Googbies

SexySEO - My New Favorite Googbie

2007-11-12T18:02:00.000-05:00

Alright call me shallow... call me a dirty old man... call me whatever you want....

But, this Googbie that goes by "SexySEO" is as smart as she is gorgeous. Why do I say she's smart? For leveraging her good looks to get the eyeballs initially focused on her to quickly move onto the content on her website. Once I was there on her site I found most of her posts chock full of good advice.

So check out SexySEO and feast your eyes on beautiful SEO tips and advice.

Listen up Googbies - Simple Rules for Online Success

2007-11-02T11:34:00.001-04:00

With all of the cyber-whining going on in blogs, webmaster forums, and at virtual water coolers all over the net I thought it might be helpful to post some of the highlights from an excellent post I discovered from Ahmed Bilal entitled '10 Simple Rules for Online Success':

Rule #1. Stop Whining
My translation:
Your whining about things you can't control and I can't help you control isn't helpful to you, me, or anyone else. So stop yer bitchin'!

Rule #2. Channel Your Energies
My translation:
IF you have a setback, or someone pisses you off, don't expend a lot of negative energy dwelling on it. Deal with it. If it's something you can correct go about correcting it. If it's water under the damn, wave goodbye to it and move on. Focus your energies on positive things and actions that will move you towards where you want to go.

Rule #3. Focus
My translation:
Focus on the tasks you need to focus on to succeed in reaching your goals. What separates highly successful people from those who never achieve their goals is in part their ability to focus on accomplishing the tasks necessary to succeed. Stop letting distractions interfere with progress. Stop letting friends, online and offline, throw you off course. We all want to be happy and enjoy our friendships, but you need to control your own time and be sure to invest enough of it towards meeting your goals.

Rule #4. Find Yourself and Your Target
My translation:
Identify appropriate targets to aim for. Know your strengths and talents and be sure they're harmonious with your business objectives. Set goals. How much do you want to earn a month? What do you need to do to reach your goals? Do what you need to do to reach your goals.

Rule #5. Self Discipline
My translation:
Success requires work. Work takes time. Yes, I've heard that working smart is better then working hard, but even working smart takes time. Set a schedule for your work (smart work or otherwise) and stick to it. If you prefer to "be your own boss" then start bossing!

Rule #6. Consistent Effort
My translation:
If you're confident your goals and targeted objectives are spot on then keep working towards succeeding in getting the job done. Don't give up. Don't get thrown off course. Keep plugging away.

Rule #7. Other People's Resources
My translation:
As much as we all want to get things 'just right' by doing them ourselves we need to learn to outsource certain tasks to people who can do them better, faster, or cheaper. Don't spend $50 an hour time doing $5 an hour work. Don't do design if your design talent is non-existent.

Rule #8. Always Improve
My translation:
Constantly trying to improve, even small improvements, is necessary to succeed in life, business, and relationships. Sure some of the 'improvements' will be steps backwards, but overall constant efforts to improve will be recognized by those who matter and will be rewarded.

Rule #9. Share
My translation:
Share what you know, your opinions, your ideas. This can also be called networking and it's invaluable to succeeding.

Rule #10. Act Now
My translation:
Act now!

Rule #11. Read #1 again!

Blogosphere News

2007-11-02T11:06:00.000-04:00

Came across this site and found it pretty useful. Blogosphere News offers links to articles covering topics dear to Googbie hearts like page rank, design, internet marketing, etc....

I followed one link to the article 'The Significance of Page Rank' and found it particularly interesting.

As most Googbies are aware there are a lot of blogs out there with page rank that they're envious of. Well it seems the recent Google attack on sites' page rank wasn't limited to just web directories, the attack was part of a web-wide assault on all types of sites including blogs. Apparently a lot of blogs got whacked by Google every bit as hard as web directories like Alive Directory, Aviva Directory and my very own Big Guide and Web Directory got whacked.

On a side note I was quite surprised that a blog of mine that I had all but forgotten actually had it's page rank go UP. I have no idea why, but the PR of my Security Software Stop blog went from a PR2 to PR3. While it's like finding a $20 bill in a winter coat not worn for 8 months what I dislike about the change is not having any clue what caused it to increase! Seems the way to get page rank is to place a site in a dark closet and completely forget about it.

Web Directory Owners are Gardeners

2007-10-16T15:41:00.001-04:00

Starting a web directory and growing it is a lot like gardening. First, you have to have a plot of land. Whether a general or niche topic directory you'll need a domain (location), web host (sun light), script (soil), and a category structure (layout).

