« November 2006 | Main | January 2007 »

December 20, 2006

Tag, I'm It - 5 Things You Didn't Know About Me

Apparently, there is a new viral game going on in the SEO industry called "Blog Tag" of which I've been tagged by Alan Robinowitz of SEO Image. So, I'm more than happy to pass on some not-so-well known information about me and start tagging others to do the same.

1) I've been active in the SEO industry since I was 21 years old (I just turned 30).

2) I have a solid understanding of both Black Hat and White Hat techniques, which is rare for a Business Development guy. Of course, Intrapromote only does white hat, so my black hat knowledge may be a bit rusty.

3) I have an incredible passion for SEO, but on my downtime, I ride and sometimes race dirtbikes, quads & snowmobiles to decompress a bit. Work hard, play hard, baby!

4) Sometimes I find myself reading through a newspaper or a catalog and thinking about "Ctrl+F" to find that certain classified or quad part. How geeky is that?!

5) I'm the only one in my entire family to still have perfect vision. (fingers crossed)

Next to get tagged - Jill Whalen, Matt Cutts, & Blackbeard.

Posted by sean at 11:44 AM | Comments (4) | TrackBack

December 19, 2006

It's Key To Not Remove Yahoo Authentication File

Now that Yahoo has agreed to accept the Sitemap protocol , I've been going through the process of getting client sites authenticated via Yahoo's Site Explorer so we can submit sitemap files.

To be knighted as an authenticated site by Yahoo, you have to create an authentication key file then upload it to the root of your site. Once uploaded, you can request authentication.

We're finding it takes about 24 hours to get the thumbs up or down from Yahoo.

Just a tip for any of you doing the same.....

Once you upload the authentication key file and your site is authenticated, don't remove the authentication key. Yahoo will check periodically for the presence of the key and if it's removed, your site will be unauthenticated.

Posted by doug at 05:07 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

December 18, 2006

Google Gobbles Up The Globe

We've noticed the Google juggernaut gobbling up more and more international marketshare from our SEO perch here over the years, especially with many of our clients wanting to know what engines matter most as we move across the globe results-wise. Still, this blurb from The International Herald Tribune is quite staggering:

For Europe as a whole, as in much of the world, Google leads in Internet search. Of all those who visited search and navigation sites in Europe this October, 86 percent went to Google at least once, compared with 30 percent for Microsoft's search sites and 21 percent for Yahoo, according to comScore, an online market research firm.

Using this as a plank from which to dive into explaining how the sea is ripe for European competition against the Big G, though, I have to find fault with the article's assumed assessment throughout that the results are basically the same across countries. We have noticed quite the opposite, with a local bias quite evident.

To take a look at this phenomenon yourself, try your favorite search phrase at the .com version of Google and then, in your address bar, change the domain extension to the the country extension of your choice, like http://www.google.jp, and then give that same phrase a spin.

Posted by john at 11:24 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

December 15, 2006

Quasi SEOs

I had a nice chat this morning with an industry friend of mine in the sports information field. Aside from our typical banter about blogs, SEO & other geeky stuff as it relates to online marketing, we discussed something that bothers both of us as well as other reputable SEOs out there – quasi SEOs.

It all starts with a cold call to a prospect in desperate need of SEO assistance. The prospect knows they need help in positioning their site for targeted traffic, but knows little to nothing about what it actually takes to garner the top real estate on SERPs. The sales guy does a good job boggling the mind of the prospect with verbiage consisting of SEO acronyms and such, to the point where the prospect gives his or her credit card number or overnights a check to get something going. What the client doesn’t know is that the sales person (and the company he represents) that just sold the account knows little to nothing about SEO.

Segue quasi SEO.

The SEO wannabe does some title tagging, meta tagging and perhaps even goes so far as to write SEO copy. Hell, they read a thread on a board on this stuff and now they’re an expert. Keep in mind the SEO really doesn’t know what they’re doing and probably don’t have the slightest clue how to write effective tags and content to begin with for their client.

Months go by and the client is seeing good results in terms of increased rankings. AWESOME!! But why hasn’t the client’s site seen increased traffic? Sigh…I guess the SEO firm forgot to do something incredibly fundamental. Something called keyword research. I’ve seen and have heard this scenario time and time again.

Was the keyword research an accidental oversight? Maybe. Was it intentional? Most likely.

Beyond basic SEO tactics like tagging and SEO copywriting, there is a slew of other variables that should tied into a campaign for any given client which should also include consultation. Quality inbound link popularity building, keyword rich navigation structure, custom error pages, optimized site map, proper use of 301s, and content creation & management are just a few of the items that should be addressed in every campaign.

For those companies out there seeking assistance, be careful not to get sucked in by the “Quasi SEO�. They’re typically companies set up overnight to get rich quick and know plenty about fear-based selling, but little to nothing about best practices search engine optimization. Make sure you don’t fall victim to these sleazy wannabe SEOs and always, always, always check references.

Posted by sean at 10:02 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

December 14, 2006

Direct Links from the Yahoo Directory?

The Yahoo Directory has always shown direct links to the robots. It appears, temporarily anyway, that they are showing them to us, as well . . . in the Directory Listing, anyway, not the Directory Search Results.

Posted by tom at 03:39 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

December 12, 2006

Finding Referring URLs with Google Analytics - Sort Of

About a month ago, I was very happy to see the official Google Analytics blog come out with a post about finding the exact referring URL. It's one of the reports I use most regularly, and it has always surprised me that it's buried so deeply in the menu structure of Google Analytics. I was nearly giddy when I saw what the post was going to discuss, but then disappointed, because it didn't address my bigger concern, which I'll discuss further down.

