keyword strategy.

3. Implementing A Domain Change

Moving domains is a bit more complex. Whether you’re acquiring a website and merging it with your existing business or re-branding your company entirely, make sure to cover all loose ends with a domain redirect. When moving domains, instituting a 301 redirect is essential.

Similar to web address changes, failing to be detail-oriented with this process can result in duplicate content, duplicate indexing, search engine confusion, and potential penalties.

Where potential domain redirect issues can occur:

Indexed pages (use the search command “site:domain.com” in Google)
Canonical/non-canonical web addresses
Secured pages
Sub-domains
Dynamic pages
Inbound links & offline marketing collateral

Don’t take a domain redirect for granted and think that simple adjustments to the domain registrar’s control panel are the solution. While recent SEO discussions have debated the precise strategy for redirecting to a new domain, at the least consider where your most important pages (from the site being redirected) need to be pointed.

In my experience, I have successfully instituted 301 redirects on a page-by-page basis, pointing outdated or non-essential information to the appropriate section overview pages, or the user-facing sitemap.

4. Press Release Strategies for Link Building

You’ve done your keyword research, written a compelling press release, and gotten the budget approved to syndicate on a major PR distribution service. Once your press release hits the wire and starts to gain visibility in news services like Google or Yahoo News, don’t think that your job is complete. The hardest yet most critical part is yet to come.

It would be nice to think that all the editors in your industry are always monitoring everything that happens and immediately getting emails together when they find something of value. It almost never works out that way. Compile a short list of contact information for the most important editors, and/or publishers you want to reach, and use the press release as an entry point for your link building strategy.

Your press release may help to:

Start a conversation about why you have something of value
Provide some fundamental company information in a non-obtrusive manner and without over-stuffing your email message

And don’t forget the following additional communication details:

Create a personalized message to the recipient
Get to the point; quickly
Reference the press release and give your own personal view on why it’s valuable to you (note: this is different than giving a personal opinion on why it’s valuable to them).
Pick up the phone and follow-up on your correspondence

It’s probably not advisable to use press releases as a basis for reaching out to bloggers, but I have never done so to know with certainty if it would fail or succeed. I’ve recently been reading Susan Getgood’s posts on communicating to bloggers and would highly recommend her blog for those interested in the same information.

5. Social Media Submissions

If your contact list only contains a list of social media news sites, it’s time to start reconsidering your priorities. Social media news sites like Digg, Reddit or even niche verticals are not built to be a wasteland for the mass distribution of press releases or product updates.

At best, your company will build a history of worthless submissions with little to no SEO link value. At worst, your company will be known for submitting horrible information or nothing of value, damaging your reputation - possibly beyond repair.

What you need to consider:
Every social media community has its own personality, style, and unspoken rules of etiquette. If you or your company is really interested in creating success through social media, invest the time to understand the communities within which you would like to contribute.

Social media resources to help you on your way:

Even if you believe your information is social media newsworthy, hitting submit and moving onto the next endeavor is rarely the best course of action. Manage your submissions and interact with the people commenting and/or contributing to your information in these communities.

Are You Half-Assing Your SEO Strategy?
There are many other components of a search engine optimization project that can fail or simply not work effectively if the implementation is not sound. Sometimes overlooking things will not cause harm, but it usually will not lead to the results a business wants (or needs) for success.

I find that productive long-term SEO strategies rely more on detail and perseverance, than quick hits or home run tactics. But even tactics designed for short-term goals need to be well thought out. Remember to consider all of the facets of your website or online strategy which may be affected by an SEO project in order to ensure you get the desired result.

A Simple Reason Why You Should Participate in Social Media

Derek Edmond — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 16:48:25 +0000

As more people become active in social media communities, individuals can become influencers in the space. Even if your company is not contributing to the conversations online it does not mean your customers or employees are ignoring them as well.