Once the site (garden) is open for business you'll need to choose which websites to add (seeds). Choosing quality websites (seeds) is critical for the long term success of the site (or health of the garden). Selecting quality sites and writing decent descriptions will give the listings (plants) the best chance for success (healthy growth).

Like seeds, website listings need water and fertilizer to grow. Think of these as traffic (water) and promotion (fertilizer). The more of these the seeds receive the bigger they'll grow. The healthier the web directory (garden) becomes the larger it will grow. Over time people will be happy to pay you to list their websites in your directory (plant their seeds in your garden).

So if you're a directory owner be sure you select good seed stock, water often, and fertilize on a regular schedule. Some of us have green thumbs and some don't.

If you're looking for quality directories to submit to don't overlook the future prize winners. If you spot a careful and conscientious gardener plant your seed there as it'll grow along with the garden giving you a good return on your investment.

For some quality directories run by excellent gardeners visit All Top Directories and BigGuide's Web directories section.

The Last Tribe of Cannibals

2007-09-24T20:07:00.000-04:00

Like the last tribe of Cannibals to cross paths with "civilization", Googbies are not sure what to make of the new way of life forced onto them at gunpoint by Google. No more frenzied buying of links to drive a website higher in the rankings and pagerank? But, that's the way we've been doing it for years! Google wanted links... we bought links!!! What's the problem!?

Like cannibalism the link buying orgy of the recent past began to have a serious affect on the entire Googbie population. As search engine results became increasingly peppered with sites that weren't there because a lot of other sites voluntarily linked to them (i.e. they had quality content), but rather because they had paid other sites to link to them in order to fake popularity.

So no more eating your neighbor when you have a disagreement? Now we Googbies will have to resort to playing on a more level playing field where the higher the quality of your site(s) the better rankings in the search engine results (SERPs).

Damn. I call for a meeting. We need to find new ways to feed ourselves!

The End of the Web Directory Game

2007-09-21T15:02:00.000-04:00

We bid farewell to the "web directory game".

For most of this year it seems there were umpteen directories being launched daily. Thousands and thousands of web directories from general to niche, from free to paid, and more recently a huge number of "bidding" directories came to be.

Well, it appears that Google has concluded that the "web directory game" (i.e. practice of gaming the search engines by adding hundreds of links to a website in web directories) had to end. The search engines use, in part, the number of links pointing to a site to determine the popularity, and therefore, quality of a website. With more webmasters artificially inflating this number via web directories Google really had no option, but to do something to protect the integrity of their search results.

So they finally did something. After months of speculation it is finally clear that Google is devaluing the links from most web directories to websites. The evidence is all over, but the clearest evidence can be found by looking at the drastic reductions in the numbers of back links it recognizes that are pointing to the top web directories. Rand Fishkin's post on SEOmoz.org sums the damage done to the top directories well.

As I've said in a previous post I understand their need to maintain "search results integrity". So even though many web directories exercise "editorial integrity" resulting in a directory of quality sites the practice of disguising a websites popularity by submitting to hundreds of web directories appears to be coming to an abrupt end.

Adding insult to injury Google's stock hit an all-time high today and it was announced that Google now represents 54% of all web searches, up 50% from last year. Yahoo! is a distant 2nd at 20% and MSN a distant 3rd with 13%.

Clearly the biggest beneficiary of this move to close down the "web directory game" is Google. Now if a webmaster wants to move to the top of the search results they'll have to either produce a quality site and wait a long while to get there OR they'll have to buy some Google Adwords to get there instantly. As my pals in the Guiness commercials would say... BRILLIANT!.

The Best Web Directories

2007-09-20T14:10:00.000-04:00

Every day someone new asks which web directories are the best to submit to and there is no right or wrong answer. This post in the BigGuide Webmaster Resource Blog sums up how I feel about it and is worth reading.

Another resource not listed in that post is Aviva's Strongest Web Directories list.

Smart Googbies invest in listings when they run across an opportunity where the cost/benefit ratio is favorable so they typically invest in listings over time after any initial or upfront investment has long passed. In addition, search engines are said to prefer gradually increasing backlink strategy over the "big bang" upfront orgy of link buying.

This Googbie still believes our very own BigGuide Internet Directory offers as strong a cost/benefit ratio at $7 for a review fee for a permanent listing as any other web directory out there. Of course we're biased but, we really do believe it's a great long term value for any webmaster. With over 6,000 quality websites listed, including many editor-added "gems", the visitor experience is far better than most directories offer and should insure the already strong traffic continues to grow over time.

