What not to ask when hiring an SEO

Category General, Industry | 26 comments »

Are you looking to hire an SEO consultant or in-house staffer? Then do me a favour, don’t even bother asking an SEO about what keywords they have ranked in the past… and screw the references while we’re at it ok? No really, I mean it.

After an idea born on Twitter took grasp and I found myself writing a resource post on places to find work in SEO, I read a lot of job postings. And the variety of questions, il informed employers and business folks were asking, had me shaking my head. Allow me to explain…

Why rankings and references are dirty signals

Yes, we all know that these are things to ask a potential SEO… but let me burst that bubble right here and now. No one is going to show their failures and all rankings were not created equal.

For example;

Rankings – that SEO company you’re thinking of hiring is showing you all kinds of pretty first page rankings, or even worse ‘#1’ rankings (which is a bit of a stretch). Why? Because without the accompanying analytics, it means little or nothing. Any seasoned SEO has targeted terms they thought were killers just to find out the traffic (and conversions) were minimal compared to other terms in the program.

This means that your prospective SEO company are going to show you magical SERPs that may or may not be successful. And I’d add that any trustable company isn’t about to start showing you their clients data due to non-disclosure agreements. So what does this leave you? Not enough to be getting excited when hiring an SEO.

References; I was listening to a career coach on the boob-tube the other day whom used to be in the HR dept and read thousands of resumes. What he said about references makes as much sense here as anywhere;

“People aren’t going to put the problem people in there. I spend very little time looking at them because these are people they know speak highly of them”

The cards are stacked essentially. I can easily drum up a ton of people to sing my praises, but it is not ultimately going to show the truth, or at least the full picture. Thus this is another area you should put minimal weight on.

How would I hire someone?

I really find talking to them is the best way to go about it. One wants to see what type of grasp and enthusiasm they have for the project. This once more highlights the need to be an educated consumer and at least learn the basics of SEO. It enables you to more readily understand what you’re looking for and what constitutes common practices.

To me, flowery rankings and slanted referrals make for a ‘noisy signal’. Sure, I’d ask what query spaces they’re played in. What they’re favourite tools and methods are… strength’s and weaknesses. These are important factors when hiring an SEO; experience and knowledge.

I will come up with a ‘Questions to ask an SEO prospect’ in the near future – seems a good idea.

Popularity: 62% [?]

The Magic Google ranking machine

Category General, Google | 17 comments »

a.k.a – Do your ears hang low

I received and email this morning that is just too good to pass up – pass up talking about that is. I don’t know about you, but I am forever getting emails offering to ‘rank my site in Google’; which is funny because they come in on my SEO Blog and SEO Company email addresses, ( instant DUH Magazine subscription there) … One has to imagine they are blind spamming since who in their right minds would try and sell ME search optimization services, right?

But for the sake of ensuring that you, my fine readers, are educated… I figured we’d have a look. Here’s the email;

“Is your Site Optimized with the Google latest methodology called LSI to Rank High??? Does your Site Rank Low??? Do you have less traffic on your site??? An end to all these question. We provide a complete solution for your Online Business need. We bring Traffic to Your Site and rank You Top with our LSI based Google’s Algorithm at affordable rates Our Steps and the Activities to Rank You Smart Keywords Research – Competition Analysis – LSI Check – Optimized Content Creation – Keywords Optimization – Back Link Creation/Link Building – Submission to Search Engines and Directories – Submission to Article Directories Please reply for the best quote for your website link and we will guarantee to Rank You 1st to 10th position in Google ranking.”

Beyond the horrid grammar and sales copy, the thing that jumped out madly at me was the bit about “Google latest methodology called LSI”. My friends, if you EVER get emails from SEOs using this little catch phrase… you know you’re in the wrong place. Actually if you’re considering hiring an SEO, ask them about LSI…. If they in any way infer that it is part of the Google process…. BAM… file them away.

You see, this is what I call the LSI Bandwagon effect (read that post for more). While search engine obviously use semantic technologies, there is no evidence Google is using that one and SEOs that state otherwise are doing nothing more than mythology regurgitation.

For more – Dr. E. Garcia – SVD and LSI Tutorial 5: LSI Keyword Research and Co-Occurrence Theory – SEO’s and their exhaustive search myths

Submit this!!

