OVBlogger: Blogging and SEO

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I often go to sites like 103 Bees and HitTail to figure out what the heck people are searching for, and how they got to my blog. One of the most searched keywords in my list happens to be http://inventory.overture.com, a site that used to give you a pretty good rule of thumb when it came to keywords.

But stop looking at that folks! It’s either totally dead or it just won’t give you updated information. The last time the list of keywords was updated was in January 2007, and you don’t want to base your SEO on outdated search stats.

Here are a few places you can go, if you want some great keywords:

Aaron Wall’s SEO Book: http://SEOBook.com

I totally like this one. Aaron Wall is a respected SEO, and his tool is pretty comprehensive. You get stats from the big three (Google, Yahoo, and MSN), but a whole lot more, like links to Google Trends, Google Keyword Selection Tool, Quintura, and more. Pretty cool.

WordTracker’s Free Tool: http://freekeywords.wordtracker.com

This is a pretty basic search, and if you loved Overture, you’ll like this one, just as well. It’s a bare bones keyword search.

Good Keywords: http://goodkeywords.com

This is a bit of free software you can download. Good Keywords is a great way to get suggestions and it combines words to give you long-tail phrase ideas, as well.

Those are three good suggestions for you to replace Overture. If SEOBook’s keyword discovery tool is too complicated for you, try one of the other options. I’m sure you’ll find that one works quite nicely for you.

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I was just over at Darren Rowse’s blog — ProBlogger — and learned something so simple that it’s just freakin’ stupid that I and most people I know, didn’t think of it sooner. You can see his video post at

http://www.problogger.net/archives/2008/03/21/how-to-promote-yourself-and-your-blog-at-a-conference/

But… here’s the soup simple deal:

You know how conference badges are usually kind of lame? They have your name and sometimes your picture (not usually), but there’s often a bit of white space real estate you can put to good use. So, just shove your business card in there. Or, draw a cartoon. Or, whatever. You want people to notice it and start a conversation.

‘Course that’s never been my problem. I’ll walk up to anyone and just start talking. I’ve met some of the coolest people that way, and you know, some of these conference relationships can be really great. You’ll probably see these folks again or maybe even do business with them. That’s why going to offline conferences is such a big deal. If you aren’t doing it, you’re missing some very cool times.

Darren suggests putting the name of your blog and its URL on your conference badge, which is great for us serious bloggers, but you can really put a URL for anything in there, no?

I mean, think about it. If you’re an affiliate marketer, how about a curiosity arousing redirect for an affiliate link? Why not?

Make it something really cool so that people will ask you about it. Be creative!

http://mysite.com/kiss_me

http://mysite.com/eat_dirt

http://mysite.com/available

Oh, whatever. So, for my Blogging4Boomers site, I could have like:

http://bloggingforboomers.com/even_old_people_do_it

Yeah.

Think I’d get some inquisitors? Heck yeah. ‘Specially since in comparison to all these youngsters online, I’m one of the old ones. LOL

But that’s the ticket for today, people. USE that conference badge for something other than getting in.

Thanks for the great idea, Darren! Can’t wait until the next conference…

JVAlert in June.

I’m planning ahead.

Popularity: 57% [?]

Wow! Had one of the best calls on blogging in the series last night. People who are hardcore bloggers know who he is, but new people and people who have only started learning about the blogosphere probably haven’t heard the name “Ted Demopolous,” though he’s a long-time Netizen and well-respected consultant. He’s also written a couple of books on blogging, which is how I came to contact and meet him.

Anyway…

Ted was my special guest last night on the Blogging4Boomers.com teleseminar series and he gave an incredible amount of information to my members. He talked about positioning, writing content, social interaction and a whole lot more.

One thing that I found most interesting, and what not many people who blog for business remember is that you shouldn’t be selling from your blog. The way Ted put it, “I don’t make money from my blog. I make money because of my blog.” The idea being that when you write great content, people see you as the expert and they follow you and buy your products. But your blog can also get you offers — for consulting, for joint venturing, and so on. People “know” you by the way you write.

Very cool. And very true.