Of course there are hundreds of other directories worth every penny of their review fee and you'll find more information on them in the post in the BigGuide blog.

Recommended New Tool

2007-09-20T12:14:00.000-04:00

Compete.com has launched a new tool that allows clients to determine and track what keywords competitors are ranking high for and develop strategies to exploit that competitive intelligence.

The 'Keyword Referral' tool helps you discover which sites are benefiting more than others from keyword phrases. The tool allows clients to assess which websites are getting the most traffic from selected keyword phrases and to determine how important these different phrases are to each of these sites for generating high traffic.

The tool is not free, but their payment scheme is essentially a pay-as-you-go scheme with the entry level as little as $20. You can check out the Compete.com keyword referral tool here.

Googbies Turn Violent

2007-09-01T11:04:00.000-04:00

Historically Google updated the pagerank of websites every 90 days or thereabouts and it's now been over 4 months since the last update and Googbies are turning violent. Fortunately this violence has only led to Google bashing and cyber-duels in the various webmaster forums across the web.

Speculation that Google is working through some 'problem' it has with it's pageranking methodology is growing. Of greatest concern to many webmasters and some businesses is the rumor that the delay is being cased by an effort by Google to reduce or eliminate the value of links that have been paid for in web directories or on sites that rent text link ads.

I, for one, look forward to the update being over with and done regardless of what the outcome means for my directories. Not knowing is worse then bad news.

Google's Business Model Challenged by Lawsuit

2007-08-18T10:20:00.000-04:00

Seems American Airlines (AA) is fed up with Google making money off of their protected trademarks. American Airlines filed a lawsuit against Google to stop it from earning money when competitors of AA pay Google to have their ad displayed in the 'sponsored results' section when a prospective traveller types in an American Airlines trademark.

Is it ok for Google to let one company use another company's trademark to try and steal business away? Should Google get paid to rent a company's trademarks to competitors on a pay-per-click basis?

This isn't the first time Google has been sued for this, but American Airlines is the largest company to sue to date. Although they've won similar cases in the U.S. they did settle a lawsuit by Geico a couple of years back and they've lost similar cases in France.

I'm going to follow this one because I think Google may very well lose this one and the ramifications could be significant for all search engine companies and perhaps for us Googbies in the long run as well.

Here's an article about the lawsuit....

The Hidden Value of Directory Listings

2007-08-03T00:54:00.000-04:00

I've heard the same arguments made over and over again on virtually all of the Webmaster forums where directory owners mingle with other Webmasters. The argument usually hinges on the SEO value, or lack thereof, based on what the Google algorithm thinks of links in Web directories. Traffic from directories is usually not defended in these debates because very few directories deliver enough traffic relative to other advertising methods to mount a viable defense.

So link value = SEO value + traffic? Wrong.

One very important factor missing in the equation is the value of a new client, supplier/vendor, or business associate. In many businesses bringing in one of any of these could be worth many thousands of dollars.

One example used by a Web directory naysayer was that of an online retailer of "pink flip flops". Of course in that example the value of a new customer that might buy a pair of flip flops might make a listing investment foolish. But, what if a Chinese manufacturer of flip flops browsing the directory after a search led them there found your business? What if you signed a new deal lowering your cost of goods by 20% after frieght costs? What if that same new relationship resulted in a new line of Sunglasses, bathing suits, and beach towels?

You get the point? Benefits of advertising, which is what this IS, can be all but impossible to measure. It's more than pageviews and Web traffic. It's about positioning a business as a leader in it's niche. How often have you visited a Web directory (premium, paid, bid) and NOT seen AliveDirectory there? Are they there because they're BIG or are they there because they're THERE and EVERYWHERE else?

What is the typical budget for Web directory listings? Frankly I don't know, but let's say it's $1000. How many new business relationships does it take to pay for all of these listings many times over? Answer: One or two. Of course if your business isn't there when that prospective partner views the category you lose out and equally as important, your competitor MAY get that new deal.

Business people do find Web directories and they often times dig into the subcategories relevant to their niche. Although they obviously don't always invest in their own listings they likely DO make mental note of the companies they discover and surely visit some of the unfamiliar Websites to size the company up.

How often does this happen? Dunno.