Another golden turd that I hate seeing offered by any search optimizer service “Submission to Search Engines and Directories” – while I am still mildly partial to using directory submissions, (quality over quantity, right?) the whole submit to search engines is bad ju ju.

Sure, it’s great for noob webmasters when they first come on the scene, but considering that indexation is greatly reliant on links, the link building portion of the program will naturally take care of this. While it cannot hurt to submit to search engines, it will not ensure any meaningful rankings.. so professional SEOs should not be offering this service.

All of this made me think of a tune…

(Sung to; Do your ears hang low…you know “Do your ears hang low? Do they wobble to and fro? Can you tie them in a knot? Can you tie them in a bow?”)

Oh Does your Site Rank Low??? Got no traffic on your site???
Do you want it right now? We can get it over-night….

We can make the magic happen with our latest Google weapon
Oh does your site… does your site…rank…low

Look before you leap

And so my friends please do be careful out there. What if they had a slick presentation, more polished and refined? How would one know? You ultimately need to learn the essentials of SEO to even hire one. Back in the 80’s there were far more complaints about home renovators than there is today. Why is that? In no small measure the explosion of home renovation television shows and home videos quickly delivered a higher level of education to home owners than ever before.

This is turn help to weed out the less than reputable contractors as they had a hard time even finding work.

In this way, business owners need to learn at least the fundamentals of SEO before trying to hire one. While there are many articles out there on what to ask and how to go about hiring an SEO, knowledge building is perhaps the best place to start.

Until next time… play safe….

Popularity: 67% [?]

2 New sites for your SEO bookmarks

Category General, Tools/Resources, news | 12 comments »

YouTube for web marketers

First up is a new multimedia site for internet marketers called – IM Broadcast

This site was created by Loren Baker of Search Engine Journal and a few of my pals, Dave Snyder and Jordan Kasteler from the firm Search and Social. For the launch last Friday they live streamed their conference – Scary SEO.

Follow me ;

User; theGypsy (of course)
MyVid Favs; Gypsy’s videos
My Group; SEO Geeks

I was lucky enough to be an early beta-tester and have signed on to be a moderator for the next while. If you want to give reading a rest and watch SEO goodiness, be sure to join up.

 

The SEO Search Engine

Another new treasure I wanted to pass along is a vertical search engine for the SEO community named; Search SEO Pros.

This website is simply a collection of Google Custom Search Engines that were put together by yours truly. We thought a dedicated search engine for search optimizers and enthusiasts was needed and set about loading some up.

Jam packed with some of the best resources on the web today; Search SEO Pros is your first stop when researching your search needs. It is actually 4 search engines in one covering expert blogs, video and even the search engines themselves (Google Blog, Yahoo and more).

So be sure to bookmark Search SEO Pros – you’ll be glad you did ;0)

 

Popularity: 67% [?]

Leave a Comment & We’ll Donate $1 To Fight Poverty

Category General, news | 68 comments »

Wednesday October 15th is “Blog Action Day: Poverty” and so far 11,211 blogs/websites have participated in this massive awareness campaign, including your friends here at Site-Reference. We hope you can join us! Simply post a comment below and Site-Reference will donate $1 (per comment) to Kiva.org.

What is Kiva and why are we supporting it?

Well, a lot of us here are self-starters and while we’ve worked hard, we were given opportunities the majority of the world’s population simply don’t have.
You know, little things like quality education, the proper infrastructure (access to the computers, internet, etc), and most importantly financing. No matter what, it takes $$$ to make $$$. Whether its a few bucks to keep you fed while you get going, or a few million to create the next great piece of software, all entrepreneurs need some money to start with.

With Kiva, fortunate entrepreneurs such as us are able to make small loans to those in the developing world that can then turn them into profitable businesses and sustain themselves, their families and in some cases their communities over the long run. And the best part- once these loans are repaid they go to help the next guy/girl.

For more on Kiva checkout their page here: http://www.kiva.org So if you’re reading this- leave a comment- it’s the least you can do and we’ll donate $1 to Kiva.