If you want to get in on the replay of Ted’s call, just go to Blogging4Boomers.com and sign up for the series. There is a replay page, but only for list members. Ted also gave a pretty sweet bonus.

I’ll be putting the call up this weekend. Sign up now so you’ll be able to check it out.

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If you’re into stats and analytics, like I can be, you probably should know about Hit Tail.

You can get some pretty cool long-tail ideas from it to use in posts, web pages, articles, whatever. My most searched phrase happens to be “how to embed video” in various combinations, like “on Blogger,” “on My Space,” and in “WordPress,” of course. That’s pretty neat to know.

So, how can I use that?

I’m going to produce a video soon to go along with the article that I wrote here a few months back: “How to Embed Video in a WordPress Blog,” and I’m going to put it up in all the usual places. I mean, it’s so simple to do, it’s ridiculous, but people who don’t know how to do it are obviously looking for the “how-to.” Cool. Hit Tail told me so.

It also tells me what keywords people searched for to get to my blog today, like “netslingers,” “seo matrix,” and “scribd ban.” Hmm… other people must be pissed about that, too. But I know what they’re interested in learning more about. Also cool.

Sub-domains, Ross Goldberg Call, StomperNet videos, and How to Blog course are my “suggestions.” Great. I have a How to blog course at http://Blogging4Boomers.com. Check that out.

But you see how valuable knowing this kind of stuff is? I look at it periodically to see what interests people most. I can use the information in so many different ways that it really makes sense to have such an account, right?

The basic account at Hit Tail is free but for an upgrade, it’s only $9.95 a month. Check it out, and I’m sure you’ll see the possibilities in having this very cool and basic information.

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I’m getting to be a real whiz with Camtasia. I guess when you make enough videos, that happens. Well, if you go through Camtasia’s course, which I plan to do someday, you know all this stuff up front. But I’m the kind of chick who likes to learn by doing, you know. I just jump right in and only look for help when I want to do something that I think is cool, but don’t know how to do. I’m terrible that way. I never read directions, either.

Anyway, today, I was making a pretty simple video, and I didn’t like the beginning. But… I thought. [see the little light bulb go on over Pat's head] Well… hmm… a PowerPoint could spice this up a bit.

But the trouble was: How the heck do I get the video and the PowerPoint to live together in one short film?

huh.

Well, when I thought about it, it was pretty simple actually.

• Record a video for both the PowerPoint and the screen capture. (I did the screen capture first, which was smart because then, I knew what I had to say when recording the PowerPoint. I left pauses where I wanted the video to kick in, you know? You can edit those out, which is pretty cool.)

• Then, on the storyline, put the PowerPoint in first, then split it where you want the video to come in.

• Plug in the screen capture video at that point

• You can split the video where you want the PowerPoint to come back. If it’s the end, that’s really easy because the end of the PowerPoint will still be there. But if you want PowerPoint and video to alternate, you can just continue splitting and alternating.

You may think it makes things jerky, and it probably will if you do it too much. Yet, Camtasia does a good job of making smooth transitions. You can always add transition screens to make it look even cooler, too.

This is probably soup simple for the video tech heads, but it’s an adventure for moi.

I’m really getting into this video creation stuff. It’s not just fun, it’s important! I really think it’s the way of the Web, folks. If you’re not at least exploring the possibilities of video, you’re behind the curve. I’m learning a lot working with Brian Edmondson, who’s doing some kick butt stuff for Overcome Everything, too. Brian is da video guy and he rocks.

But… I’ve also been watching Andy Jenkins’ videos about making videos over at StomperNet. Whoa.

Nothing like learning from a pro. I feel blessed. And thanks, Andy! You rock — out loud.

My site on blogging is all step-by-step video, so this is making it better all the time. Love it!

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I really enjoy working with search engines and all that it entails, and I’ve come to learn lots of little tricks and tons and tons of interesting information that’s been helpful both to me and to my clients.

But there are other things about SEO that people sometimes put blinders on about. First, they think that SEO is mysterious and too complicated, so rather than study it themselves, they hire people, like me, to help them with it. That’s cool. It’s what I do. What I love, and it pays well.