But, as one (self serving :) ) example my BigGuide Web directory is getting over 600 unique visitors a day with virtually no traffic advertising so the traffic is not being PUSHED or unnaturally inflated. Now that may not sound like much traffic to some, but when you step back and consider that most of these visitors are ONE or TWO TIME visitors the potential value of being seen when they dig through "their" category makes these visits a lot more valuable then the same 600 visitors to a daily news site or forum.

My goal here is not to defend Web directories per se because the "link game" was spiraling out of control leading to far too many directories chasing far too many quality Website listings (free and paid). I think the current confusion over the "future of Web directories" will have a cleansing effect on the space and hasten the weeding out process leaving the strong and those with upside momentum and eliminating the weak.

Finally, Web directories are not dead. Even without ANY SEO value companies will continue advertising in directories where they want to be seen. The investment in a long term listing in a Web directory that is maintained for many years remains of value. What value? Depends a lot on the type of business and the ability of that business to convert opportunities into lasting relationships.

Google Blogosphere Search

2007-08-02T17:24:00.000-04:00

My BigGuide Web directory has seen an increase in traffic over the past two days that has me scratching my head. So I went to Google and started searching for an article or something else that may be responsible for this unexpected surge in traffic.

In the course of searching the news and the Web for evidence of a new mention of BigGuide I noticed Google has a blog search tool that I wasn't aware of before. Now I have no idea how long it's been out there and I apologize if I'm on the tail end of the "edge", but I thought I'd share the news to the other folks that just might not be aware of the great tool.

They offer an email alert tool so you can get notified when someone blogs about your site. Not a bad idea to sign up for that because you probably want to be the first to know what people are saying about your site out there in the blogosphere.

Google Eliminates Supplemental Results

2007-08-01T01:29:00.000-04:00

It's unclear exactly what the ramifications of this announcement by Google that they're going to "stop labeling these URLs as "Supplemental Results"".

Here are a couple of threads that will undoubtedly contain some useful information on the ramifications and the significance of this change by Google.

v7n Webmaster forums

Digital Point forums

If you find another thread worth adding to the list please leave a comment.

I hope this turns out to be of help to you fellow Googbies!

Google kills the good times for Web directories?

2007-07-29T02:46:00.000-04:00

A thread over at the Digital Point Forums started with someone stating that their listings in Web directories were not being recognized by Google any longer. Of course this could be big news for a lot of people, especially directory owners like myself.

One poster, Yellowberry, lamented "they have not counted any of my linkbacks from directory I think the good days are over".

But, would it really be a BAD thing?

As the owner of several directories it would certainly cause some concern as I have been earning money from them and was counting on the revenues to increase over time. But, setting my bias aside for a minute, I think if Google could eliminate the counting of thousands of redundant links in forums, on blogs, within posts on social sites, and yes on thousands of directories, that the quality of experiences in ALL of these sites would improve dramatically. Imagine a Webmasters forum where people only posted to communicate and not for a link.

Why? Because there are too many people posting rubbish everywhere they can simply to create the illusion that someone linked to their site. If Google can sort out the best quality sites based on actual quality instead of numbers of links Website owners will have to produce a quality product (content) to generate the links and the cream will rise and the incredible volume of sheer rubbish will disappear making it increasingly easy to find quality sites.

What will directory owners do? Well there's room for some and the smartest directory owners will survive and still others will thrive.

No matter what Google does the masses want quality Websites and finding them will always open up opportunities for companies other than Google.

once-in-a-lifetime-backlinks

2007-07-27T00:59:00.000-04:00

When I visit Google Webmaster Central I'm not there to read anything other then what I went their to read. But, for some reason this last visit I decided to check out their Website Success Stories.

I'm glad I did because it further solidified by belief that the best way to build traffic, backlinks, pagerank, and ultimately profits, is to...

drum role please...

Get a backlink from Google on a PR10 page!

Seriously though, while you may not get a link on this Google Success Stories page the lesson I took away from checking out these once-in-a-lifetime-backlinks is that the secret to success online has less to do with knowing SEO and a solid link building strategy as it dos with creating a valuable online resource.

So build a site that offers the intended audience a satisfying experience every time they visit. This implies the site is well designed, the content, tools or other value visitor's are seeking are useful, AND that the content is worth consuming and updated by the time the visitor returns.