A little background: Google Analytics makes it very easy to see which domains are referring traffic to your site. But finding specific referring pages within those domains is a little trickier - thus the post from the Analytics blog.

The following shot shows how to find specific referring pages within a specified domain. Here, I'm drilling down to see the specific page(s) at Sitepoint that sent traffic to our site:

That post solved only part of the problem. Google Analytics still does a poor job of showing the exact referring URL when it contains a dynamic string. vBulletin PHP pages are a good example. The following shot shows what happens when I click the Content selection in the menu above:

As you can see, Google Analytics doesn't report any dynamic arguments after the page name. This is a problem, because just seeing this page name does almost no good at all. Tens of thousands of Sitepoint pages begin with this filename. What I need is for the report to show this:

/forums/showthread.php?t=419917

instead of simply this:

/forums/showthread.php

A current thread at the Google Analytics Help group page is called Wishlist. I've posted here, requesting this feature. But there are many, many, many instances of similar requests that have gone unrequited. If you think this feature is important, I urge you to add your thoughts to the Wishlist thread.

Posted by erik at 06:37 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack

December 08, 2006

Are You In Need Of A Little Holiday Cheer?

(More PPC result craziness)

This time of year can be very busy and stressful, and often I have to remind myself that now is the time for Holiday Cheer. The only problem is how to get it in short notice.

Fortunately I have Google, Yahoo, and MSN to help me find it. I decided to check the Pay Per Click results and here is what I got…

I’m glad to know that I can find it at places as reputable as Ebay, Amazon, & Target to name a few. I'm also glad I'm not up against Ebay, Amazon, or Target.....if they can dominate this type of phrase I hate to see what the competition is like for 'regular' words.

Note to self: check PPC engines “relevancy� guidelines to see if I can write the same kinds of ad’s….

Cheers!

Posted by brent at 04:56 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

December 07, 2006

Smells Like ... Thursday Potpourri

Just a few items of interest on a dark and stormy night...

• Segmentation of the SEO/SEM convention audience? As Doug noted, Danny Sullivan is heading out on his own - and not quietly. He and his team have launched a new media company, news & blog site, and a webcast site. But the one that caught my eye was the new convention he's planning, Search Marketing Expo. The first SMX event will be in June 2007, last for two days, and "will be especially geared toward advanced search marketers" - a distinction that separates it from the ever-expanding Search Engine Strategies franchise. At four days long and up to five sessions deep, SES is on the verge of suffering from the all-things-to-all-people syndrome. With Danny leaving, SES seems ripe for becoming, as Yogi Berra might have said, "so crowded nobody goes there anymore." Alan Meckler also weighs in.
• Happy Birthday, SE Roundtable. A belated third birthday wish to SER. Nearly two years ago, as we scoped out the editorial vision for our own blog, one of the potential routes was a SEO-news-as-it-happens approach. It was quickly put aside, however, because SER was already doing it, and doing it so well.
• SES Coverage. Speaking of SE Roundtable, make sure to catch its coverage of the current SES show, including an especially erudite post from our old pal, Amy Edelstein.
• Adsense and Al Qaeda. First spotted at WebGuerrilla and followed up at Search Engine Journal is what promises to be a very sensational story - one on which Webmaster Radio has apparently done much research - regarding terrorist groups using Google Adsense and Adwords programs to fund their organizations. No one (at this point) is accusing Google of actual complicity, but this will surely ignite further debate on click fraud and finding the balance between privacy and openness in the PPC money trail. Stay tuned.

Posted by erik at 03:54 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

December 05, 2006

SEO Speedwagon Congratulates Chris Elwell & Danny Sullivan

Door Number Three

The Wagon would like to congratulate our colleagues and friends Chris Elwell and Danny Sullivan in their successful launch of Third Door Media, a new firm that will focus on search and interactive marketing.

Readers of the Wagon will definitely want to check out Third Door's search news blog that will provide daily, in-depth information about search engine marketing and how search engines work in general. Daily coverage begins on December 11.

Posted by doug at 05:26 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

December 01, 2006

DMOZ, Please Die Already

I'd like to add to what my fellow co-worker, Tom Lustina, wrote about DMOZ.

DMOZ is a very old entity that needed to die years ago and hopefully will perish soon. DMOZ used to be an incredibly valuable inbound link especially at Google, providing you even got reviewed and indexed in their crappy directory.

I can’t count how many clients I’ve submitted to DMOZ that were never even reviewed. Granted, I only manage a handful of accounts each year, but I’m not the only one fed up with DMOZ’s lack of editorial attentiveness. Ask any SEO about their experience with DMOZ review and approval experience and you’ll see a crazy glaze come over their face like someone just stole their lunch.

As Jill Wahlen points out in one of her more recent posts aptly named “10 Signs That Your SEO Is A Quack�, DMOZ is a great listing to have, but it’s just a link like any other quality human-reviewed directory out there. The main difference here is other directories actually have human beings with a pulse that will typically review & approve or deny your listing in a reasonable time period. Whereas with DMOZ, you’re lucky if you get reviewed inside 12 months if reviewed at all…ever!

In conclusion, my ardent wish is to see DMOZ take the final sail on the Pacific while ablaze in a ritualistic-like farewell to the departed.

Have a wonderful weekend, everyone!!

Posted by sean at 09:42 AM | Comments (10) | TrackBack

Here Lies ODP

It doesn't really seem like humans are doing it better over at dmoz. For more than a month now, any attempt to submit a url to the Open Directory Project leads to nowhere.

Check out the frustration from those who have not yet given up on ODP.

Posted by tom at 12:06 AM | Comments (3) | TrackBack