Or if you have more than the 2 seconds it takes to leave a comment, get involved yourself at Kiva.org or go help out that charity you’ve always told yourself you’d get involved with.

On Monday Ocotber 20th, we’ll tally up all the comments and we will make our donation at that time.

Many thanks for your continued support, Nic, Dave and the Site-Reference crew

Popularity: 79% [?]

Article marketing tips and resources

Category General, Link Building | 11 comments »

Foundational link building part II – article marketing

When we left off earlier this week, article marketing best practices were the topic of the day. I like to think of it as content distribution more than anything. Deciding which articles are to be marketed for each target is a big part of the game.

1. Media/News outlets
2. Industry Blogs
3. Social Networks
4. Associations
5. Supplier Sites
6. Vertical non-competitor

No easy way here, hopefully you already know the major players in your market. Track them down, establish what types of articles are common, the general demographic and set about crafting a piece that had a high likelihood of appealing to their senses.

It could be argued that we’re now crossing into blogging terms such as ‘guest posting’ or ‘content marketing’ but ultimately we have an article and we’re using it for marketing purposes… so let’s not mess with semantics. Ok?

 

Now some directions to get you going….

News Media – If we were in the ‘Antique lighting’ niche we could try some things like; Interior design news Or Interior design news, submit- Play with some related market keywords and start making a list of sites to assess and short-list some for targeting.

Blogs – there are more than a few places to seek out worthy industry blogs to potentially guest post on… try these; Google Blog Search -Technorati -  Bloglines - MyBlogLog – BlogMarks – Blog Hop – Blogmarks – BlogPulse – IceRocket - Kinja - TailRank – Live Journal – BlogMemes

Social Networks – find the networks and social media sites in your niche to find top influencers and top sites being published. Start to make some contacts and opportunities to guest post. Here is a Big list of Social Media sites - or search out niche ones.

Associations – once more you need to find international, national and local associations that are related to your market and see if they have any white papers, articles or blogs that you might be able to target content at. Google is your friend.

Supplier sites – not only do your suppliers love you for promoting their products, they also are in a need for content and this can be a win-win situation. Have a look at some of your supplier’s websites for ways to get your content (and name) out there.

Vertical non-competitor – beyond the above mentioned tactics, there are often related niches to yours (verticals) that are not direct competitors. We can also look at these sites as places to hopefully publish our articles. No stone un-turned right?

 

The approach and pitch you use when looking to place articles will vary. The main thing is to be respectful, humble and have one helluva a targeted piece that they want to publish. Remember, one well placed article can build a lot of link love for the not only target site, but from author links it will also flow to you.

 

Article Repositories

Now we’re into the back end of the strategy. I say that because as we discussed last time with article marketing strategy, the articles we don’t think are of a high enough quality get relegated here. That is not to say total crap, but just not the A List material.

That is not to say there aren’t benefits as some articles can actually get some reasonable distribution and even a few half decent backlinks if yer lucky. These are no where near as valuable as the above targeting methods, but some cumulative effects are possible.

I am once more not a fan of huge mass submissions as quality is the game. And to b honest I am unsure if I’d go deeper than the top 10 – but here’s a list that should suit the most dedicated among you;

http://sbinformation.about.com/ R7 http://www.selfgrowth.com/ R7 http://www.acmearticles.com/ R6 http://www.advisor.com/ R6 http://www.articlecity.com/ R6 http://www.articledashboard.com/ R6 http://biz-whiz.com/ R6 http://www.blogwidow.com/ R6 http://www.chiff.com/ R6 http://www.digital-women.com/ R6 http://www.easyarticles.com/ R6 http://www.goarticles.com/ R6 http://www.powerhomebiz.com/ R6 http://www.weeno.com/ R6 http://ezinearticles.com/ R6

http://www.ezinefinder.com/ R5 http://www.homebiztools.com/ R5  http://www.howtoadvice.com/ R5 http://www.jogena.com/ R5 http://www.linkgrinder.com/ R5 http://www.mailbiz.com/ R5 http://www.mainstreetmom.com/ R5 http://www.maxebook.com/ R5 http://www.tigrafix.com/ R5 http://www.tips.com.my/ R5 http://www.webs-best-directory.com/ R5 http://www.workoninternet.com/ R5 http://www.writingcareer.com/ R5

http://www.articlesexpress.com/ R5 http://www.articlesoup.com/ R5 http://www.articlesymposium.com/ R5  http://www.bigarticles.com/ R5 http://www.businesshighlight.org/ R5

http://www.aboveallcontent.com/ R5 http://www.article99.com/ R5 http://www.articlealley.com/ R5 http://www.articledash.com/ R5 http://www.business-opportunity.biz/ R5

Now remember that we want to target the Author Bio links on each submission… yea it sucks, but read more about; Article Marketing Done Right

That’s it for today… have a great weekend.

