I finish my coursework at the end of this month, after which I’ll finally get on with the site redesign. I’m serious. I’m not kidding! I’ve been talking about it for well over a year, so it’s about bloody time I got it sorted. Seriously though, I’m marking it as a priority from September, even at the expense of writing less content until I get it done.
Speaking of content, I have some great posts lined up. I’m in the process of asking for people’s comments for a post relating to online marketing for live music, which will probably end up being one of my next posts. I also have half a dozen or so ideas for content – it’s just having the time write them that’s the issue!
Oh and I have a new job! I started my new role as an SEO Strategist for Box UK in July, as part of their new Digital Marketing division. Exciting stuff!
Guest blog posts
Not really guest posts per se, but 4 new posts on other sites…
Before leaving Liberty, I wrote a two-parter titled ‘What Is Keyword Research?’ The first part covers what it is, why it’s important and how to go about it. The second part covers a few common mistakes people make when conducting keyword research. I was supposed to have another post about PPC appear on a well-known PPC blog on behalf of Liberty, but I don’t think they ever published it unfortunately.
I’ve also helped to produce two posts for Box UK (already)! Before I’d even started, I was asked to write an introductory post, so I wrote a list of do’s and don’ts in carrying out SEO in 2012. I was also involved in an interview on SEO and UX (User Experience) with my colleague Chris from the UX team – we talk about how SEO and UX should work in unison and not be treated as separate entities.
I also have another YouMoz post in the works, which I submitted back in June. I wrote my first one a year ago, which seemed to go down well, so I’m very excited to have another post pending publication. Fingers-crossed this one makes it onto the main SEOmoz blog – I’d be absolutely delighted if that were to happen!
Guest blogging is possibly one of my favourite offsite SEO strategies. There’s tons of benefits in doing it and it’s (mainly) good, honest, ethical work. It’s certainly not an easy link building strategy (but then again, these days, link building shouldn’t be), but in my opinion, it’s worth it.
It seems as though the SEO world has ‘woken up’ to guest blogging this past year or so. Obviously there are those who have being doing it for longer or who have always carried it out, but now it’s considered a typical and popular strategy. Unfortunately though, when something gains popularity, there will be those who taint it – they’ll try to be lazy, cheat the system and automate it if they can.
A few industry peers have shared some of their guest blogging nightmares, from the perspective of the blogger accepting content. Mike King of iPullRank has shared an example of some low-quality spun content he was offered, while more recently, Mike Essex of Koozai has shared examples of some of the terrible outreach he has received, claiming that “around 80% of the guest blog requests [he] received went straight in the bin.”
Of course, the authors are not the only ones to blame. While some of those wanting links will try to do it in the easiest way possible, some of those giving the links will take advantage of the opportunity – and attempt to profit from it.
At my previous job, we tried to do a lot of guest blogging, not only on behalf of our clients but on behalf of ourselves as well. I first started guest blogging over a year ago (early-ish 2011). Back then, with one client, I didn’t have a single blog come back to me and say “actually, we only accept posts if you pay us as well.” For a later client, a couple of weeks ago, the 80/20 rule kicked in: in one industry, about 80% of the people I approached asked for payment in addition to the post that they were receiving for free. As I said earlier, I do wonder if the difference between the two times was not because of the types of industries (although it could’ve been a factor), but because people are getting wise to guest blogging, especially recently. After all, why give away something for free (i.e. a link from your blog) if you could make money from it?
A few weeks ago, I resorted to Twitter (as always!) to let off some steam:
Wow. Y’know I mentioned blog that only allows guest blog posts if you pay them £100? Just found one that wants £300 ANNUALLY. WTF?!
While I do see his point, and guest bloggers should be grateful for the exposure (even at a cost beyond the time it has taken to write the content and conduct the outreach), my concern is that the overall quality of guest blog posts – and therefore guest blogging as a practice as a whole – could be affected.