But over the past couple of years, I’ve learned that before taking on any client, I need to be upfront with them about some things…

Caveats of SEO

The first thing I tell people is that SEO is fluid. What works today may get you penalized tomorrow. For example, people were buying and selling links for a long time. It was great for the buyers because it helped them to get more traction with the search engines, and it helped the sellers earn some income.

But a few months ago, the Google hammer came down and smacked just about everyone doing so, including yours truly. I had a PR4 blog for eons, until Google saw my one, tiny little link that earns very little, and I could easily abandon it. But I’m a loyal person and I just won’t boot my advertiser because he/she has been on board here for many moons. It must be a link that works for them, so I won’t take that away.

The next thing I tell clients is that just because you spend time and money on SEO, that doesn’t guarantee that the strategy will work. I mean, I never provide a plan for someone, unless I’ve had experience with the system and know that it’s worked for other people. But… niches are quirky. What works in one niche, might not work in another. I mean, chances are very good that it will, but SEO doesn’t come with guarantees.

Case in point: I had a fitness client, and I did quite a bit of work for him. I set him up with a links page and did a lot of stuff that was working well two years ago. Then, boom! Google changes its algorithm and life as we knew it in the SEO world changed with it. My client was furious! His site like plummeted, and he couldn’t understand why. Owie. That was bad, and why I always go out of my way to explain that these things could happen before they pay me a dime.

Page Rank Doesn’t Matter

The third thing I explain is that page rank doesn’t really matter. Just because you see a PR5 on your Google toolbar, it doesn’t necessarily mean that your page is a PR5. Google changes their rankings all the time, but they only update the toolbar once per quarter.

That one almost cost me a job a while back. I had worked on a site for months, trying to build it to where it would show PR to appease the client, but the toolbar just kept showing a PR0. Then, after about 6 months, BINGO! PR5, first time out of the gate.

What really matters is where your page is appearing in the SERPs (search engine results pages). That’s all. You can have a PR10 and still won’t get traffic to your website, if you’re on page 8 of the results, right? That’s what matters — positioning. Where will your site fall on the results pages for the keywords appropriate to your niche? That’s all that matters. You don’t get any gold stars for having a PR anything. It looks cool on the toolbar, maybe, but that’s about it.

And finally, I explain the Brad Fallon rule that “SEO isn’t a sprint; it’s a marathon.” And that’s what it is.

A good SEO system takes hours and hours of effort, and it takes consistency. You have to write in your blog every day. You have to write articles every week. You have to collect links back from top-notch directories and websites — one-way links whenever possible. You have to comment on blogs for that reason, and post in forums.

YOU HAVE TO BE A STRONG PRESENCE ON THE WEB.

Period.

You have to use every tool available, and you have use them on a regular schedule. I mean, just grab your Oulook calendar or even a paper desk calendar, like I use, and write the things in that you need to do. Monday, post in my blog. Tuesday, submit and article and post in my blog, Wednesday, make a video and post in my blog, and so on.

And then, when Google decides to change an algorithm, it won’t hurt so bad. You’ll have tons of resources shoring up your listing and you can make the needed adjustments and keep cranking!

Just don’t think that you can write an article here, write in a blog once every three months, and get tons of crappy directory links. That won’t help you.

SEO is a system. Set it up and just keep working it. It will pay off… in time.

Great Free Teleseminar Series on Blogging Still Running Strong

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My friend Charles says my new theme is dark and that maybe I’m going through a “dark” period.

Well, Charles, old pal… That couldn’t be further from the truth. I’m actually pretty light of spirit these days. Things are going pretty well, and it’s all because I watched one simple film called The Secret.

Ever heard of it?

Actually, another of my old friends, Stephen Ayer, who owns Traffic Roundup, put me onto it. You know, I don’t thank him enough. Stephen, thanks!

It was because of that one little movie that I took action. I did something so totally un-me-like. I signed up for a coaching program that was $500 a month! Something told me I had to do it. It was that little voice in the back of my head. Do it! You need to do it!

And I did.

