My response is usually, “How much are you willing to spend?”

As you can imagine, this doesn’t get either of us very far. So here is a partial solution that will give you the numbers you’re looking for.

It’s the Google’s Traffic Estimator and I’ll show you how it works.

Getting Started

Once you arrive at the site, you’ll find a form that asks for:

• Keywords
• Currency & Cost per Click (CPC)
• Daily Budget
• Select Targeting
• Available Countries & Territories

You don’t have to fill this form out completely. All you need is a:

• Keyword
• Language
• Country

If you want help with a keyword list, you can use Google’s Keyword Tool.

When you’re ready, click “Continue” to display your results.

The Results

The results of your search look like this:

They tell you a keyword’s:

• Search Volume
  How frequently this keyword is searched for compared to others.
• Estimated Avg. CPC
  How much it would cost for one click. Since we left most of the fields blank, the tool assumes you want to be in the top 3 results.
• Estimated Clicks / Day
  This is the average number of searches that take place for a keyword.
• Estimated Cost / Day
  Given the information we’ve provided, Google estimates how much we’d have to spent each day for the keyword “wine.”

If the budget Google estimates is too high, you can experiment with the max CPC and daily budget. This allows you to see how these changes affect your average ad position and cost.

A Partial Solution

Why do I call this a partial solution? Because Google is including all available data. Whether you’re an AdWords expert or novice, the results you receive are based on the average of everyone.

This means that the average CPC for your campaign, if properly optimized, can be much less.

Nonetheless, these numbers will help you make decisions regarding budget.

But, like all of us, he has his quirks, and I’m no different.

One of mine involves the acronyms that describe Search Engine Optimization (SEO), Pay-Per-Click advertising (PPC) and Search Engine Marketing (SEM). People don’t use them correctly!

It’s not their fault, but just like a doctor has to explain a diagnosis, I thought I’d take a few moments to do something similar. Be part of the solution.

It’s very simple and will make for fascinating holiday conversation.

Let Me Tell You a Story … About Alex

Alex is extremely detail oriented. If you ask him one question, he’ll fire back with several of his own. And, you know it’s time to pull up a chair when he begins with his famous line, “Let me tell you a story …”

Alex is (usually) always willing to help … but he’s an experienced professional. He knows what information he needs and asks for it upfront instead of wasting time asking sporadically later.

That’s a good thing.

But as you’re answering him, he points out any statement you make that isn’t 100% true. He’s the IT version of the tyrannical English teacher who always comments on your use of “who” and “whom.”

This can be a bit frustrating when all you want to do is address the problem.

If you don’t know him, you might think he’s intentionally being difficult, arrogant, or just doesn’t care. This couldn’t be further from the truth. Over time, you begin to enjoy this quirk and respect him for it.

Why tell you this story? Because I’m the same way when it comes to Internet marketing!

There are countless times I’ve wanted to point out when people use SEO, PPC or SEM improperly. I don’t, for fear of leaving an “Alex-esk” impression, but it’s a quirk of mine nonetheless.

Instead, I’ve decided to offer some brief definitions below.

Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

In our SEO Geek Camp we defined search engine optimization as:

“A set of principles and practices that include formatting site code, structure and content to naturally achieve top ranking on today’s most popular search engines”

SEO optimizes your website’s structure first and then moves to particular phrases. Our goal is simple, appear in the Top 10 search results for a targeted keyword phrase.

The biggest drawback to SEO is the time it takes to see results. Search engines are constantly gathering and ranking new information. Don’t be surprised if it takes 3 months or more before you begin reaping the fruits of your labor.

If all goes well, your website will begin appearing in the top natural or “organic” results.

Pay-Per-Click Advertising (PPC)

PPC, the subject of our upcoming Geek Camp is a bit different than SEO. As the name implies, pay-per-click allows you to pay for ranking on a per click basis. Position #1 is only a credit card swipe away. It is also much faster than SEO, taking anywhere from a day to five minutes to see results.

Like SEO, targeted keyword phrases are important. However, instead of optimizing website structure, you optimize a campaign. PPC offers precise control over all aspects of your search engine marketing including desired ranking, ad copy, the time of day your ads are available and a host of additional items.

This control can come at a hefty price. Worse yet, if not done properly, can end up draining your budget and offer little or no return.

Search Engine Marketing (SEM)

SEM is the easiest to define. It describes any type of marketing that involves search engines and includes SEO and PPC.

Clear As Mud?

See … SEO, PPC and SEM are easy to understand. So you can imagine how I cringe when hearing them misused.

If you are one of the “guilty”, don’t feel bad. There are some in the field who don’t get it, which is probably where the problem started.