Yes, you've heard this over and over, but why then do so many Googbies spend so much time worrying about link exchange, link building, SEO, when they could take that time and invest it into improving their Website(s) and ultimately end up with more profits and probably higher SERPs as well keeping the cycle going. I doubt any of the people behind the sites listed (a PR10 page btw)

Don't get me wrong I'm into link building as much as anyone, afterall I own 4 Web directories - Big Guide, a niche directory for moms and of course one for dads and a newer one for trendy things. And of course I hope to monetize them by selling listings to give Webmasters exposure and backlinks.

But, take an honest look at how much time you spend on SEO and link building and then look at your sites and if you're not 100 percent satisfied get to work! Who knows maybe one of your sites will make it onto the Google Success Stories page.

Time to Form a New Country

2007-07-26T01:40:00.000-04:00

A successful internet exec I know, a genius really, recently said "The Internet is coming into its own as a location. Many, many people spend more time exploring, shopping and being entertained on the Internet than they do in their geographic locations."

And he's absolutely right.

The ramifications are visible all around us, but like so many significant changes in societies throughout history the importance of these changes are missed by almost everyone.

The effect on businesses is of course going to be significant and it's true that as the product, availability and price becomes more identical across the competitive landscape in many industries and businesses the differentiator will come down more to who the buyer WANTS to give their business to and having an online connection will be a major help in securing that patronage.

That said, what I see happening as virtual communities grow in size and strength could be far more significant to mankind.

As more like-minded people throughout the world get connected through online communities the declining importance of one's address or location may very well cause not only the local businesses to lose control over their customers, but governments may as well. If millions of like-minded members of an online community decided to form a new virtual country and disconnect (go off grid) from their geographic-based country what would happen?

This new country could collect taxes or contributions to help fight the lawsuits, free imprisoned citizens, recruit new citizens, offer whatever citizen support, if any to their "needy". Then the liberals could have their high taxes and high safety nets and the conservatives could have their low taxes and their private schools. Imagine the possibilities.

Before you send the "man" after me with a net think about the Islamic fanatics and ask yourself what country THEY belong to. It's clear to me that the internet is making things possible that many people haven't even begun to consider.

Long live the internet. Long live Googbies!

Post Google PageRank Disorder

2007-07-25T15:24:00.001-04:00

For those of you who find yourselves in a state of depression after the update upon us please visit this site: Psychology Info.

This depression can be brought on by an unexpected DROP in rank, an expected increase not materializing, and even a severe sadness that the Googbie's Santa is gone for 3 more months.

Don't despair. We're looking into opening a crisis center to help Googbies in crisis. In the meantime just send email or comments and we'll get you though your phase.

The Largest Collection of Googbie Posts to Date

2007-07-25T15:02:00.000-04:00

This thread over at DigitalPoint's forums has to be the largest visible evidence that the Googbie population is growing faster than previously thought. The thread ' Google's 2007-Q3 PageRank (PR) Update ' started on June 7th by 'hitboy' has 31,668 views and 1,437 posts. The fact that so many Googies have been willing to come out of the shadows to post is another indication that their numbers are increasing and they're not as small a minority as they once were.

Any way the wait for the next Google PageRank update is wearing on the Googbie population and surely they're checking their pagerank checking tools before their eyes are all the way open. It won't be long now.... I hope they get what they've been wishing for.

Supplemental Results

2007-07-21T01:06:00.000-04:00

The term, supplemental results, strikes fear into Webmasters. I don't see it discussed very often in the Webmaster forums I frequent, although maybe that's just because it's disturbing to learn more about what it means and eve more disturbing to learn what it takes to get sites, pages, or links out of Google's supplemental results.

I came across this blog post on Google and thought I'd share it with those of you who aren't yet familiar with what is meant by "supplemental results".

v7n corrals PR update watchers

2007-07-18T02:21:00.000-04:00

As we approach the next Google PR update more Googbies start to show up at various Webmaster forums to discuss the timing and implications of the update. v7n saw fit to gather up all of the various posts on the timing of the update and combine them into this one thread.

Vegas Line on Next PR Update

2007-07-12T23:23:00.000-04:00

I haven't checked the latest Vegas line on the Google Pr update, but last I looked the odds had it about July 27th.

The Googbies are definitely getting restless. Every forum I frequent has discussion after discussion about the upcoming update.

A typical thread on v7n's Webmaster forum here.

Googbie Celebration!

2007-07-09T21:43:00.000-04:00

A group of fellow Googbies celebrating in the forums over at phplinkdirectory.com. It appears the beginning of the current Google pagerank update cycle has begun.

This is the season we Googbies live for! We celebrate our gains and trash Google when we have setbacks.