 

More reading for you;

Editorial Link Building with Article Marketing – Ask Kalena
Article Marketing: How To Be an Article Marketer Like No Other! – Marketing Pilgrim
Article marketing the right way – BlgoStorm
How to market articles without using repositories – Search Engine Journal
Cheaters Guide to great headlines – Copy Blogger
Hot to write a killer ‘How to’ article – Copy Blogger
Headline titles that work – Copy Blogger
5 Sure fire headline formulas that work - Pronet

Popularity: 61% [?]

When’s the next Google PR update?

Category General, Google | 44 comments »

No seriously… stop laughing… get the hell back up from the floor…. This isn’t funny.

Ok, so we all know that it’s oft updated, mere representation of the floating point internal and lives a love-hate relationship with link sellers (and builders) the world over. We know the direct correlation of ToolBar PR (TBPR) and rankings is minimal at best. So yer a genius.. pleasure to meet you.

You see I get alerts on a ton of things each day in the ‘ol inbox;

1. Google Alerts for Buzz tracking
2. G-Alerts for Google Dorks
3. Forum thread replies
4. Social Median news
5. New goodies on social media sites
6. Google Webmaster Help

And it was that last one that had me going this morning. One gets used to seeing it on many SEO boards out there….usually noobs – or link merchants. But this fine morning I noticed it (asking about PR updates) twice on the Google boards…ha ha ha ha a ha… and why is that so funny? Because Google surely understands there are few reasons to get excited about TBPR beyond links. It’s like yelling “Hey I am a link fixated search manipulator – Look at me!!”

Yes, I understand some peeps still just get an emotional response to new (higher) TBPR… but not nearly as many these days as there are those wanting to somehow capitalize on the little green bar (LGB). I dearly hope none of these peeps are putting URLs in their profiles if ya know what I mean…

In one of the FAQ’s on the Webmaster Help boards has this;

“I have a lot of new links pointing to my site, but my site’s Toolbar PageRank has not changed in months.

Don’t worry . We actually recalculate PageRank quite frequently, but only push Toolbar PageRank updates occasionally. This is our respectful hint for you to worry less about PageRank, which is but one of over 200 signals that can affect how your site is crawled, indexed and ranked. ”

And while that is a great answer, anyone asking about links and TBPR on a Google Board should be drawn and quartered. I don’t care if it is an innocent question… it’s akin to asking the cops where the best fields are to grow your pot. Sure, they would know… but uh…

It’s everywhere sadly

You merely have to step inside the front door at forums such as Digital Point(less) to find a slew of “When’s the next update” or other related and equally useless TBPR discussions… which usually incorrectly talk about PR… when most don’t grasp the difference.

So to all you nutters that simply can’t stop talking about TBPR… do yourself a favour and don’t go asking Google… That’s a lifetime subscription to DUH magazine

Popularity: 35% [?]

How to learn SEO in 2008

Category General | 30 comments »

The beginners guide to the art of search optimization

It goes without saying that those that write/read books sing their praises and those that blog know that their way is best and forum hounds know that is the way. Each format has it’s evangelists.

You should consider exploring each of these avenues and more to truly get the most out of your path to understanding search engine optimization. Some methods are more appropriate for enthusiasts and others for those looking to become SEO professionals some day…. Obviously experience is the best teacher, but what other ways are there these days?

We all learn in our own way….

While there is no end to the SEO advice that permeates the web marketing world, it can often be very difficult to sort out exactly how one should research and where one should turn to learn about SEO. In a follow up to a post I made a year ago, I thought an updated look might be a good idea.

