SEO Manual Part 1: Introduction
Over the past few years, I’ve been working on a search engine optimization (SEO) manual for the various SEO teams with whom I’ve worked. I’ve also shared parts of it with our Chicago Online Marketing Meetup group, especially during our SEO and search engine marketing (SEM) workshops.
Now I’d like to share it with you.
Over the next six months, I will be serializing this SEO guide and publishing it to this blog. I hope that you will find it useful and beneficial.
There’s no cost for these SEO tips, tactics and strategies. But I do ask that you please feel free to submit questions and suggestions. We’ll try to address your questions (along with answers and solutions) and your suggestions in future postings — and maybe even incorporate it into our ever-changing SEO manual.
That actually brings up one of the unique challenges of writing an SEO guidebook. SEO is constantly changing. Although many principles remain the same, a few have changed. More to the point, Google (and other search engines) are constantly and continuously tweaking their search algorithms to better serve their users. That means that any SEO manual worth it’s salt must be dynamic and likewise undergo continual updates.
Read MoreI Believe I’ve Just Found the Best WordPress Plug-In Ever!
Okay, I admit that any discussion of “best” WordPress plugin is somewhat subjective and strongly related to the needs of individual WordPress users.
But for anyone who has to manage multiple WordPress sites on multiple servers, I think I’ve just found the best WordPress plugin ever. This is an especially powerful tool for SEO professionals who rely on WordPress CMS for their own or clients’ sites.
Actually, it’s a combination of a plugin and cloud program provided by www.manageWP.com. For users with more serious security issues, there is also a downloadable version that you can run off your own server.
In a nutshell, www.manageWP.com is a multi-blog manager. It takes advantage of WordPress’ own structure to create a WordPress dashboard that connects blog managers with multiple blogs. By my rough preliminary estimate, our team will probably slash our time spent managing WordPress sites by 15% to 25%!
- No more multiple logins. We no longer have to go and log into separate WordPress dashboards.
- No more multiple passwords. Along with the preceding, we won’t have to keep track of the separate passwords we use for each WordPress account.
- Faster plugin installs. We can now install or update plugins all at once, across multiple WordPress blogs — instead of having to do it for each blog.
- Faster theme installs. Changing and updating themes is also easier. And although I recommend having separate themes on each WordPress site, if you do prefer to have the same theme across all of yours, you can do it all here.
- Easier backups. ManageWP allows us to manually backup all of our accounts from one dashboard… or set automatic backups for each of them.
- Migrating and closing sites. Want to move your WordPress blog to another domain, subdomain or folder? You can do it easily from the dashboard.
- Easier link management. Looking for a convenient method for managing the links you have on your sites? This is where we’re really seeing some huge time savings.
- Much more… I can go on and on with all the other features of ManageWP, but the best way to see what it can do for you is to check it out yourself.
Just to be perfectly clear, I’m not getting a dime from ManageWP to promote their dashboard. I wish I were. But it’s a free tool and so easy to use.
Now there are other blog management tools out there. I’m an especially big fan of the blog management tool being developed by Raven Tools for its SEO professional’s management suite. In addition to managing the links inside the blogs, Raven’s system also tracks the backlinks pointing to specific pages in your WordPress sites.
I do hope they take some cues from ManageWP, however, because I’m still having a difficult time working with Raven’s blog management tool. It’s just not as user friendly as ManageWP — for now.
It’s a mighty big claim for anyone to say that any plugin is the very best WordPress plugin ever. There are so many great WordPress plugins out there, which is a testimony to WordPress and its worldwide community of fans. I personally use a dozen plugins for almost all of my sites.
But for anyone who has to manage multiple WordPress sites, ManageWP just saves so much time and hassle that I can’t think of any other plugin that gives me so much value.
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New Google Advisor Offers Great Promise for Consumers and Strong Brands – for SEOs and Small Guys, Not So Much
Google just launched its new Google Advisor, and as a consumer, I have to say that I’m very impressed.