Keep a close watch on the pagerank of your sites and the inner or secondary pages. If you'd be so kind to send me any newsworthy changes I'd be grateful. david(at)googbies.com

Good luck Googbies!!!!!!!!!!!

SEO Do's and Don'ts

2007-07-09T12:58:00.000-04:00

I came across some sensible SEO do's and don'ts that are worth a look:
I picked these up at: SearchEngineLand.com The Do's and The Don'ts where Matt McGee breaks it down for us as follows:

The 21 do's:

1. Commit yourself to the process. SEO isn't a one-time event. Search engine algorithms change regularly, so the tactics that worked last year may not work this year. SEO requires a long-term outlook and commitment.

2. Be patient. SEO isn't about instant gratification. Results often take months to see, and this is especially true the smaller you are, and the newer you are to doing business online.

3. Ask a lot of questions when hiring an SEO company. It's your job to know what kind of tactics the company uses. Ask for specifics. Ask if there are any risks involved. Then get online yourself and do your own research—about the company, about the tactics they discussed, and so forth.

4. Become a student of SEO. If you're taking the do-it-yourself route, you'll have to become a student of SEO and learn as much as you can. Luckily for you, there are plenty of great Web resources (like Search Engine Land) and several terrific books you can read. Aaron Wall's SEO Book, Jennifer Laycock's Small Business Guide to Search Engine Marketing, and Search Engine Optimization: An Hour a Day by Jennifer Grappone and Gradiva Couzin are three I've read and recommend.

5. Have web analytics in place at the start. You should have clearly defined goals for your SEO efforts, and you'll need web analytics software in place so you can track what's working and what's not.

6. Build a great web site. I'm sure you want to show up on the first page of results. Ask yourself, "Is my site really one of the 10 best sites in the world on this topic?" Be honest. If it's not, make it better.

7. Include a site map page. Spiders can't index pages that can't be crawled. A site map will help spiders find all the important pages on your site, and help the spider understand your site's hierarchy. This is especially helpful if your site has a hard-to-crawl navigation menu. If your site is large, make several site map pages. Keep each one to less than 100 links. I tell clients 75 is the max to be safe.

8. Make SEO-friendly URLs. Use keywords in your URLs and file names, such as yourdomain.com/red-widgets.html. Don't overdo it, though. A file with 3+ hyphens tends to look spammy and users may be hesitant to click on it. Related bonus tip: Use hyphens in URLs and file names, not underscores. Hyphens are treated as a "space," while underscores are not.

9. Do keyword research at the start of the project. If you're on a tight budget, use the free versions of Keyword Discovery or WordTracker, both of which also have more powerful paid versions. Ignore the numbers these tools show; what's important is the relative volume of one keyword to another. Another good free tool is Google's AdWords Keyword Tool, which doesn't show exact numbers.

10. Open up a PPC account. Whether it's Google's AdWords or Yahoo's Search Marketing or something else, this is a great way to get actual search volume for your keywords. Yes, it costs money, but if you have the budget it's worth the investment. It's also the solution if you didn't like the "Be patient" suggestion above and are looking for instant visibility.

11. Use a unique and relevant title and meta description on every page. The page title is the single most important on-page SEO factor. It's rare to rank highly for a primary term (2-3 words) without that term being part of the page title. The meta description tag won't help you rank, but it will often appear as the text snippet below your listing, so it should include the relevant keyword(s) and be written so as to encourage searchers to click on your listing. Related bonus tip: You can ignore the Keywords meta altogether if you'd like; it's close to inconsequential. If you use it, put misspellings in there, and any related keywords that don't appear on the page.

12. Write for users first. Google, Yahoo, etc., have pretty powerful bots crawling the web, but to my knowledge these bots have never bought anything online, signed up for a newsletter, or picked up the phone to call about your services. Humans do those things, so write your page copy with humans in mind. Yes, you need keywords in the text, but don't stuff each page like a Thanksgiving turkey. Keep it readable.

13. Create great, unique content. This is important for everyone, but it's a particular challenge for online retailers. If you're selling the same widget that 50 other retailers are selling, and everyone is using the boilerplate descriptions from the manufacturer, this is a great opportunity. Write your own product descriptions, using the keyword research you did earlier (see #9 above) to target actual words searchers use, and make product pages that blow the competition away. Plus, retailer or not, great content is a great way to get inbound links.

14. Use your keywords as anchor text when linking internally. Anchor text helps tells spiders what the linked-to page is about. Links that say "click here" do nothing for your search engine visibility.