Now let us count the ways

SEO Books

One of the great things about books, real or eBook, is that you can not only take them with you and read on-the-go, but they are often easier to reference later should you be looking for a nugget to deal with a given situation.

The downside of SEO books, as with many technology books, is freshness.

The world of search engines is constantly changing and thus any related information must also be updated. Be sure to cross reference information found in books relating to search to ensure freshness and reliability of the information.

• Professional Link builder’s guide – SEOmoz ($29)
• SEO Fast Start – from Dan Theis (FREE)
• Small Business guide to Search Engine Marketing – by Jennifer Laycock ($79)
• the SEO Handbook – by yours truly ($10)

Considering the recent decline in SEO book publication one has to imagine the popularity of this form is on the decline. I myself prefer a good read in hard copy or portable digital form… but potentially in the minority on that one.

Online Guides

Once more, like books… the main consideration is how up to date the information is. Here are some guides that are great for those looking for great information online;

• Beginners guide to SEO – SEOmoz
• Local small business SEO basics – by Sugarrae
• Bloggers guide to SEO – by Aaron & Giovanna Wall
• 11 Experts on Link building – From Sugarrae
• SEO Theory guides – SEO Theory
• SEO guide to information architecture – Audette Media
• 5 Easy SEO tips for your website (video) – Search Marketing Gurus
• FireHorse guide to Google personalized search – Firehorse Trail

There are many more out there but these are some that are truly worthy for anyone getting around the waves of the search marketing ocean. If you know of others, feel free to leave them in the comments and I’ll add them to the list.

Online Training

Unfortunately I haven’t had the pleasure of reviewing any of these services, but there are some fairly respected resources out there for those looking for a more structured system of learning. For me, this type of learning does well as there are generally instructors on hand to help guide the student.

• SEO Book Training – from Aaron Wall
• Link Ninjas – Jim Boykin (and others)
• Link Bait Coaching - Lyndon Antcliff
• SEOmoz Pro membership – SEOmoz
• Learn SEO Live – Garrett Pierson
• Search Engine College – SEC
• SEOmoz Video training series
• the Joomla SEO Book Club

Classes, Seminars and Conferences

Again, while I am a big believer in these types of mre hands-on interactive approaches to learning SEO – I have not had the chance to really participate in many of these. If you want to get out and play with some industry thought leaders, there is no better way than one of these offerings;

• SMX (conference)
• SES (conference)
• PubCon (conference)
• SEO ToolSet – from Bruce Clay
• Elite Retreat
• SEMPO Training
• SEO Class (We Build Pages)
• SEM Canada (conference)

Blogs

In some cases, blogs are not the greatest place for learning; at least for the noobs. Many times there are advanced theories, rants and personal perspectives more than structured reading for a person looking to learn SEO. That being said, they are a great wealth of information for beginner, intermediate and advanced SEOs alike. Some of the best include;

SEO by the Sea SEO Theory Blog Bruce Clay Blog Top Rank Blog Search Engine PeopleSEO Scoop Snydey Sense SEO Smarty the FireHorse Trail (guess who?) Pole Position Local SEO Guide 10e20 Blog SEM Scholar the Link SpielAimClear Blog SEO Book Blog

Blog Storm Wiep Knoll Link building blog SEOptimize Brian Chappell Fuel Interactive Hamlet BatistaJordan Kasteler SEM Portland SEOpscenter Jennifer Slegg Search Rank SEM Insights SEO Design Solutions SEOmoz Blog Audette Media Cornwall SEO

..and there are plenty more in Lee’s Big List…

Media Outlets

Much like the blogs, these sites are more for those looking for the latest industry happenings and musings. While they may not always offering teachings for the noob, in any industry, staying abreast of the times is an essential element in the process. Here are the more popular websites;

• Search Engine Land
• Search Engine Journal
• Search Engine Watch
• Search Engine Guide
• Marketing Pilgrim
• Search Marketing Gurus

I like these collective publications and advise having them in your reader. They may not be all about the teaching, but can give a strong ongoing grounding in the industry.

