The Best in SEO

I had always wanted to be ble to search just the best SEO blogs and websites from the web so I could cut through all the garbage that is out there. What’s a guy to do though? Well, thanks to Google I can create my own Custom Search Engine and pick and choose which sites I want in my search engine as well as assigning refinements and even weighting of the sites. How friggen cool is that huh?

It is loaded with the top SEO blogs/websites and is great for research and learning. If you are looking for SEO information and want to get right to the best stuff from the pros… check it outIf this works out I am going to put up some others I have that search Social Media Marketing, Buzz Monitoring set up and more… let me know what you think

At the moment, it searches the following sites;

the LinkSpiel, Sebastians Pamphlets, Hamlet Batista, TopRank, Search Engine Journal, Sphinn, HuoMah (duh), SEO Book Blog, SEO by the Sea, SEO-Theory, the MadHat, Search Engine Land, VanGogh, Search Engine People, Cornwall SEO, Search Engine Watch, Marketing Pilgrim, Bruce Clay Blog, SEOmoz Blog, SEO Scoop, 10e20, Jennifer Slegg, John Andrews, Wolf Howl, Small Business SEM, Hobo SEO, Joost DeValk, SEO Scientist

the SEO Search Engine

source :http://seo.site-reference.com

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“SEO” Trademarked?

Could SEO companies soon lose the right to call themselves SEO companies? If a man named Jason Gambert has his way, the answer is yes.

Mr. Gambert claims in his application (which was rejected several times before finally being accepted for publication) that SEO is defined as a “process”, and not a service. Thus, he is claiming that he has the right to trademark it as a service. SEO as a “process” would remain free for general use, not that it would matter.

The only problem he faces is that SEO has indeed been a service for over ten years, and thousands of companies can demonstrate prior use of the mark as a service (including my own). The chances of him actually getting the trademark are close to nil.On his blog, Mr. Gambert claims that he is trademarking the term for the good of the industry, and that he will enforce certain standards that companies will have to meet in order to use the term “SEO”. To which the industry replied “Who the hell is Jason Gambert, and what are his qualifications?” The answer to this question has yet to be answered, but many doubt his claimed altruism and believe that ultimately, it’s about the money that can be made by licensing the term.

Even if his stated plans are true, good intentions have no bearing on whether or not a trademark is granted. It’s my understanding that many opposing documents have already been filed, and it will then be up to Mr. Gambert to answer to people that have a much more legitimate claim to the term than he does.

For a detailed history of this saga, please visit http://www.seomoz.org/blog/pulling-a-fast-one-a-clever-internet-marketer-is-trying-to-trademark-seo

source :http://seo.site-reference.com

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How to learn SEO in 2008

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)

source :http://seo.site-reference.com

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Is Blogging Good Search Engine Optimization?

by Nick Stamoulis

So you’ve decided that you need to start a blog. Everyone else has one. The competition has two. You think they’re cool (now that you know what they are) and you’d like to start one. Is it good for Search Engine Optimization?

The real answer is, Yes, blogging is good for Search Engine Optimization - if you do it right. If you don’t do it right then it can water down your Search Engine Optimization. Here’s what I mean.
First, the two types of blogs for Search Engine Optimization: On Site and Off Site.

You can put a blog on the same domain name as your website and build your search engine saturation. That means the number of pages you have indexed at the search engines and potentially ranking for your keywords. Every blog post is a separate web page to the search engines so after you’ve written one year’s worth of blog posts (assuming you blog every day), you now have 365 additional web pages. But are they optimized?

With this type of blog, you have to use keywords, alt tags, anchor text, and other SEO elements in order to ensure that you gain the necessary mojo to rank for your keywords.

An off site blog is different. With an off site blog, you’ll still gain search engine saturation, but it will be for the blog itself, not your website. You can, however, build links to your website from your blog and that helps with link building.

Keep in mind, though, that most people in your industry will more than likely link to your blog posts before they’ll link to your company website. If your blog is on your company website, you may or may not get that link love. If your blog is on a separate URL then you’ll likely get link love - if your blog posts are well written and draw attention from other bloggers. That will tend to push your blog higher up in the PageRank scale. If you are linking profusely from your blog to your website then that PR will transfer to your website with each link.

That’s it in a nutshell. Blogging is good for Search Engine Optimization when done correctly. Most bloggers, however, are missing the beat here. To be the most effective blogger, you should learn the principles of Search Engine Optimization.

source : http://www.searchengineoptimizationjournal.com

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Essential SEO Elements Of A Blog Post

Writing by Nick Stamoulis

One of the best ways to increase content is through a blog. A short carefully worded post every day is going to generate over 300 pages per year - that’s allowing for the occasional day off. Posting content alone is not enough; each blog post is a page and requires a search engine optimization program like any other page on your site.

Unlike normal web pages, blog posts are easier to create and do not require extensive knowledge of HTML to create a search engine friendly page. All that is requires is a blog application such as WordPress. However, each post still needs to include several SEO elements to help it rank.
Assuming you have done your homework and developed a list of keywords and keyword phrases, all that is left is to optimize those keywords for the search engines.

Title: Try to work a keyword or keyword phrase into the title. It also helps to place the keyword as close to the start of the title as possible.

Content: From a search engine optimization perspective, you should scatter keywords or keyword phrases throughout the post. From the readers perspective, keep it natural, don’t stuff a keyword in where it doesn’t fit the flow of the sentence. How many times? There is no hard and fast rule as to how many times you use the keyword. General consensus: Once in the first paragraph, as close to the beginning as possible; once in the last paragraph, as close to the end as possible; and once in paragraph - if it fits naturally.

URL: There are blog plugins for WordPress that enable you to craft the URL. Try to include the keyword or keyword phrase into the URL.

Tags: Whilst tags may not help your search engine optimization efforts directly, they may have an indirect effect as social media sites such as Technorati often rely on tags.

Description: Another blog plugin can help provide a description for the page’s meta tags. This is the snippet that may appear in the search engine results so word it in such a way that it draws the user to your site.

These are fairly easy steps to undertake and only take a minute or two to complete prior to publishing your post. The effect is similar to a standard web page that has been optimized. The finished result will have unique meta tags for that page followed by keyword rich content.

To put the final polish to your post’s search engine optimization strategy for your blog, use keywords to link both internally and externally to information that is relevant to the post’s content. Encourage a good range of inbound links and your page will start to rank well. How well? It depends on the competition and your use of keywords.

source : http://www.searchengineoptimizationjournal.com

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