15. Build links intelligently. Submit your site to quality, trusted directories such as Yahoo, DMOZ, Business.com, Aviva, and Best of the web. Seek links from authority sites in your industry. If local search matters to you (more on that coming up), seek links from trusted sites in your geographic area—the Chamber of Commerce, etc. Analyze the inbound links to your competitors to find links you can acquire, too.

16. Use press releases wisely. Developing a relationship with media covering your industry or your local region can be a great source of exposure, including getting links from trusted media web sites. Distributing releases online can be an effective link building tactic, and opens the door for exposure in news search sites. Related bonus tip: Only issue a release when you have something newsworthy to report. Don't waste journalists' time.

17. Start a blog and participate with other related blogs. Search engines, Google especially, love blogs for the fresh content and highly-structured data. Beyond that, there's no better way to join the conversations that are already taking place about your industry and/or company. Reading and commenting on other blogs can also increase your exposure and help you acquire new links. Related bonus tip: Put your blog at yourdomain.com/blog so your main domain gets the benefit of any links to your blog posts. If that's not possible, use blog.yourdomain.com.

18. Use social media marketing wisely. If your small business has a visual element, join the appropriate communities on Flickr and post high-quality photos there. If you're a service-oriented business, use Yahoo Answers to position yourself as an expert in your industry. With any social media site you use, the first rule is don't spam! Be an active, contributing member of the site. The idea is to interact with potential customers, not annoy them.

19. Take advantage of local search opportunities. Online research for offline buying is a growing trend. Optimize your site to catch local traffic by showing your address and local phone number prominently. Write a detailed Directions/Location page using neighborhoods and landmarks in the page text. Submit your site to the free local listings services that the major search engines offer. Make sure your site is listed in local/social directories such as CitySearch, Yelp, Local.com, etc., and encourage customers to leave reviews of your business on these sites, too.

20. Take advantage of the tools the search engines give you. Sign up for Google's webmaster Central and Yahoo's Site Explorer to learn more about how the search engines see your site, including how many inbound links they're aware of.

21. Diversify your traffic sources. Google may bring you 70% of your traffic today, but what if the next big algorithm update hits you hard? What if your Google visibility goes away tomorrow? Newsletters and other subscriber-based content can help you hold on to traffic/customers no matter what the search engines do. In fact, many of the DOs on this list—creating great content, starting a blog, using social media and local search, etc.—will help you grow an audience of loyal prospects and customers that may help you survive the whims of search engines.
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The Don'ts:

1. Don't reply to the SEO spam you get via e-mail. You don't need to submit to 1,000 search engines or 500 directories. You can't buy 2,000 quality links for $50. And no reputable SEO can guarantee a number one ranking on any search engine for keywords that matter. The kind of SEO company you want to hire doesn't send out spam.

2. Don't wait too long to implement SEO. Whether you're launching a new Web site or upgrading your current site, SEO considerations should be part of the discussion from day one.

3. Don't take your decision to hire an SEO company too lightly. Hiring an SEO company is not like choosing a company to service your copy machine. Online marketing can make or break your company, so choosing a vendor should involve a lot of research and questions with the companies you're considering.

4. Don't hire an SEO company and then divorce yourself from the process. It's your job to know and understand as much as possible about the strategies and tactics your SEO company will be using. If your SEO company uses high-risk tactics and your site gets caught, you'll be the one paying the price.

5. Don't spread your content over several domains. There are times when sub-domains or an additional domain might make sense, but those occasions should be dominated by user and content considerations, not an attempt to get multiple domains/sites listed in the SERPs. Know the pros and cons of using sub-domains and additional domains.

6. Don't waste your time submitting your URL to search engines. The crawler-based search engines will find your site more quickly as soon as you get a link from another web site already being crawled. Search engine submission died a few years ago.

7. Don't make your web site uncrawlable. This can result from an incorrect robots.txt file, having session IDs or too many variables in your URLs, using a convoluted navigation menu that spiders can't (or won't) follow, or developing an all-Flash, all-graphic, or all-AJAX site.

8. Don't target overly general keywords. A real estate agency in Wichita has no shot at ranking for the phrase "real estate;" a lawyer in Fresno has no shot at ranking for the word "lawyer." Optimize for relevant, specific keywords that will bring targeted traffic.