I’d argue that if someone is not charging money to receive guest blogs then quality will be an extremely important factor. They’ll only want good quality content and dismiss poor content and poor outreach (similar to the two Mikes I mentioned above). However, if someone says “pay me £100 and I’ll publish it,” is quality really going to be that big a concern to them? After all, for people who are that way inclined, if they had to choose an excellent post for free or a mediocre post that also earns them a tidy £100, which one would they choose?
And this is the problem. Guest blogging will become tainted and ultimately lose its shine and its value. Similar to infographics, which are a current concern due to the abuse they’ve been receiving in an attempt to get links. In an ideal guest blogging utopia, guest blogging is about offering good content for free, which is hosted and published for free. Everyone wins – the blog owner gets good content for free and for his/her troubles, the link builder gets a link. But when a spammer approaches a blog that accepts payment and may or may not give a crap about the quality of the content it receives, then we have a problem.
Unfortunately, guest blogging is becoming Article Marketing 2.0. Lazier, spammier SEOs think they can just send someone a spun article, give them a few quid and happy days. Instead of an article directory or a ‘fake’ blog network, the content is going on a more ‘legit’ blog (even if it’s not really more legit, but just looks that way), so the spammer gets the added benefit of looking less spammy, too.
I know it’s not something anyone can do about it, and that unfortunately this stuff happens. It’s the way it is. When something gets abused, it devalues the process for everyone, even for those who were playing nice and doing things properly.
But sometimes it’s good just to let off some steam, even if it’s just a few hundred words in a blog post.
Rant over.
[Image credits: “SEO” spinning top: Todd Hall (note: it actually says “SEQ,” but that “Q” looks so much like an “O,” don’t you think?); spam gift set: Seoulful Adventures]
In a few previous posts, I’ve talked SEOno news as well as guest blog posts I’ve written for other sites. Rather than having them as random, standalone posts, like some of thepreviousfew, I thought I’d start a series of them, as-and-when I have anything to share.
News
SEOno is in dire need of a proper custom design, but with my third and final instalment of my CAM Diploma course coming up over the next few months, it may be a couple of months off just yet. Besides, I prefer writing, so if I have to choose between the two, I’d much rather write a new post than go overboard with the blog’s design. Still, it’s something I have in mind (it’s just a matter of ‘when’)!
Guest Blog Posts
I’ve been quite busy the last few months, mainly writing stuff on behalf of Liberty Marketing:
I’ve had two posts published by the wonderful Ann Smarty (@seosmarty):
Last but not least, a recent post on behalf of both Liberty and Computer Recruiter is one I’m particularly proud of: How to Find Jobs Using Twitter Search for the GO Wales blog. This is a sort of follow-up to a similar post I wrote a while back for the Liberty blog on finding jobs using Google, however I think this one about Twitter Search is better explained and laid out. If anyone gives it a go then I’d love their feedback on it.
I have a few more exciting guest blog posts planned, which I’ll share in Part 2…
While Andrew tweeted like a madman (this tweet sums it up well!), I made a ton of notes, equalling 1,000 words – good fun on an iPad, let me tell you…!
Anyway, here are my top 10 takeaways from the event:
1. Bing: Social is a “strong signal” for content Talk:Panel – Ask the Engines with Pierre Far, Dave Coplin, Martin McDonald, Rishi Lakhani & Tony Goldstone
Straight from the horse’s mouth – Bing’s Director of Search Dave Coplin explained that social is used as a ranking signal in Bing. He even specified that they definitely take Facebook and Twitter into account, and those whose efforts are “bloody good” will be rewarded with better rankings.
2. ISO DateTime gives search engines context to dates Talk:Microformats & SEO – Glenn Jones, @glennjones
I’m still fairly new to the head-scratching-inducing world of schema.org and rich snippets, but I thought it was cool that “ISO DateTime” can give context to dates that search engines will understand. With so many ways to write a date (17th Apr 2012, 17/04/12, 2012-04-17, and so on), it can be used to clarify a date in one standard format. It can even be used when a date isn’t actually written, but a date is still suggested (e.g. “next Tuesday”).
Glenn’s slides can be found here. See slide 17 for more info.
