Did you like those two simple SEO tips from Richard Burckhardt? Well, there is a lot more where they came from. I hope I can share more than two tips in this post – we’ll see.

Don’t be obsessed with PageRank. It is just one isty bitsy part of the ranking algorithm. A site with lower PR can actually outrank one with a higher PR.

This one I really have to internalize. I know, in theory, that there is more to life than PR. However, it is hard when you see your already not-so-good PR of 3 slip down to a worse 2. Still, I think that this tip is a good reminder – let’s not be so focused on PR. It is not everything!

If your site content doesn’t change often, your site needs a blog because search spiders like fresh text. Blog at least three time a week with good, fresh content to feed those little crawlers.

Search engines like unique content that is also quality content. There can be a difference between unique content and quality content. Make sure your content is both.

Here it is again – content. If your web site is not the kind that needs new content on a regular basis, there is always blogging to help.

SEO is not a one-shot process. The search landscape changes daily, so expect to work on your optimization daily.

This is another good reminder. SEO takes time, it is not a one shot deal.

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…that even your mother would love. That is how Richard Burckhardt titled his blog post on this and I love it! The original title of the post is “51 Quick SEO Tips Even Your Mother Would Love” but we cannot cover ALL of those 51 tips here so I am picking out my favorites of the bunch. Here they are.

Content is king, so be sure to have good, well-written and unique content that will focus on your primary keyword or keyword phrase.

I have written about this topic many times so nothing more needs to be added to this. However, here is a related tip:

If content is king, then links are queen. Build a network of quality backlinks using your keyword phrase as the link. Remember, if there is no good, logical reason for that site to link to you, you don’t want the link.

I think that it is very important to stress the quality of the link. I have seen so many propositions for link exchanges and even though they may be tempting, it is vital that the unrelated sites be weeded out. Google is not stupid. Just because many sites link to your site does not mean that they are “legit” – that they linked because of your content. They know that people exchange links as easily as they change their clothes. If I were you, I’d choose who I link to and who links to me as well.

More of these quick SEO tips in the next post.

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“Why can’t I be number 1?” “Why am I always behind (insert site here)?”

“How do they do it? Why can’t I do it?”

Sounds familiar? If you find yourself in a similar situation, it’s time to change tactics. So don your spy glasses and your trench coat as we embark on a journey called “competitive analysis.”

Competitive analysis is the process of discovering what makes other sites tick. Some call it spying but that’s such an ugly word. Let’s stick with competitive analysis shall we? The main idea behind competitive analysis is to find out what steps did the other camp do to reach a better ranking. Ready to walk on tip-toes? Then read on.

1) Check out the source – the source code of your competitor’s site may provide you with a plethora of information. From the metadata, to the actual content, careful scrutiny might just reveal what keywords they are targeting or software they are using

2) Bring out the tools of the trade – If you struck out with the source code, you can try using the different available programs around the Internet, like the Keyword Density Analysis tool to bring possible keyphrases that they are focusing on. There are also several free and paid SEO tools that help you analyze websites in-depth. This includes SEO Spyglass, WebCEO, etc. Use these tools to cross-examine the competition.

3) Know who they’re working with – Snoop around and see who are linking your competitor’s site. No need to be obvious about your activities, a simple search from Google or Yahoo can reveal this information.

If all goes well, after the stake out, you should have in your hands the information that you need. From keywords to possible backlinks, all you need to do now is to analyze and decide which are worth keeping. Applying them to your site is just one way of using the information gathered. Just remember, mum’s the word.

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Everybody’s buzzing about SEO. Like a lover it promises the earth, the sun, and the sky, which, for web masters, equates to higher ranking, higher exposure, and ultimately, higher profit. But here’s a general truth: not everyone likes to read, especially when it’s littered with technical jargon like SEO books are. If you’re the type who gets dizzy after reading the first page, I’m giving you an alternative: free online video tutorials. So get off your lazy ass and put that popcorn in the microwave. It’s time for some serious video marathon.

Eyeflow

If it’s basic you want, then it’s Eyeflow you must see. Eyeflow contains video tutorials that introduce what SEO is and what are the different basic elements involved in the SEO process. Explained by segments, it introduces the crucial players of SEO; keywords, links, and some dos and don’ts in the SEO arena.

SEOBOOK

Worthy of mention is another free video tutorial site named SEOBOOK. It features the basics of SEO as well as different topics that would help you in your quest for a higher rank. The main site itself shows only a few of the available tutorials by SEOBOOK. The bulk of the guides are housed under YouTube. Click on the YouTube profile link and view all 19 guides ranging from the most basic to the advanced techniques as well as reviews of tools to let you stay ahead in the SEO race.

GSINC

Another site with comprehensive tutorials available in the Net for free is GSINC. Here, SEO consultant Gareth Davies discusses search engine optimization basics, as well as tips and tricks to get you fast-tracked. He talks about most of the important topics dealing with SEO, from keywords to backlinks as well as search engine features, and how to use them to your own advantage.

Do you know of other SEO video tutorials that I haven’t listed? Please let me know via the comments to share them with the other readers.

