Misc Articles by SEO Speedwagon
April 09, 2008
Content is King, But Who Has Time to Read it All? 
With all the writing I do comes hours of associated research. While this is usually enjoyable, time is of the essence, and it's important to have a few shortcuts to help wade through all the PDFs, articles and brochures I read daily.
For years I've used a product called Copernic Summarizer, which actually goes beyond the summarizing capabilities within Word. It can summarize any web page or file, and creates a handy list of key terms at the left hand side of the summary, which I can scan, and it highlights terms that interest me throughout the document. Summarizer is great for getting a quick gist of a long PDF, and great for collecting key phrases from a document when I am researching an industry I'm not familiar with.
While I'm on the "less is more" theme, it's fun to see how much can be said in as few words as possible. Wired has a great "Six Words" article that features various celebrities and their pithy comments. Check out some of these gems: "It’s behind you! Hurry before it" - Rockne S. O’Bannon; "Failed SAT. Lost scholarship. Invented rocket." - William Shatner; and my favorite: "Steve ignores editor's word limit and..."- Steven Meretzky
Content is King, But Who Has Time to Read it All?
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February 06, 2008
Create Great Email Newsletters with these Free Templates
Have you ever been caught in a pinch where you needed to update a customer's HTML email template and just can't get the right look and feel? As a veteran of the email marketing wars I have spent more hours than I would care to mention tinkering with and cobbling together templates to create email newsletters that 1) Function well in the majority of email clients, and 2) Offer layouts conducive to getting users to click through. As savvy email marketers, we know we have to create compelling offers and persuasive calls to action. All that hard work is for nought, however, if the newsletter layout is not user friendly. Then there's the ultimate challenge...What happens if your template won't work in a recipient's email client? If that happens they'll never even see your marketing message.
Thankfully there are a few good resources available such as Campaign Monitor's 30 Free Email Templates. This template collection not only includes a variety of content layouts but the templates have been tested in all major email clients. These templates even work in Outlook 2007, which can cause some rendering problems through its use of Microsoft Word's HTML rendering engine. A little tinkering and you can add customer brand-specific colors and other tweaks to customize these sample templates.
If you're going to be doing some heavy newsletter template tweaking, you may find yourself in the market for a good text editor. I've found over the years that people get pretty attached to their text editors. I remember one company I worked for practically insisted that employees use one particular editor. Over the years I've tried so many editors but keep coming back to Arachnophilia 4.0 (scroll down the page for download links). The newer versions of Arachnophilia are built to be platform agnostic, so if you're not running a Windows machine, you might want to use a newer build. The Build 5310 version I use is quite old - from 2001! I heartily recommend it to Windows users for its nice array of command and macro functions without a lot of fluff to slow you down.
Create Great Email Newsletters with these Free Templates
Posted by lisa at 09:32 AM
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December 06, 2007
Old Media Quote of the Day 
I just love it when Old Media can't adapt to Web 2.0 and tries to pass the buck while hubris prevents them from admitting they are passing the buck:
...the Motion Picture Association of America has asked ISPs to act as monitors of movie piracy. MPAA head Dan Glickman says ISPs need to take on that role if they are hoping for any sort of future support from Hollywood.
Actual buck-passing-disguised-as-responsible-parenting quote from Dan Glickman, head of the MPAA:
The ISP community is going to be at the forefront of this in the future because they have everything to lose and nothing to gain by not seeing that the content is being properly protected.
Old Media Quote of the Day
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November 28, 2007
SEO Speedwagon Killing In Vegas
Who'd have thought a mere 2.5 years from first post we'd be blogging to beat the band?:
Here's the link for proof this isn't a photoshop job, let's just hope the jump in visits doesn't cause them to wonder what is going on.
I for one am having a T-Shirt made of this, anyone else interested?
SEO Speedwagon Killing In Vegas
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November 21, 2007
Happy Thanksgiving 
It's Wednesday and Thanksgiving is tomorrow!
One can't help but foreshadow the events that will take place tomorrow. Seeing family and friends, having private conversations about politics, work, etc., hearing from a relative on why this person shouldn't be wearing that outfit, seeing grandpa ritualistically dip his crooked, unwashed finger in the mashed potatoes to ensure consistency, the smell of that bird cooking in its own juices stuffed full of the obligatory bread stuffing, watching fighting amongst the children on who gets the break the wish bone, and so on. Yes, Thanksgiving is upon us once again.
I hope a good majority of us SEO geeks may go so far as to not check email or client rankings over the course of the Thanksgiving holiday weekend, but I'm not holding my breath on that prediction.