Thanks for letting me clear my mind and “tell you a story.”

So, what is a blogger to do?

Some bloggers take the easy way out. They click through their favorite blogs, find a post, give it a slight rewrite and publish it as their own. Sometimes – they don’t even do a rewrite!

And yes, eventually, this will happen to you!

This type of blogosphere pollution is referred to by Google as “duplicate content” and they hate it as much as I do. Just like a paper mill dumping waste into a nearby lake, uninspired, unoriginal blog posts clog search results and degrade the overall search experience.

Luckily, we can fight blogosphere pollution by not being a part of the problem! We can do this same way we fight environmental pollution: Reduce, Reuse and Recycle!

Reduce

Yes, it is important to post regularly but think about your regular readers.

They are likely following several blogs and their time is valuable. How do you want your readers to feel when they see a new post on your blog? Excited because you have a reputation for producing quality content; or indifferent because your posts are more of the hit-or-miss variety?

Make the saying “quality over quantity” your blogging mantra!

Reuse

Have writer’s block? Revisit your older posts! Is there a topic you can build on or explore further?

I’ll use this post as an example.

Today I’m writing about polluting the blogosphere. If I get into a rut in the future and can’t think of something to write, I could revisit this post for inspiration. I could find some news about how search engines are solving the problem, or I just might have some additional tips that I’d like to share that I can put in a new post.

This is not only a way to tackle writer’s block, but a great way to further define your niche.

Recycle

Part of being a blogger is reading blogs. They are a great source of inspiration and news to get your creative gears turning.

But stop right there, Brian! You’re contradicting yourself! You just said using someone else’s post is bad!

Very good! You were paying attention.

However, when I say “recycle” I don’t mean copy. Instead, think about how the actual recycling process works. When newspapers are recycled, they are broken down and reprocessed to create something new.

You’ll find examples of this in the “Ask a Geek” section of our site. These posts give me the opportunity to do research where I gather information from various sources. I mix it with my own thoughts and experience to create a new article that, hopefully, is more useful to you (my audience) than doing the research yourself.

Is anyone else having college thesis flashbacks?

Your #1 Goal

It’s been said before, but the goal of your blog should be to produce value for your audience. It’s not a competition where the person with the most blog posts wins.

Thomas Alva Edison said, “Opportunity is missed by most because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work.” Don’t miss your opportunity to create a great blog and community by looking for short cuts. Instead, put that energy into your content!

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Time passes and one day you get a letter from an attorney. It details that the plaintiff, Brian Shoff, is suing you for libel. It further explains that the lawsuit stems from Brian Shoff losing consideration for a position with a prestigious employer because of the defaming comment on your blog.

Ted Byrne, Editor / Economist for Business2Business Publications, asked about this last Geek Camp. “Are bloggers liable for comment libel?”

I’m not a lawyer and this post should not be considered legal advice. However, I did so some research and discovered Section 230, a surviving piece of the Telecommunications Decency Act of 1996 that can help protect you from situations like the one above.

Here is how it works …

Section 230

“No provider or user of an interactive computer service shall be treated as the publisher or speaker of any information provided by another information content provider.” (FCC, 2007)

Two Important Definitions

To understand how Section 230 relates to bloggers, you first need to understand what an “interactive computer service” and an “information content provider” is. Below are definitions from the act itself.

Essentially an “interactive service provider” is a service that provides access to multiple computers to a server or access to the Internet. An “information content provider” is someone (or something) that produces content to be distributed on the Internet.

How Section 230 Protects Bloggers

Bloggers are interesting when viewed under Section 230. When they are creating or editing blog posts, they are considered a user of an interactive service provider (EFF, 2007). Once their post is published and open to comments, a blogger becomes an interactive service provider (EFF, 2007).

How?

By allowing 3rd parties to add their own content, the blogger becomes an Internet service provider. My guess is that this part of Section 230, “provides or enables computer access by multiple users to a computer server” makes this possible. But remember … you are still responsible for any libel you commit.

Editing 3rd Party Comments

So we know that Section 230 offers protection from libelous 3rd parties, but what happens if you edit the offending comment?

For example, you receive this comment, “Brian Shoff si a crimnal.” It obviously contains misspellings, and being the attentive blogger that you are, you fix them.

Does this small edit make you the content provider? No.

Courts have held that you can exercise, “the usual prerogative of publishers to edit the material you publish.” (EFF, 2007) However, if your edits make the comment libelous, you will be responsible.

For example, you receive the same comment above, but this time it reads, “Brian Shoff isn’t a criminal.” If you were to remove the “n’t” from “isn’t” you’d open yourself to a lawsuit.