Consider this example on Twitter:
This past Monday, Gary Vaynerchuk - “GaryV” - of Wine Library TV had this to say about a company experience:

If someone emails 10 friends to tell them of the awful experience they had or posts a complaint on a message board it’s difficult to justify the time required to find and resolve the issue. You certainly want to address it but how can you possibly monitor everything, everywhere, all the time.

Social media changes everything. Consider that over 12,000 people may have read “GaryV”s update. Individuals are congregating and conversing en masse in social media communities like Twitter. And being influenced on their buying decisions.

There’s no longer just the phone conversation about your customer’s disappointment; or a group of friend’s email addresses; or even just an instant messenger window.

There are real people, talking about your brand, with a greater individual reach than companies could ever imagine.

Think about some of these social media numbers:

According to Twitterholic, the Top 100 Twitter users have over 1.2 million total followers, an average of 12,039 followers per user.
Social media news sites like Digg or Reddit may send thousands of unique visitors from popular submissions.
According to LinkedIn’s home page, “Over 25 million professionals use LinkedIn to exchange information, ideas and opportunities”.
Over 9,000 people are “fans” of the Twitter page on Facebook and Twitter doesn’t even actively use that page.

People will talk online about their experiences with a company, products, service, or brand; good or bad. The real question is if you are listening to the conversation.

Two Examples of Companies Invested in Social Media
Over the past few weeks, I’ve personally been influenced by companies engaging in social media as a communication strategy to their customers and users. I asked these 2 questions on Twitter:

In both instances I was pleasantly surprised to receive a response back from the company profile on Twitter (Mozilla Firefox & Tweetdeck), offering assistance or advice on how to address the issue from the company (Thank you @firefox_answers and @tweetdeck).

What did it take to find and acknowledge my questions?

A regular check on the company’s brand and keywords using a Twitter monitoring tool like Twitter search; maybe set up in an RSS reader or Google Alert.
The willingness to answer and address the issue, even when the answer may not have been immediately available.
A small investment in time

I would not have thought twice about it if neither company contacted me. But the fact that they did made a positive impression.

I only have 400 followers on Twitter and fewer RSS subscribers than that to this blog. Far from where someone like Gary Vaynerchuk is (in terms of online visibility). But I’m glad my issue mattered - and I am writing about these positive experiences as a result.

Final Thoughts
Company owners may argue whether social media should be a component of their online marketing strategy. They debate the perceived value of the time required. Even if you do not embrace social media as a business strategy, it’s ill advised to ignore the conversations happening around you.

For a look at other major brands and companies embracing social media, take a look at Whole Foods, Comcast and even ExxonMobile for examples and success stories.

And if you’d like to follow me, I’m @dedmond29 on Twitter.

Free SEO Advice Is Not Always A Good Idea

Derek Edmond — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 01:25:16 +0000

I used to wonder why SEO consultants would hesitate to give away free “SEO tips” to their audiences. I’m not talking about an SEO case study or observation made in the context of a specific discussion. A more appropriate example would be the request from a crowd for the broad based recommendation designed to bring top rankings in search.

First, if a so-called SEO professional guarantees #1 keyword rankings in almost any situation, tread very very cautiously with the rest of the discussion.

The reluctance to answer these requests may often bring skepticism for those participating in the discussion. The underlying tone may lead some to believe the SEO professional does not really know what they are talking about. At the least, they are not giving up some ideas or their opinions on what we all can find for free by Google’ing “SEO Tips” or subscribing to a few SEO blogs here and there.

Consider the following example where “free SEO advice” could really have gone wrong.

A colleague wanted guidance on a design template to make sure that it (the design) would not have a negative impact on the performance of their existing SEO initiatives. It was a simple redesign without any changes to web addresses, hosting or domain. At first glance it seemed like a no-brainer - of course there would not be a negative impact to their SEO strategy.
Further investigation revealed other non-related issues that were creating a downward trend in organic search engine traffic. Had these considerations not been uncovered, the inexperienced business owner may blame a redesign for the traffic plunge, when it really had nothing to do with it.
Thankfully, the colleague wanted to work with a more experienced professional in this particular situation and the issues will be resolved.