It’s just offering a few financial products, but the simple, efficient design is very refreshing. It gets right to the point and highlights the main points most of us would be interested in as we shop for higher bank deposit rates and lower mortgage interest rates.
Google Advisor also offers a trend line so we know where rates have been the past three months… and where they may be headed.
Select one of the featured products and Google Advisor takes you to a comparison page that lets you sort the listed providers and plans by what really tickles our fancies. Yes, you can sort by rates, points (for mortgage loans) and annual fees (for credit cards). But you can also sort by APRs and projected monthly payments.
Next time I’m in the market for the best rates on a mortgage loan, CD, savings account, checking account or credit card, I’ll be sure to stop by Google Advisor.
However, I can’t help but wonder what this means for SEOs. I don’t think Google Advisor will mean the end of SEO professionals, but there’s a good chance that Google Advisor, if it really takes off, will siphon off many of the online consumers who are already in the buying stage. That would leave “researchers” still looking for websites with information. But will they use those informative websites to make their purchase — or will they then turn back to Google Advisor.
Needless to say, I’m very curious to see how the public responds to Google Advisor. If they’re anything like me, I tend to think that Google Advisor will be a big hit — for consumers.
For smaller banks and financial companies who can’t afford to compete in that marketplace — and many SEOs in the affected fields — it probably won’t be as popular.
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The Future of SEO Just Got Clearer — and More Messy
My daily evening ritual while riding Amtrak’s Hiawatha Line to my new home, is to scan my Google Reader feeds and several newspapers. One article in the Chicago Tribune caught my eye: Ashton Kutcher is reported to be in talks to replace Charlie Sheen on the CBS show Two and a Half Men.
As I read the article (http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/sns-rt-television-kutchern12106690-20110513-story,0,7581453.story), I was mildly amused by the reporter’s comment that Kutcher’s 6.7 million Twitter followers will help the CBS show stay atop the ratings.
But what really got me was the last paragraph of the article which mentioned that Kutcher tweeted: “I’m starting to become convinced that people put my name in articles just to improve their SEO…”
This reminded me of that old investing adage, “if your cab driver is offering you investing advice, it may be time to get out of the market.”
By no means am I saying that search engine optimization (SEO) professionals should abandon the field. But this quick tweet made me realize that SEO has gone mainstream! Traditional marketers are scrambling to master it, while every business owner and entrepreneur looking to the web demand it — without fully understanding what SEO truly entails.
Just as the mainstreaming of stock investments swamped the market with day traders and lay investors, the SEO industry and search engine landscape will soon be flooded with digital marketers dreaming of that quick score and the riches that come with a #1 entry ranking on Google. The last four years, however, has shown us the type of disaster that can be wrought when a tidal wave of easy money, unrealistic expectations and unscrupulous players inundate the market.
At the end of the day, the majority of those undisciplined and ill-prepared players were swept away, as were some old mainstays who should have known better. Left standing amidst all the rubble were the Warren Buffets, investors who understood the value of building for the long-term.
As we see more clearly what’s about to hit the market, we so-called SEO experts and professionals must ask ourselves whether we want to be the Berkshire Hathaways or the Bear Stearns of our online marketing industry.
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If You Can’t Join Them, Beat Them — Google Takes on Groupon
Did Groupon Err By Spurning Google’s Offer
Like a bad date who couldn’t take “let’s just be friends” for an answer, Google has turned from suitor to rival.
Many would say it was inevitable. It’s not like Groupon created a revolutionary new technology. The daily deal wasn’t even their idea. [I remember signing up for Woot's daily emails and hilarious ad copy nearly four years ago.] Groupon’s big innovation was taking that daily deal concept and making it ultra local… then growing it like gangbusters.
Now Google has quietly rolled out their answer to Groupon with Google Offers. It’s only available in New York City, Portland and the San Francisco/Oakland area.. for now. If you want to be “invited” to Google Offers, you can get on their waiting list at https://www.google.com/offers/t#!subscribe.
So did Groupon make a mistake when it decided not to accept the handsome offer from the real Big G? Is Google being a vindictive about the very public turn down it received from Google last year?