3. What info to include when reporting on online PR Talk:How you can get BIG links from BIG media sites – Lexi Mills, @leximills
Lexi’s talk was by far my favourite at the event. In terms of reporting on online PR efforts, one should consider including:
Domain Authority of the site (not PageRank of the page: the article/content will be brand new on the site – as a brand new page – and therefore PageRank will be low (n/a) for that page to begin with, so for that reason, DA is a more sensible metric to use),
Whether the link is dofollow or nofollow,
Whether the link is an image or text,
The anchor text of the link.
I think the same easily applies to guest blogging as well.
4. Follow #prwin, #prfail and #journorequest for potential online PR opportunities Talk:How you can get BIG links from BIG media sites – Lexi Mills, @leximills
Another gem from Lexi. Keep an eye on the above hashtags for an opportunity to strike.
My tip: Want to filter it by industry? Add a keyword after each one, e.g. #journorequest fashion. You could have one (or a few) per client/site.
5. Tell clients their month-average ranking as well as/instead of their current ranking Talk:Maximizing your SEO Agencies – James Owen, @jamesoSEO
It’s happened to all of us… When we give our client their end-of-month report, they’ve performed consistently well all month, and then Sod’s Law strikes and on the 29th or 30th they’ll drop a few places. We give them their current rank and they wonder it’s been like that the whole time…
In those situations, it might also be worth including their average ranking over the month, so that you can say “yes, it is nth right now, but look at where it was before…!” Especially handy if it’s a temporary dip.
6. Say “Did I explain that clearly?” instead of “Did that make sense?” or “Did you get that?” Talk:Sell the Sizzle, Not The Search: Tactics for Appeasing Marketing Directors – Chelsea Blacker, @ChelseaBlacker
This is very timely for me. I’ve been meaning to write a post about sales/networking tips for non-sales people, and although Chelsea’s talk was applied to Marketing Directors and others within an organisation, I think it applies to any/all environments involving laymen.
After exploding someone’s head with overly-technical information, I’ll often say something like “do you know what I mean?”, which might leave the listener feeling a little silly (albeit unintentionally). However “did I explain that clearly?” is a softer approach and – chances are – I probably didn’t explain it clearly, so more accurate, too.
For me personally, this has been one of the most valuable takeaways of the event. Thank you Chelsea!
7. Use competitor downtime to your advantage… Talk:Enterprise SEO Titties (was that a typo or the actual title of the event in the end?!) – Tony King, @ToastedTeacake
All’s fair in love, war and search…
We all know that competitors bid on each others’ brand terms using PPC (especially big brands), in an attempt to cheekily pinch each other’s traffic before it reaches the site. But Tony made a very good point – if you notice that one of your main competitors is experiencing website downtime, increase your bids on those terms. That’s the time to strike, offering yourself as a (functioning) alternative to frustrated customers who could use you instead of waiting for their usual port-of-call website to get themselves sorted and fixed…
It’s cheeky as hell (although brilliant, mind you), but hey – they’d probably do it to you, too!
8. Shape your response to emotional highs (and use SEO and PPC accordingly) Talk:SEO & PPC Working Together in Harmony – Tim, @JellyfishAgency
Use SEO and PPC together, but for different reasons. As PPC can be turned on and off very quickly and ads can be shown at certain times of the day, it can be used to drive people to a website at a time when they might be feeling an “emotional high,” as Tim put it. Don’t just rely on SEO, when PPC could be used to draw in additional traffic that may be more inclined to read/react/buy compared to usual.
EDIT: Sorry, it was Tim who was speaking, not Craig! Cheers to @JellyfishAgency for clarifying!
9. Author Rank could be swayed by industry Talk:I Believe Authors are the Future – James Carson, @mrjamescarson
James’ talk was interesting – it’s early days for the likes of Author Rank, rel=author, etc., but it’s clear that Google is becoming more and more fixated in this area as time goes on.
