Sometimes, the trickiest part of an SEOs job is project managing all the different aspects of the role and bringing it all together. To run a successful campaign, you need to balance a range of different skills and resources – and keep control of all of them. I use several different methods that have been honed over the years, and now I am confident that there’s no end of to the amount of information I can gather, digest and utilise without collapsing under the weight of it all. After much trial and error, I now use the following on a day to day basis, to manage my clients, projects, business and career:

1. Evernote (to capture it all)

2. Remember The Milk (to remind me of short and long term tasks)

3. My trusty Moleskine notebook (client notes, conference notes and stick drawings of cats – a speciality of mine)

4. A one page a day 2010 diary (to plan things out from day to day)

5. Intervals (online project management tool, essential for recording the work done on a campaign on a daily/weekly/monthly basis)

6. Kashflow (bookkeeping, invoice raising and credit control software)

I could probably write a blog post on all of the above (and perhaps I might one day) but the one tool that really holds everything together for me is Evernote, an essential (perhaps the essential) tool I’ve come to love and totally rely on. There are 3 ways of accessing Evernote (desktop app, web and phone) but I tend to use the desktop app more than the others and it’s installed on all the PCs I use for easy access (albeit behind a password for security). Whichever application you use, you just synchronise the data and it updates your account on each of the others immediately.

As a ‘capture’ tool there’s no end of things you can save or record, but for SEO I tend to use Evernote for the following:

Industry Updates / News - There seems to be a thousand new articles, blog posts and tweets everyday about some aspect of internet marketing and while it’s vital to keep up, the noise can be absolutely deafening. However, if I come across something I think will be of interest then I ‘clip’ it to my ‘To Read’ notebook to look at later that day, or sometime in the future. Then, rather than try and remember what I’ve saved, I use the search box to find specific articles based on keywords.  This is particularly helpful when I’m looking for info on a specific subject (like email marketing) as I know I’ll have a good selection of resources that I’ll have saved over the previous weeks.

Client Information - Each client has their own notebook in which I save all information relating to the account and the campaign such as goals, contact details, contracts, emails, business cards, screenshots, reports etc. Again, I use the search tool to find specific documents as each of my client notebooks holds a phenomenal amount of data.

Content - Each client has a ‘Content’ notebook where I store articles and blog posts relating to their keywords. This is super handy for when I come across an opportunity to place some content for them. I also keep a ‘resource box’ here for link data should I also come across a chance to place a link (it means I get the HTML right every time).

Templates – I keep template copies of site audits, proposals etc here which can be adapted for future client work.

SERPS - Although I use AWR (and the inhouse software at Bronco) I still like to manually check keyword rankings and each client (and each of my own sites) has their own spreadsheet with a list of the top keywords currently being targeted. I find this really handy for a quick way to check SERPs history and it only takes a few minutes to update.

Schedule - I keep a spreadsheet of hours needed each month for every client, for my own sites and for Bronco. This info is fed through to Remember the Milk and my 2010 Diary so I know exactly when to schedule in time for everything.

Link Building - Each client has a spreadsheet record of links acquired/requested and this is updated immediately so I always have an up-to-date record.

Links Ops - When I come across a potential link opportunity, it’s recorded here for use later in the week/month.

Images - I save images here for use on blogs etc. Often I’ll just capture them because they make me smile:

There are another million different things that I use Evernote for, including (deep breath):

• Storing photos, Flip videos, Jing Videos etc
• Accounts software backups and copies of invoices
• Business plans
• Records of timesheets
• Website database backups
• Recipes
• Expense & purchase receipts
• Log in details for Domain Names, DNS control panels etc
• E-Books
• Keyword ranking reports, other software reports
• Important emails
• Information relating to past or prospective clients
• Domain Name renewal records
• Lots of other stuff I can’t think of right now.

I’m a huge fan of Evernote and it really helps me to keep control of my working day. It may look like I record everything that moves but believe me, having a system like this in place saves me literally hours in admin time each month. I have everything I need, at my fingertips, on any PC that I’m working on or when out and about with my iPhone. I’m very excited to see how Evernote looks and acts on my iPad too

Using Evernote for SEO Project Management is a post from: Sorbet Digital

After the ‘accept’ shenanigans of earlier this week, I’ve been keeping an eye on my Twitter followers to see if any other strange things happen and it looks like I’ve started to follow people I’ve previously deleted, or I don’t want to follow, have never wanted to follow or have in fact blocked once for being sodding annoying!!