There may be a little bit of revenge on Google’s part. I mean seriously: who enjoys being dumped (especially when you’re the big man on campus)?
But the truth is that it makes perfect sense. Google has been making a concerted effort to enter the local search scene for quite some time. Plus, they have everything they need to succeed in Groupon’s space. Yes, Groupon has an army of local sales people built up over the past couple of years. But that basically gives them a six-month head start on Google, at best.
Google’s success in Groupon’s space won’t necessarily spell the end of Groupon. I think the space is just too big… and can probably accommodate several daily deal providers.
From a consumer standpoint, the more daily coupons and deals we can compare, the better. And it’s not so bad for local businesses either. As it is, local merchants have to accept Groupon’s terms because it’s really the only game in town. But as more competition enters the market, business owners will have more choices and options.
It’s an exciting time to be part of the online marketing arena.
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How to Get High-Quality Low-Cost Images for Your Website
They say a picture is worth a thousand words. But online marketers know that the right picture is actually worth a thousands bucks — and maybe even more.
The importance and value of good photographs increases exponentially as the product or service you sell increases in price. If you’re selling cheap e-books or video webinars for $9, then you can pretty much ignore this post. You can do just as well, and maybe even better, with a circa-1950 piece of clipart that you bought on a CD at Staples or OfficeMax.
But if you’re selling items that will make consumers pause once or twice before pulling the trigger, your website needs to help you close the sale. Unfortunately, the wrong photograph — or cheap-looking image — will do just the opposite. An unprofessional site will raise doubts as to whether you’re really worth it.
Because human eyes are naturally drawn to images on a page, especially evocative photographs, you want to make sure that the photo you use will help you catch visitors’ attentions and get them to the next step in your sales pipeline.
So don’t just throw any photo on your site. And please, don’t ever make the mistake of using images you pulled off of Google Image Search. Just because you can download it doesn’t mean you have permission to use it on your site. You can be sure that you’ll get a C&D (cease and desist) letter from the image owner’s lawyer in no short time… especially if it’s an outstanding photo (which is exactly what you want).
You’re better going to one of the free or low-cost stock photography sites on the web. Unfortunately, most of the free ones available aren’t the greatest quality shots or are very small. That may still be okay, depending on how you plan to use it. However, if you do use free photos, you will need to give an attribution credit on all the pages it appears. Sometimes, you also have to include a link back to the image owner, which may not be ideal from an SEO point of view.
A better alternative is to purchase high-quality photos from a low-cost provider. One of the best ones I’ve found is www.DepositPhotos.com. For the selection available, they charges the lowest rates around for royalty-free stock photographs and images.
Using Affiliates to Generate Sales and Leads for Your Site
Here’s a little-known secret about the online marketplace: how did Amazon and eBay get so big so fast?
Yes, they used venture capital to buy multi-million-dollar Super Bowl ads. And word of mouth did help tremendously, as did the slow response from many traditional brick-and-mortar retailers.
But what most people don’t realize is that Amazon’s and eBay’s growth was driven by affiliate marketers. These online middle men (and women) linked their sites to these big online retailers. Unlike Google Adwords’ pay-per-click (PPC) ads, these affiliate links did not pay a few cents per click. Rather, these affiliate merchants paid a percentage or sizable flat rate for each product sold.
Today, practically any business that sells on the web tries to harness the power of the affiliate marketing community. There are now literally hordes of affiliate marketers working from home and earning six-figure paychecks from their targeted websites.
The great advantage of affiliate marketing for merchants is that they get others to shoulder the cost of marketing their products. The individual affiliate marketers will create the web pages, drive the search engine optimization (SEO) and invest in PPC advertising to generate the traffic, leads and sales for the merchant.
So if you’re a fledgling online business with something to sell, how do you get in the game. You could do it the hard way and try to recruit individual affiliate marketers, but that can be very difficult — especially if you’re not sure how to price your commission structure.
A better way is to join affiliate networks. I met one of the fastest growing affiliate networks at two recent online marketing conference: www.ShareASale.com.