(Unless you’re so secretive about your resources )

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Yes, it’s quite a risky (and risqué!) topic. However, good SEO techniques have many important similarities with the other most popular topic on the net (a.k.a. sex). To be a great SEO practitioner, you also need to apply the philosophies of great lovers.

Always add something new to your knowledge and technique. If you want to be the best lover, you keep improving your skills by learning new ways to touch, new positions. To be the best SEO practitioner, you also need to update your knowledge often. After all, search engines update their algorithms all the time, new SEO tools are constantly being developed, and new angles of internet marketing are always explored. Keep abreast (haha!) with the latest SEO news so you won’t be behind everyone else.

For each move, measure a response and let that be your guide. If you stroke your lover’s side and you sense that he or she feels pleasure, you keep doing it. If they seem disinterested or (gasp) in pain, stop doing it. (Unless you’re doing some BDSM stuff that really doesn’t apply here). The same goes for SEO – you apply a certain tactic, then measure its results to see if you’ll keep on doing it or change it altogether. For example, you can reword the homepage title to contain a specific keyword. If you come up higher on SE results for that keyword, then this means you should let the new title stay. If nothing happens, then look for better keywords to use on the title, keywords that will convert more. Also, don’t make several changes at once – do it little by little or else the results will be more difficult to measure.

Stay focused. You need to know your goal and focus all your efforts on them. If a lover strays and forgets about the orgasm he or she intended to induce, then the rhythm is lost. If it’s SEO we’re talking about, you need a list of goals and all your SEO efforts must be concrete steps towards those goals. You must not be distracted. Directing your SEO towards too many things at the same time leads to a disorganized campaign.

You can do it yourself, but not with the same results. Some things are better done alone, but S-E-X and SEO aren’t included in that list. You may think you can do all there is to do and know all there is to know, but without the involvement of other experts or assistants, it’ll be a much heavier task. So you have to read all the SEO material you need to get your hands on, get the opinion of experts, or get an assistant to do the menial tasks (such as submitting to directories). If you do everything yourself, it’ll take a long time and by the time you finish, the search engine trends would’ve changed.

Keep these ideas in mind the next time you’re passionate – about an SEO campaign, that is. Who knows? By applying these tips you might reach an all time high… in search engine results.

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In the previous post, we took a look at the hands off client, who pretty much leaves everything to his SEO company. Here are the other two types of SEO clients.

The Moderately Involved Client
According to Jeff Quip, this type of client has some knowledge of SEO and its potential results. As such, the moderately involved client spends more time interacting with his SEO company. The thought that his involvement might bring about better results has also crossed the mind of the moderately involved client. There is some tentativeness still, however, hence the moderation with regard to interaction. The important thing for this type of client is that he takes on a more active role when it comes to the SEO process. He may dabble in content writing every once in a while as well.

The Whatever You Need Client
This client is described by Jeff Quip as being committed to reach the top rank in his niche. When it comes to being at the top, you would want to be recognized as an authority in your field. Building this reputation, however, needs more than SEO. It takes hard work – both on the part of the SEO company and the web site or blog owner – and requires a lot of input from the authority – the client. In short, the point of view of this client is long term.

So, which type of SEO client are you?

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For some reason, us human beings seem to have something for classifying and categorizing things. We tend to group things around us into categories that make it easier for us to handle. It seems that SEO is not exempt – at least when it comes to the clients. Not everyone does SEO their own. In fact, many people employ the services of SEO professionals in order to achieve the results that they want.

Does it matter what kind of SEO client you are? According to Jeff Quipp at Search Engine People, it does. He states that knowing what type of client you are will help you determine your own actions that will assist your SEO company achieve your objectives.

Here are the categories that Jeff Quip has come up with:

The “Hands Off” Type Client
So how do you describe a client that is hands off? The tag is pretty much self-explanatory. You basically employ the services of an SEO company and then you leave everything to them. It makes sense to be this type of client. After all, it give you the freedom of tending to your business. You admit that you are not well-versed in SEO and you’d rather leave that to the experts. Of course, there is still communication between you and your SEO company, although this may be infrequent – for example when there are questions or concerns from either side. Regular reports will also be part of the communication.

In the next post, let’s look at the other 2 types of SEO clients.

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Just recently, one of my blogger friends asked me again about how to remove the no-follow attribute in her blog comments. She read about the “do follow” movement and wanted to be part of that. That got me to reading up on new developments with regard to no follow and do follow…

I found an interesting article at Econsultancy, which promotes the use of the no follow attribute as part of your SEO best practices. Naturally, being a do follow enthusiast, I had to read the whole article in an effort to understand the rationale behind the statement. This is what I found out:

While the concept of ‘PageRank leak’ – the idea that you can potentially ‘dilute’ your PageRank by linking out too much – has been widely debated for years, there’s no doubt that good linking practices are important to maintaining PageRank.

Linking to third party websites that Google thinks are ‘spammy’ can harm you. As Google itself advises, “avoid links to web spammers or ‘bad neighborhoods’ on the web, as your own ranking may be affected adversely by those links.”

This is where using the ‘nofollow’ attribute on outbound links can be a valuable SEO tool.