I checked yesterday and I seemed to pick up 5 new followers that I had no knowledge of so I deleted them and had a bit of a clean out of others too. Then I noticed my follower numbers were up again this morning and lo and behold I find myself following @johnchow and @jonathanvolk. I did used to follow both of these accounts in the past but stopped as there was just too much noise from John Chow and Jonathan Volk kept sending highly annoying DMs about internet marketing offers (so I blocked him).

For the record, I’m not using any third party software that allows people to follow me if I follow them and I’ve changed my password since last week so I don’t understand how this is happening?? All I know is I’ll block any account that forces me to follow them.

What is wrong with Twitter???? is a post from: Sorbet Digital

Tools are a big part of my work – they make everyday tasks easier to manage and they also help with more complex tasks like link analysis which can sometimes take a few days (and then some) if done manually. I’m always on the lookout for software that will assist with campaign management and am very grateful for those that have developed gadgets and gizmos that help me to extract the information I need.

I bought an iPhone because I’d heard how great the SEO apps were and some of them are very good indeed – but I’ve deleted more than I’ve kept which I think speaks volumes about the kind of consistent data they can offer, and how useful that data is to me. So I wasn’t particularly excited when I saw various tweets regarding Link Juice App but as I’m a sucker for shiny new things I hopped over to iTunes to see what the fuss was about. I must say that I’ve been really impressed with it so far – certainly impressed enough to put it on my iPhone homepage where only my very favourite apps get to go….:-)

I’m an SEOMoz Pro Member and very familiar with MajesticSEO so to have access to data from both away from the laptop/PC is a big deal for me. At £1.19 it’s not a bad price either and certainly affordable enough for any digital marketer with an iPhone to invest in. I’ve already used screenshots from the iPhone in reports and to also keep a record of current link data for my clients.

I’ve pre-ordered an iPad and I’ll certainly be uploading this app to that (which I presume you can?) because I can really see the benefit of using this software on a bigger screen, particularly in client meetings.

Link Juice App – my new favourite SEO tool app is a post from: Sorbet Digital

After seeing this great post from Lisa Barone yesterday I was inspired to have a little play around with Google’s new little toy, Search Stories. My first effort is a little self indulgent  (and rubbish) but hey….

However, I can see the benefit of using this software for capturing data for mini presentations (or even for keyword reports LOL). I guess if you wanted to show someone the benefit of universal search for a topic then it’s a great visual aid. I set up this one for dog clothing which shows where others are optimising for their sites and blogs:

Have a little go yourself and see what you can come up with.

Google Search Stories is a post from: Sorbet Digital

Another ThinkVisibility has come and gone and yet again it was a conference packed with excellent speakers and contacts from the SEO world. I thought I learnt a lot last time, but I came away with 20 pages of notes and a head bursting with plans and ideas yesterday which to me was worth every penny of the ticket price and then some. There were some truly outstanding presentations and I’m only sorry that I couldn’t attend each one of the afternoon sessions. Luckily, David Towers did an excellent job of live blogging the events I wasn’t able to attend so I’ve been catching up with those too.

The morning kicked off with a goodie bag, tea and coffee and two superb presentations from Tom Critchow & Judith Lewis.

Tom talked us through the value and importance of optimising Google Local with some brilliant tips including citations. Talking of which – I hope this helps…..;-)

Distilled Limited
72 Cannon Street
London
EC4N 6AE
020 7183 0767

Takeaway Tip: Verify, verify, verify!

Judith asked us not to blog about her presentation so she could be a little bit more open with the information she was going to share. However, I will say she was as entertaining as ever and if you get the chance to see her speak then do it.

Takeaway Tip: Chocolate makes everything better.

Lunchtime was a chance to catch up with old and new colleagues and put faces to Twitter names as well as fill up on the refreshments provided. The legendary ThinkVis Quiz was back on the agenda and was as entertaining as ever. The afternoon was split into 9 different sessions across three rooms so I chose the three that I thought I would get the very most out of (which isn’t to say I wouldn’t have liked to have attended all of them).