9. Don't stuff keywords in your meta tags, image alt tags, etc. That is so 1996-97. Today, it's called spam.

10. Don't stuff keywords in your page footer with lightly-colored or hidden text. That is so 1998-99. Today, it's also called spam.

11. Don't have the same title element on every page. Variety is the spice of life and, combined with relevance, is a pre-requisite to avoiding duplicate content issues and Google's supplemental index.

12. Don't allow both www.yourdomain.com and domain.com to resolve to your home page. Those are two separate addresses to a search engine, and that means you have the same content at two addresses. On a related note, don't link to your home page with a URL like www.yourdomain.com/index.html—that's also a separate address from www.yourdomain.com and will also look like duplicate content.

13. Don't ignore usability. Things like proper site structure, logical navigation, descriptive link text, etc., are good for both users and search engine spiders.

14. Don't give up on creating great content because you think your customers don't need or want it, or because your product or service doesn't lend itself to great content. No matter what business you're in, you can add great (linkable) content to your web site. A glossary is an easy way to create a page of great, keyword-rich content. Also consider a frequently asked questions page, a testimonials page, how to articles, product support manuals and so on.

15. Don't develop an unbalanced link profile. Too many small business owners, knowing links are important, immediately begin trading links with any and every site they can find. Not a good idea. Reciprocal links aren't bad by default, but if most of your inbound links are the result of link trades, they won't help much. Reciprocal links should only be made with quality, relevant web sites, and should only represent a fraction of your overall link profile.

16. Don't request the same exact anchor text on all links to your site. This is an obvious sign of unnatural link building. Your link building should look natural, and varied anchor text will help.

17. Don't plaster your link all over blog comments, guestbooks, etc. That's called spamming, not SEO.

18. Don't fret over keyword density. Yes, your target keyword and closely-related terms should appear in the page title, description meta tag, and page copy. No, a calculator is not an SEO tool.

19. Don't obsess over Google PageRank. What you see in the toolbar is several months old, and doesn't affect rankings like it used to. PageRank is now more about crawl frequency and depth, and whether a page is stored in the main index or supplemental index.

20. Don't check your rankings every day. They're going to change whether you look or not. Better to spend time improving your web site rather than watching it flutter up and down the SERPs.
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My favorites from the two lists above are #6 and #11 from the Do's list and #19 and #20 from the Don'ts list.

#6 Build a Great Website
I like this one because as a directory owner I see a lot of Websites every day and it's not hard to spot the ones that actually have a thoughtful motivated human behind the launching of the site. There are millions of junk sites out there and if your's stands out from the crowd when you finally get a visitor to it the chances of it getting bookmarked or in converting that visitor into a subscriber or client goes up considerably.

11. Use a unique and relevant title and meta description on every page.
As you create links to your site in directories, take the extra time to write a unique description of your site each and every time. I know it's painful with no reward in sight, but it's worth it. Don't write it as a salesperson would write it, but rather as a news reporter might write the description. Straight and to the point without any embellishment.

19. Don't obsess over Google PageRank.
Telling a Googbie to not obsess over Google Pagerank is like telling a dog to not obsess over a dog bone! Rubbish! :-)

20. Don't check your rankings every day.
And more rubbish!!! :-0 It's what Googbies do!

Google Acquires GrandCentral

2007-07-05T14:08:00.000-04:00

Google has acquired GrandCentral, a company offering innovative voice communications services to Googbies and others who like to stay on the forefront of technology that actually does make living life easier.

GrandCentral allows you to have one permanent phone number that rings up to 6 different phones or combination of your choosing. It also allows you to listen to voicemails while they're being left so in effect you can screen your calls. Ever lose a voicemail because it expired? Their service lets you save voicemails indefinitely.

For a complete picture of what GrandCentral's services entail visit their Website at GrandCentral.com. Their blog also expands on their service.

Did I mention it was free? It is. For now you can reserve a spot in line and hopefully before too long we'll get an email inviting us to join and get access to their free service.

Must be a Full Moon

2007-07-05T00:28:00.000-04:00

The Googbies are starting their quarterly ritual of losing all of their senses. It's almost as if a full moon is turning them into werewolves or something.

Typical thread in Digital Point's forums where a Googbie seems to be seeing things as he asks if the pagerank updating has begun because his recently launched sites are showing pagerank. After further digging by rather excited Googbies it turns out the pagerank sighting was anything but a genuine PR update.

This is an exciting and nerve racking time for us Googbies and I look forward to observing the rambling rhetoric certain to fill the various SEO and Webmaster oriented forums out there! :-)