One of my personal blogs has had no PR for months now – after having a halfway decent PR of 3. Perhaps I am leaking out PageRank because of not using the no follow attribute. I should take a look into this. Maybe you should, too.

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Let’s face it. SEO can take a lot of tedious work before you see results. This is especially true if you’re starting a new site on a fresh domain. Many articles have been written about the Google sandbox. Supposedly, this is the place where new sites go before they can start ranking for more competitive terms. Basically, this means your new site won’t have a lot of organic search traffic for awhile – a couple months even. That’s a lot of time to lose when you could be getting search traffic and making profit.

So, what can you do to combat the sandbox effect? Simple, buy an old domain. If you don’t have the cash, this should be one thing you should be saving up for.

Older sites have a huge advantage over newer sites. In fact, in a survey done by 37 SEO experts, the 4th most important SEO ranking factor was the age of a site. To be more specific, this factor referred “not [to] the date of original registration of the domain, but rather the launch of indexable content seen by the search engines.”

By buying an older site, think of all the time you would be saving. Time building links, time producing content, time looking for a domain name. At first, when I first learned about Google using age as a huge search ranking factor, I thought it was unfair. But the more I thought about it, the more it made sense to me. Just like new employees have to prove themselves in a company, new sites need to prove themselves to have a spot in the SERPs.

You can use this to your advantage by “hiring” (buying) that older, well-proven employee (site). And what’s great about buying sites is there are many great deals out there. You just have to do proper research to make sure you’re buying a quality site.

Here are two things you should do before purchasing a site.

* Use our PageRank tool to see if the PageRank is not fake.

* Use our backlink checker to examine the backlinks.  Does the site have a lot of backlinks?  Are the backlinks coming from quality, high PR sites?  Also, go to the sites giving the backlinks and check to see if the backlinks are still there.

Further resources:

Aged Domains: What you need to Know
Great article. It inspired me to write this blog entry.

Terrible Web Presence Creates Opportunities
This article is more about flipping sites, but there’s also good information about buying them.

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Keyword research is a vital part of any SEO plan. Keywords are the foundation of search engines. Search engines account for most of the traffic online, so finding great keywords can drive a lot of visitors to your site.

What should you look for in a keyword? What makes a keyword worth targeting?

Here are the 3 basic things I consider before targeting a specific keyword.

Search Volume

Search volume simply means how many people search for the keyword. You can hit the top 10 of Google for the search term, my favorite cat fifi. It won’t do you any good though, because no one is searching for that keyword.

Make sure internet users are actually searching for your keyword. This is where keyword tools can help. I personally like using Google Adwords keyword tool because it’s based on Google’s database.

Don’t fully rely on keyword tools. Keyword tools don’t predict the future search volume. For example, more people will search for a movie or a gadget after it’s been released. In this case, keyword tools will not be very accurate, because they don’t take account future events.

Competition

Just because a phrase has high search volume doesn’t mean you should target it. If you have a new travel site, you shouldn’t target travel. This keyword is super competitive. There’s over 700 million results for that term. Each of the top 10 sites have a PR7 or higher. You may never rank for this term in your lifetime!

Some people determine competition by the number of search results for the keyword. However, I think that method doesn’t give an accurate portrayal of the competition.

Here are 2 tips for being more accurate in determining the competitiveness of a search term.

Research the top 10 sites. The tool, SEO for Firefox, helps greatly in this. The most important things to look for are PR, Yahoo links for the domain, and Yahoo links for the page.

Use the allinanchor and allintitle command and search with quotes. This shows you how many pages are optimized for the keyword. For example, if you want to know the competitiveness of the keyword cheap real estate, enter these two searches in Google:

• allinanchor:”cheap real estate”
• allintitle:”cheap real estate”

The allinanchor command tells you how many pages have the anchor text cheap real estate. The allintitle command tells you how many pages have cheap real estate in their title tags.

Value

Here are three methods to find out the value of a keyword.

Use the Google Adwords keyword tool to figure out the estimated cost per click for a specific keyword. To use this keyword tool, follow these steps.

1. Enter a keyword in the text box.
2. In the field “choose data to display”, find the text box that says “Cost and Ad Position Estimates.”
3. A new text box will appear for dollar amounts. Enter “100.00″ in text box and click on “recalculate.”
4. After Google crunches the data, a bunch of keywords with their click values will show up.
5. If you don’t see your keyword, hit Ctrl+F and use the find command to locate it.

Do a Google search on your keyword. Count how many ads show up on the SERPs. The more ads, the better.

Look for affiliate offers that relate closely to your keyword. If there are affiliate offers with a high commission and a high conversion rate, you have a valuable keyword.

Conclusion

Let’s wrap this up. When dealing with keywords, keep these 3 simple things in mind:

• The higher the search volume, the better.
• The lower the competition, the better.
• The higher the value, the better.

Most keywords will not have all 3 characteristics. But at least target keywords with 2 of the qualities. If a keyword does not have a high search volume, make sure it has high value and low competition. Don’t target a competitive keyword unless it has high search volume and high value. And go ahead and target a low value keyword if it has high search volume and low competition.

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