Being a super organised person, I knew I was going to enjoy Sarah Carling’s session on SEO Project Management and it didn’t disappoint. Administration, strategy and planning may be a tedious part of an SEO’s life but without it you will inevitably end up doing more work in the long run. I’m always fascinated about how others organise their workloads (especially in marketing) so it was good to get an insight into how she runs her department and the tools she uses (how did I ever do without Intervals before? – it’s a Godsend)

Takeaway Tip: Everything is billable – make sure you are very clear about this with the client so there are less misunderstandings and time isn’t being wasted.

Patrick Moogan’s session on link building was absolutely packed and full of exceptional advice regarding techniques and tips to make this hideously difficult part of SEO slightly easier. I think it was probably my favourite presentation of the day and kudos to Paddy on making it so entertaining.

Takeaway Tip: Outsource content writing, it will make your life so much easier.

Next up was Bronco’s very own Paul Carpenter who took us through the process of leveraging the news for links and traffic. Using some nifty graphics, he explained how to best get your site ranked for a current news story and then how to continue to benefit from that early exposure. He rocked (literally, see photo) and we are all very, very proud of him

Takeaway Tip: Understand the lifecycle of a news story and how to benefit from it at the beginning and for months or years after.

I know that the ThinkVis team worked exceptionally hard to make sure the conference was going to be a success and I definitely think they pulled it off yet again. It was really well organised and from the feedback I’ve heard and seen it was a day not to be missed.

OK, so what about those 5 reasons it rocked?

• It’s in the North – we can’t all attend SXSW or SMXWest so to have something like this on the doorstep is a joy.
• It’s relevant
• The lanyards
• There’s a free bar and it’s held in a casino!
• DrinkVisibility

Roll on the next one – I might even pluck up the courage to give a presentation myself one of these days……

Five reasons why Think Visibility rocked is a post from: Sorbet Digital

I’ve set up and managed quite a few self-hosted Wordpress sites over the past year or so and have been impressed how quickly they have been indexed. However, I’ve noticed that a couple of my sites were not appearing in Google, even after I’d posted several quality articles. It wasn’t until doing a little housekeeping on one of the sites that I noticed that the option for indexing in the search engines had somehow defaulted to “I would like to block search engines, but allow normal visitors”. Ok, I thought, obviously a mistake on my part so I corrected the settings and the site was indexed almost immediately. Perplexed by this I checked a couple of my other brand new sites, and again, the default setting was to block the search engines from finding the site…..I then set up a brand new site from scratch and the default was in place from the start so I knew it wasn’t something I had done.

I can’t for the life of me understand why Wordpress would put this option in place when surely most people actively want their site to be found? The wording they use on the different options really doesn’t help either – “I would like to block search engines but allow normal visitors“? What exactly is a normal visitor – someone who finds your site because they were looking to read something you spent hours writing? How are they going to find that article if the site isn’t being indexed in Google, Yahoo or Bing? How are you going to promote your service or product, or latest recipe or the photos from your round the world cruise or your thoughts on Cheryl Cole’s latest marriage shenanigans if your site isn’t even listed in the search engines!!??

Anyway, there’s an easy way to check which option you have. Go into Settings > Privacy and update if the current option is to block search engines.

Why have Wordpress defaulted to the privacy option? is a post from: Sorbet Digital

Hurrah! At long last, the suburbs, villages and hamlets of the UK will have a chance to catch up with their city brothers and get (almost) full coverage from Google Streetview. From tomorrow (11th March 2010) most of the UK’s roads will feature 360-degree images with an estimated coverage of approximately 238,000 miles.

Streetview was launched in the UK last year with about 12% of the country, and 25 major cities covered. I know Google gets an awful lot of stick and Streetview in particular, but I for one cannot WAIT to see the little places covered too.

Google Streetview to cover the UK from tomorrow is a post from: Sorbet Digital

After last years successful conference, tickets have now gone on sale for ThinkVisibility in March 2010. There are some fantastic speakers lined up including Bronco’s very own Paul Carpenter and the ever wonderful Judith Lewis and the conference will focus on Google Local and Viral Marketing amongst other topics. If you are anyone who is anyone in digital marketing (or just want to learn more about certain aspects of it) then sign up now before the tickets sell out. It’s a great day out and a chance to meet up with others in the same industry (and put faces to Twitter names ). Tickets are on sale now from the ThinkVisibility website.