Caution: Section 230 Not Bulletproof

As with every law, there are exceptions. Section 230 does not protect bloggers from criminal law, intellectual property law, or electronic communications privacy law (EFF, 2007). There have also been cases where Section 230 immunity was requested, but not provided, such as San Fernando Valley v. Roommates.com and Hy Cite Corp v. badbusinessbureau.com (Wikipedia, 2007). However, these cases had very specific reasons why Section 230 didn’t apply that most bloggers would not encounter.

Recommendation

I’m not a lawyer, but it seems that Section 230 offers sufficient protection from 3rd party comments. However, like Ted mentioned, consider how allowing libelous comments can reflect on you. Would your customers do business with someone who helps spread false information?

Also consider the cost of fighting a lawsuit. Even if you are protected, you remain responsible for lawyer and court costs.

What Do You Think?

Does knowing about Section 230 make you feel better about opening your blog to comments?

References

With multitudes of seminars, books, websites, and other resources available from SEO experts, how do you know who to trust? Who truly knows the most about how search engines work?

Take a guess. Who do you think it is? (No, not me.)

That’s right! The search engines!

This “Ask a Geek” response answers the question, “Where can I find website optimization tips?” by introducing, “Webmaster Guidelines.” Webmaster Guidelines are SEO tips that come directly from Google, Yahoo! and other search engines. They should be the starting point for every website optimization project.

Search Engines vs. SEO Consultants

It won’t surprise you, but search engines and SEO consultants don’t always get along. It’s easy to see why.

But remember … ethical (aka “white hat”) SEO is about working with the search engines, not manipulating them.

We Can All Get Along

The best way to get into someone’s good graces is to follow their rules. Search engines have rules, but they call them “guidelines” or “recommendations.” Here are links to the “Webmaster Guidelines” for the 3 top search engines; Google, Yahoo! and MSN. Each will help you understand how they want your site to be built. Luckily, they frequently overlap.

• Google’s Webmaster Guidelines
• Yahoo! Quality Guidelines
• MSN Live! Guidelines

Common Website Optimization Guidelines

Here is a list of optimization highlights pulled from the pages listed above. Each will become a topic in a series of upcoming Geek Camp blog posts. Make sure to let us know which one you want to learn about first and share your comments below. Then, sign up for Geek Camp website updates so you’ll know when your request becomes available.

• Maintain a Sitemap
  Use sitemaps to ensure that search engines can access every page of your website
• Keep Your Navigation Hierarchy Flat
  Keep your navigational links shallow and close to your root domain
• Write Content of Genuine Value
  Strive to create useful, meaningful, and engaging content
• Beware the Mark (?)
  Is your website dynamic? A good way to find out is to look for a question mark in the URL. If you have one, proceed with caution
• Write Compliant XHTML & CSS
  Just like the English language, you need to use proper web grammar
• Use the <title> Tag Appropriately
  Use descriptive and relevant <title> tags
• Minimize Broken Links
  Scan your website regularly to make sure all of your links work
• Use a robots.txt File
  Tell search engines what to index and what to ignore
• Avoid Unethical Tactics
  Stay away from cloaking, doorway pages, keyword stuffing, and other unethical (aka “black hat”) techniques
• Avoid Duplicate Content
  Make sure the content on your website is unique and original

What’s Next? You Decide!

What topic would you like to hear more about? How to use the robots.txt file? Or perhaps you want to learn more about unethical SEO techniques?

Let us know!

Just share your comments below and we’ll make your suggestion a priority for the next post in our “Website Optimization Tips” series!

We’ll be addressing these questions and others at our upcoming Geek Camp. However, to start the discussion early, I would like to ask how you define a blog. Why do you think only 3-6 percent of Fortune 500 companies are blogging? And what benefits do you think blogging provides?

We want your opinion!

Just scroll past my author profile below and “Share Your Comments.” It would be great to hear from you!

We’ve all seen a viral video. Whether it’s “Numa Numa,” the “Star Wars Kid” (and subsequent “Star Wards Kid Remix“), or the “Mentos Diet Coke Musical” the idea is the same. Create a short video that is informational, funny, outrageous or otherwise worth talking about.

A goal that many share but few reach.

Kirk, our CEO at Cimbrian, found a video for the Quattro Titanium men’s razor called “Fight for Kisses.” It’s absolutely brilliant and a perfect example of good multimedia marketing! Not only did they create a video, but a game you can play based on the video.

You can find it at: http://www.ffk-wilkinson.com/

The only problem … is you will need a very fast Internet connection to enjoy the full experience.

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