SEO Forums

While many times forums can be filled with contradictions and more noise than signal, there is often a dialogue around real-world situations in forums. As with anything, take nothing as gospel and be sure to cross reference information with other sources. Here are some of the more popular forums out there;

• Site Reference
• Digital Point
• SEO Chat
• SEO Roundtable
• Web WorkShop
• WebmasterWorld Forum
• Internet Business.co.uk
• Google WebMaster Help
• WebPro World
• SEO Guy
• SEO Refugee
• Cre8aSite Forum
• HighRankings Forum
• IHelpYou Forum
• Search Engine Watch Forums

With a grain of salt

One thing is for certain; on hands experience is ultimately the best way to learn SEO. By taking a cross section of different methods and principles one has the power to go forth and create/test the theories.

This will be the most essential tool in the learning experience. To me there is no best way to go about it… what is important is to remain objective and open to new concepts.

If you want to know what some of the SEO pros felt… read the sister post; Learn SEO – the experts share insights.

(and join the discussion in the forums)

Popularity: 33% [?]

Yahoo and Microsoft at it Again?

Category General, news | Comments Off

After publicly claiming that they were through dealing with Yahoo! and had pulled all deals off the table, Microsoft would neither confirm nor deny that they had started talking to them again. This is tantamount to admitting that they are, since the ‘no comment’ stance is different than the ‘we’re through, period’ stance.

In the convoluted mess that this whole saga has become, I suppose nothing should surprise us. So eager was Yahoo! to ward off stockholder revolts and stay independent of Microsoft that they signed on with Google to use Google’s search advertising platform. This is stunning for two reasons:

1. The likelihood of this passing regulatory scrutiny is low (unless they know something that I don’t), since together Yahoo! and Google combined would control over 80% of the online advertising market.
2. Yahoo is basically admitting that their $1.63 billion purchase of Overture in 2003 (and all the subsequent R&D dollars that have gone into the ad-serving platform since then) were all for naught.

Item #2 is particularly interesting, since Overture, and subsequently Yahoo, had a huge head start in the paid search space. Adwords Select, the first pay-per-click model from Google, launched in 2002, while GoTo (the former name of Overture) launched four years earlier. What a message for Yahoo! to send to the world – we just aren’t as bright as those Google guys, and we’ve given up trying to be.

I wouldn’t want to be in Jerry Yang’s shoes right now…

Popularity: 13% [?]

A Call for Topics

Category General | 9 comments »

One of the hardest things about writing a blog (and one of the reasons that I’m not writing as often as I should) is that the topics themselves sometimes elude me.  Anything that requires too much detail turns into an article, which is longer than most people who prefer blogs are looking for.  Anything that requires too little is basically a snippet that people can get anywhere.

So help me out, folks.  What would you like to hear about?  Any particular industry news?  Any “how-to” topics?  Any opinions on something happening in the world of search?

If you suggest it, it will come.  Unless it takes a lot of research (just kidding).

Popularity: 13% [?]

SEO and the Cobbler’s Children

Category General | 5 comments »

Search engine optimization has been around for over a decade now, and there are scads of new companies claiming to offer the service each day.  The market is large, and the opportunities are there for any firm that can develop a reputation for excellence.

However, there has long been one excuse that some unskilled search engine optimization companies use when they are asked about SEO results for their own site – the Cobbler’s Children excuse.

You’ve all heard it – the cobbler’s kids are the only ones in the neighborhood with worn down shoes because dad is too busy working on everyone else’s shoes.  So goes the argument that some SEO firms make: “We’re too busy working on client sites to get results on our own sites”.  Or “The SEO industry is different – since optimization is the business that we are in, it’s too competitive to be a practical marketing channel for us.”

Which is, frankly, rather silly.

If someone is trying to sell you on a service that they offer but they are not using the service themselves, what does that tell you about the belief they have in the value of their offering?  And if they say that optimization for popular phrases (like “search engine optimization company” and “internet marketing companies”) is not feasible, wouldn’t it make sense to ask why?  After all, somebody will be showing up for those results.  Why not them?

The next time an “SEO Firm” tells you that they are too busy working on client sites to get results for their own, or that the field that they are in is too competitive for them to take advantage of their own services, picture a calculator salesman relying on an abacus for work.

It’s really time for firms to practice what they preach, or to shut down their practice altogether.

Popularity: 11% [?]