James has a theory that in the future, Author Rank could differ by industry. Rather than a well-respected, high-ranking author always ranking well no matter what they publish, Author Rank could be determined by the consistency of what they publish by industry, based on their previous successes. For example, if a famous fashion blogger suddenly blogged about football, it may not necessarily rank well – even if their fashion posts usually do – because it is inconsistent of what they’re known and respected for.
10. Mascots can cause a reaction (but be a distraction) Talk:I appear to have started a sweetshop (and advertising company) – Dom Hodgson, @Thehodge
Dom easily wins the award for the most entertaining talk of the day (as I’m sure fellow attendeanales reading this will agree…)
Dom originally used a mascot – a “f***ing squirrel,” as he so eloquently put it! – on the first design of his sweet shop website. Although they had a lot of social media mentions revolving around said mascot to begin with (“did that squirrel just f***ing wink at me?!”), showing initial promising signs that his(?) inclusion was a good move, they decided to “kill” the squirrel and eventually removed it from the site. Why? Because an eye-tracking test showed that visitors were distracted by the squirrel, and in some cases it might’ve been such a distraction that it was putting some customers off from buying anything.
I found this fascinating. It just goes to show that even if people say something positive via social, it may not actually be a positive for the website or company.
11./Bonus: Advanced Search String Queries for SEO Talk:Word from a Sponsor – Analytics SEO, @analyticsseo
Ok, so I lied – I’ve included an 11th takeaway, as while writing this post, I remembered another good takeaway from one of the sponsors – Analytics SEO – who used their ‘sponsor message’ section to share their list of advanced search string queries for SEO.
So that’s it! That’s some of the words from the 1,000-word tome that’s left me with aching fingertips and a low iPad battery…
I’d like to take the opportunity to thank a few people:
Analytics SEO, who ran the ticket competition and therefore the whole reason I managed to go,
Kelvin (@kelvinnewman), the event’s organiser, for his help and patience with the infamous ‘ticket confusion’ on Thursday,
The man who bought me a shot of sambuca because I apologised for accidentally queue-jumping him at the bar at the afterparty. Alcohol + poor memory (generally) = I’ve forgotten your name, but if you tweet me and remind me then I’ll edit this post and link to you as promised. (And before anyone tries pulling a fast one, I’ll know the name when I see it!),
The magician (@mcrmagic), for blowing my mind to smithereens.
Oh and for anyone reading this who enjoyed the karaoke at the afterparty, I’m the guy who sang the Foo Fighters song. I apologise for the high bits!
EDIT (03/05/12): I thought I’d share this awesome infographic as well…
Due to other commitments, I have made the difficult decision to postpone blogging on SEOno for at least 6 months.
In September, I was put on the CAM Diploma in Digital Marketing for work. With the way things have worked out, a colleague and I have only 9 months to complete all 3 modules, whereas I believe most people have at least 1 year. For my current module, I have 4 weeks to do the 1st drafts of 3 assignments, which has me just a teeny-tiny little bit scared (read: absolutely petrified). Throw in a full-time job and attempts at hobbies and a social life to stay sane and I’m starting to enter ‘juggling-too-much’ territory.
To be honest, since starting this blog about 9 months ago, I feel as though I have not given it 100%. For a start, I’ve hosted it on WordPress.com and not .org, which means I do not even have full control over it for SEO purposes – and someone talking about SEO who doesn’t even have an optimised blog is a little bit… well… bland. (Even though my area of expertise is off-site SEO and not on-site SEO, but regardless…) I’ve also not written as much content as I’d like – I wanted to write a post every week, but at the moment I’m lucky to write one post per month, if that.
Once my course is over, I should have more free time on my hands in order to write for SEOno once again. In the meantime, I still plan to make the move to .org – with the help of the mighty Andrew Isidoro of SEOfosho – plus I will be guest blogging pretty heavily for Liberty Marketing and also writing for their corporate online marketing blog. I also plan to keep attending the wonderful Cardiff Blogs, even though I won’t be blogging in a personal capacity.
So… Thanks to those who’ve read, linked, tweeted and commented my posts so far. Godspeed and happy blogging!