What would you have done?
It would have been easy to simply get confirmation that the redesign strategy would not have a direct impact on search engine traffic and keyword rankings. That type of feedback - for the most part - is freely available from SEO forums, communities or other resources online.

But if something else went wrong, such as an unforeseen technical issue or festering problem not often encountered, imagine the frustration and/or anguish thinking (erroneously) that the design change was the cause. When in reality a deeper knowledge of the entirety of the situation was required.

There’s nothing wrong with reading an SEO blog or getting the occasional, free SEO tip. Just remember to consider the objectives or context about what is being discussed and how it may (or may not) apply to an individual SEO strategy. In some cases, the recommendation may not be applicable to a particular business. In other cases, the cost may not warrant the effort.

The more a person learns and understands how SEO factors, best practices and strategies relate to improved search engine visibility (and traffic), the better equipped they become at applying the “free” SEO recommendation appropriately.

Why The Repetitive SEO Post Can Still Be Valuable

Derek Edmond — Wed, 21 May 2008 12:02:10 +0000

I haven’t been using Sphinn, a social news site angled to online marketing, much in recent months. It’s partially because I’m busy and my attention has been focused elsewhere, but it’s also due to the fact that I was not seeing topics of interest or that I thought I already knew.

Unless someone directly points me to an article of note or a headline via the Sphinn Twitter feed catches my eye, I haven’t done my part to stay up to date with the community on my own.

One Week of Sphinn SEO Lessons
I just happened upon Ruud Hein’s great list of one week’s worth of SEO lessons from various search marketing people who have had their SEO posts submitted to Sphinn.

In that post, he takes a look at a week’s worth of submissions (900+) and boils them down to a concise list of approximately 50 posts that people who are new and interested in SEO/SEM may find of value. I have to admit that I found a good deal of them interesting and presenting new information or unique perspectives. But many of them talk about SEO topics I was at least aware of and probably would never have clicked into, had I seen them originally on Sphinn or my RSS reader.

The fact that search engine marketing people often revisit topics written in the past can be a good thing for the industry for a variety of reasons:

There are new people entering the industry everyday.
There are new people looking for search engine marketing resources every day.
People searching for SEO resources and information don’t always find the original destination for any given topic, no matter how experienced they are in the industry.
Quality search engine marketing posts illustrate how knowledge can be passed between professionals in our industry.

Regardless of whether a repetitive SEO post has value to me, a well written post may have tremendous value for someone new in the industry or using social news sites like Sphinn for information or working with a particular SEO vendor or consultant who runs their own blog or news resource.

I don’t believe it is a secret that we all have to learn from somewhere and oftentimes that’s from another online source. I also don’t believe it’s a bad thing to spread the message or offer perspective when it’s truly something of value.

When you decide to reposition what someone else said
Here are some things I consider when repositioning existing SEO information that is meant to provide value to any readership (including those who may have seen the topic discussed before):

There’s very little to no value in simply copying another’s work (and less value - or ethics - if you don’t cite your source).
Offer your own perspectives or provide new examples or ideas to the topic.
I’m not a fan of the SEO post which simply repositions another’s position or observation, without testing for results or trying (and at least initially succeeding) with the original poster’s strategy. That’s my personal opinion.
Sometimes you stumble across a great idea that is just not written well. If you’re a good writer, structure the position in a more readable format (but definitely give credit where credit is due).
Make certain you really know what you’re talking about (and get assistance in tough subjects). Try not to get in over your head (at least at first :-))

The bottom line is that professionals working in search engine marketing for many years may grow tired of SEO posts which revisit documented topics or existing discussion. But oftentimes, these posts are not meant for everyone; they’re meant for people who are new to the industry in some way or another.

As search engine marketing professionals and industry contributors, if we take the time to revisit valuable topics, inflecting our own experience, examples and perspective, in a constructive manner, it really can only be a good thing in the end.