See you there!

ThinkVisibility 2010 is a post from: Sorbet Digital

It’s been a really great weekend to be an SEO in the North, as I didn’t have too far to travel to the fantastic ThinkVisibility conference in Leeds yesterday. On only its second outing, it attracted some kickass speakers from the world of SEO, PPC and affliate marketing and gave me the chance to meet some fellow  Twitterers in person. I went as part of the Bronco contingent and it soon become clear how much Dave Naylor was going to be missed as he couldn’t attend – I think I heard his name mentioned at least 300 times during the day (some of the comments were even complimentary……LOL).

We registered pretty early which meant we got the first of the fresh coffee – and it also gave us the chance to meet of the other attendees before the presentations started. It was encouraging to see how many had travelled quite a way just to be there.

First up on stage was an old friend of Bronco, Joost de Valk, who gave a very entertaining and informative talk on Wordpress Optimisation. I’ve long been a fan of his blog and it was a  real treat to hear his new ideas and thoughts in person. He’s a very engaging speaker and was the perfect guest to kick off the day. Next up was Julian Sambles from the Daily Telegraph who took us through the changes he’d implemented at the paper to bring it into the digital age. His trousers rocked. The very wonderful Judith Lewis then took the stage for her presentation on Universal Search. I first saw Judith speak at SMX New York last year and her talk yesterday was just as enlightening – especially the ‘off mike ‘ bits…..(and she was very gracious when my phone went off even though Joost grassed me up..haha)

Anthony & David schmooze with Joost

Lunch was a bit of a crush and as we found ourselves right at the back of the very long queue, we popped out to get some fresh air and a sandwich. Stopping out longer than we thought (so Anthony could admire the local female student population) we unfortunately missed the first part of the panel which was a real shame as it was a lot of fun.

The afternoon brought many different presentations and I choose the three I thought I’d learn the most from. The first, from Paul Robinson was about using data and science to find out about your current and potential customers. It was probably a little more over my head than I’d like to admit but it got me thinking which is a good start no? The second, from Tim Nash, was all about the value of links (and NOT about link building, oh no). It was fab and I could have sat through another hour of it to be honest. Tim took some time after to answer a question and also forgave me for not making the pre-conference presentation on Friday. The last talk I attended was from Zoe Piper on utilising the Adwords Content Network and it was packed full of info, suggestions – and LOLcats. Apparently it was Zoe’s first speaking gig but you wouldn’t have known that as she came across as very confident and with a real passion for her subject.

Unfortunately, work beckoned so I wasn’t able to stick around to see Artur Ortega’s excellent presentation on Accessibilty or for Drink Visibility but I hear that both were a success. All in all it was a fantastic day and many thanks go to Dom for all his hard work. Roll on Think Visibility 3!

Think Visibility conference is a post from: Sorbet Digital

These days, there are hundreds of social networking websites available online – finding old friends or sharing interests with others is a major factor in their popularity. Many, many internet users have joined at least one of these social networking sites with one of the biggest being Facebook. If you own a business and you are targeting an 18 to 25 demographic to sell your products, Facebook could provide you with a ready market.

The great thing about Facebook is that it provides tools that can be used to effectively market your products and services, as standard. With over 62 million users worldwide, that’s a lot of potential clients to do business with. So, here are a few tips that can help you use this phenomenal site to market your products and services for free.

Make your profile strong and identifiable. With a great profile, you will be able to attract more people to view it. Social websites like Facebook are all about connecting and interacting with other members, so the more relationships you build in Facebook, the more effective your marketing efforts will be.

Join Facebook groups or create your own group. It can be groups containing members of your target niche and it can also be groups of internet marketers where you will be able to help each other out advertise your business or your products and services.

Add some applications (such as games) and syndicate your blog website using RSS. Reach out to as many people as possible. In order for an online business to become a success, targeted traffic is the key and there is no better way than by using Facebook. So, if you think that online advertising or marketing is not working for you, try a social networking site like Facebook and see if you can tap into its potential.

Can Facebook really help your business? is a post from: Sorbet Digital