The offer much more affordable on-boarding for most merchants, especially when compared with other brands. Plus they actively train and motivate their individual marketers to really promote merchant products. There are, of course, many more out there, but ShareASale.com is arguably one of the best I’ve found.
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Advanced WordPress Themes for the Next Level
Although you can access thousands of free WordPress themes directly through WordPress.org, those free templates are free for a reason.
Many of the designs are dated and clunky. That’s understandable when you think about it. If you’re a web designer trying to earn a living off your web designs, why would you give away your best designs? You wouldn’t. Instead, you would give away your older designs, the ones that don’t generate any more interest or income for you.
Even if you find a nifty design you like, you soon discover that most don’t have the functionality and customization you need — if you want to go beyond a standard blog-looking site. One way to get past that problem is to hire a developer to customize your WordPress site. But how much will that set you back.
Heavy WordPress users have a better way. They sign up for theme collectives or clubs that provide unlimited access to advanced WordPress themes with modern designs and true usability. And one of the best is ElegantThemes.com.
When you join ElegantThemes.com, you get access to all of their WordPress themes. So if you have multiple sites, you’ll soon be able to install high-end templates on all of them — for an unbelievably low price of $39.
As an Elegant Themes.com member, you not only get to use their top-shelf WordPress templates, you also have access to their support team.
Now compare this to the cost of hiring a designer to make comparable themes for your site. You can expect to reasonably spend thousands of dollars. Plus, you would have to wait weeks or months to get your final site developed. Trust me, I know from personal experience. I’m not saying those designers are worth it. But if you’re just starting out or operating on a tight budget, why wouldn’t you just invest $39 instead to get immediate access to turnkey WordPress themes you can have up and running in just a few minutes.
If you’re using WordPress for a business or organization site — and need to take your site to the next level — it’s time to try ElegantThemes.com today.
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Recommendation: Low-Cost Option for Beginners
I’m constantly looking for host services with worthwhile packages for online marketers and entrepreneurs.
Here’s one for beginners who want the benefits of multi-domain hosting at a fraction of the cost…
Net-Trend.com starts as low as $5.00 per month, a great rate for beginners on a tight budget. Develop your online marketing sites using one of their easy-to-set-up packages and get your new website running immediately.
They don’t have all the bells and whistles of other recommendations. However, they have everything most new online business websites will need to get started.
They also offer unlimited email accounts, FTP accounts, subdomains and mySQL databases. That last one is particularly important if you want to run multiple WordPress accounts — which I do recommend as a fantastic way to scale up.
Lastly, they have a 30-day money back guarantee, making them one of the very few to offer such a guarantee in the industry. All in all, a very good hosting provider for beginning online entrepreneurs and businesses.
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Best Hosting for Online Affiliate Marketers
I literally have two dozen web hosting accounts on over a dozen different web hosting providers. That’s necessary to accommodate the dozens of clients I currently assist.
On the plus side, I’ve had to experience the pros and cons of various hosting services firsthand. Of all the web hosting accounts I work with, hands down, my favorite is IXwebhosting.com.
Their multi-domain hosting accounts are the best arround. They offer three (3) free domains with their Unlimited Pro accounts, which cost only $7.95 per month. For the money, I’ve yet to find anything else that offers so much value for hosting customers.
But from an SEO standpoint, perhaps the biggest advantage offered by this IX Web Hosting account is the fact that they provide 15 IP addresses with your account. Who else does that?
The importance of having different IP addresses is that you don’t share your website IP address with websites who may be undesirable. Plus, you need to have your own IP address in order to install SSL features, which are a must for online merchants. Other hosting services will charge you much more to get your own IP address. IX Web Hosting gives you 15 of them for your low-cost account.
My only complaint about IX Web Hosting is that they have ugliest-looking control panel. If you’re not very familiar with web hosting accounts or have someone who is, it may take a while to get used to their particular control panel. Still, that’s a small price to pay for the incredible value IX Web Hosting offers.
Check them out and see for yourself why they offer the best value on the market today.
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