And my life is far different from what it was 2 years ago. I’ve been working with some of the biggest and best people in the business. I’ve started a new membership site that I absolutely love. My members rock! And, I’m actually making this whole Internet business work.

You can, too. You absolutely can. But, not if you don’t…

Take action.

#1 Watch The Secret.

It will change your life… But… You still have to

#2 TAKE ACTION!

No big hand is going to come down from the sky and hand stuff to you. You won’t luck into anything. Your life will never change.

Not until YOU do something.

I see so many people with dreams and gargantuan hopes, and they never get it.

Do it!

#3 Always be list building.

It’s no Secret. You’ve heard it time and time and time again, but are you doing it? If you aren’t, you’re screwed. You won’t make any money.

Co-registration is great when you’re starting out. It can build your list pretty quickly. I like List Builder Pro and I’ve been using the service a couple of years now. I get like 250 people added to my list every single month for about $50. It’s well worth the expense.

It’s not the same as buying leads, so don’t confuse that with doing something illegal.

These people opt into my list from an ad for my newsletter, which they receive once per month.

And I build a relationship with them. I write to them almost every day. It’s that action thingy I was telling you about.

Let me know your questions about co-registration. I’ll be happy to give you the answers, both here and in email.

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Yes, I admit it. I’m a theme junkie.

I had to search for one for a very special reason for the company I work for, and after viewing about 3,000 different themes, I was pretty burned out. You know? You get to where nothing looks good.

Then, it hit me. This new blue one just grabbed me right out of my stupor and I had to have it.

And then, nothing else works right. My whole second sidebar just disappeared. Oh, well. who needs it? LOL

I’m in love.

But I’m fickle as hell.

I could be purple next week.

What d’ya think?

Popularity: 50% [?]

So, if you have a WordPress blog and pay any attention at all to the WordPress development blog, you’ll realize that the WordPress guys and gals are ready to launch a new version–again.

I’m a huge WordPress acolyte. In my membership training site, it’s all I recommend. I mean, I LOVE WordPress.

But what happens? Everyone is totally confused again. Ah… well, grist for my training mill. I guess it’s a good thing.

What will some of the changes be?

First, an entirely new Dashboard. Looks pretty hot. You’ll be able to see stats much easier, and comments and such. Looks more Web 2.0-ish. WordPress is going more social. That’s the bottom line.

You’ll be able to put up a photo gallery, have sub-categories, and the organization will be simplified. You can read all about it:

http://wordpress.org/development/2008/03/25-sneak-peek/

Or, duh… Just go to your dashboard, and click the link.

WordPress says it changed the dashboard for the simple reason that we just don’t pay attention to it. Well… I do.

Anyway, I’m excited. I think this new creation will be pretty cool. However, I’ll wait to try it, since it’s still in beta. I don’t have the patience for too many quirks, nor the time. But… If you’re a developer or total blog geek, you can download the beta version at the link above.

You go, WordPress, but I’ll wait until it’s stable, thanks.

Popularity: 100% [?]

So, I lost an old friend over the weekend. It really totally sucked, too. I’d had my old HP desktop for 4 years and used it hard. I mean, I ride ‘em to death. Poor thing. I felt so bad.

And then, the aftermath. Some of my old software just won’t work with Vista. Bye-bye Office 2000, hellow Office 2007. Whoopee. I’m not thrilled. Not that it’s not a good program. I can’t say if it is or if it isn’t. I haven’t used it enough just yet.

But I always buy HP. I’ve had 4 desktops and 2 laptops and most of them are still working. I’ve even sold them to other people because I loved mine so much. Hell, I should get a commission, you know? But they make a great product and I stick with them. I can’t say the same for some of the other companies, and certainly not for buying computers at Walmart. Bad idea.

Speaking of that (and why I’m telling you the sad story of my computer death), while going through some old mail, I found an Aaron Wall post about Walmart offering SEO services from late December. Whoa. I had to click:

http://samsbiz.com/page/1dmiu/Online_Advertising.html

Get ready.

Remember what happened to the mom & pop shops when the discount chains moved in?

Not a good sign.

Let’s hear it… What does that say to you?

Popularity: 50% [?]