Let's all try to take a break from our chaotic work environment and take a step back to enjoy all we have to be thankful for tomorrow and over the course of the long weekend. The search engines won't sleep, I know, but let's all try to relax this weekend.
Happy Thanksgiving everyone!!!
Happy Thanksgiving
Posted by sean at 10:09 AM
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November 01, 2007
Search: Too Sexy for Advertising?
Search Quote of the Day from He of the Great Name:
Search is utilitarian. Search is constantly accused of not being sexy. That drives me nuts. The irony is that in pigeonholing search as being boring and utilitarian, all these brilliant advertising minds are missing the biggest idea of all: search works because it’s the customer driving the process, not the advertiser.
I'm with you, Gord. In our industry, conversions are sexy.
Search: Too Sexy for Advertising?
Posted by john at 05:06 PM
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October 08, 2007
Yes, Virginia(,) SEO Philology
I was quite humbled to see via Link Spiel heute morgen that yours truly unwittingly birthed the SEO Virginia genre long, long ago, circa Summer 2001.
And while they say everything changed after September 11, really the only thing the genre lost in the aftermath was the Really Is convention I thought was authentic at the time. Turns out while I had invented Really completely out of thin air, but not the all-important Is, what we really lost in exactly half of the genre along with our innocence was the comma after the introductory Yes I had faithfully inserted at the time.
SEO Virginia genre history buffs will note Danny Sullivan took less than a year to catch, and correct, his own mistake, the only such self-correction on record. He really is that good.
UPDATE: Reader Brainmuffin e-mails to suggest the genre be officially known as The SEO Virginia Monologues.
Yes, Virginia(,) SEO Philology
Posted by john at 03:06 PM
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October 04, 2007
Search Budgets Are Predicted to See Increases in 2008 
According to the latest Search Marketing Benchmark Survey from MarketingSherpa, search budgets for 2008 are predicted to increase by double-digit percentages. Although many respondents attributed this to PPC inflation, the signs still point to a strong SEM and SEO industry. With many offline-advertising budgets in crisis for various reasons it’s good to see the commitment is still there for the online marketing opportunity.
The desire to bring SEM in-house is still growing stronger but the amount of companies hiring outside agencies increased over the past year, this indicates an inability to find qualified employees may exist.
With the cost of bids increasing and click-fraud still being a problem, more companies are looking the natural search optimization to better the performance of their websites. Smaller companies are finding it harder to compete in the world of PPC.
Search Budgets Are Predicted to See Increases in 2008
Posted by james at 09:46 PM
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July 17, 2007
An Ampersand Gets More Results Than All Other Punctuation, Combined
This is one of those few demonstrably true things. Even though it might actually be more accurately described as a symbol, in our character-challenged world of SEO Title tags we are more likely to view it in the same manner we view the disappearing punctuation mark.
But Google knows it is a logogram, and treats it as such, differently from the mere punctuation it eschews.
Try each one of these searches yourself and tell me which one is the outlier: [!], [@], [(], [)], [-], [;], [:], [“], [‘], [,], [.], [?], [/]—and—[&]!
& is also so well respected as to have its own eponymous magazine. Now what punctuation can also claim that?
An Ampersand Gets More Results Than All Other Punctuation, Combined
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May 02, 2007
More Sitelinks Hijinks with Google Duality : A Tail of Two 301's
It's not just Rosie enjoying the new Google Sitelinks Value Meal. FON, that guerrilla Wi-Fi startup knocking at Starbucks doors via their neighbors, is also now seated at the table:
But note in the above the two highlighted URLs, which are indeed the same page, do a bit of a pa de deux with how they serve the language, in this case English. The Sitelinks serving places the language as served from the en subdomain, yet that very URL redirects in this manner:
So that subdomain 301s from its English language subset that the subdomain indicates back to the non-language specific setting at the WWW level, whence it makes another direct turn back toward the language specific:
The whole trail of 301s serving to have moved the language specification in the URL from subdomain to folder level, with a waving pass through nothing. Quelle bonne idée !
Perhaps it is if it's another way to order a Google Sitelinks Value Meal.
More Sitelinks Hijinks with Google Duality : A Tail of Two 301's
Posted by john at 11:49 AM
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April 19, 2007
Friends Don't Let Friends 302
Our 300 Series expert James sent out an important warning earlier in the year about 302's that aren't really temporary coming back to bite hard, and here at The Wagon we're starting to believe this may be a new Google theme for Spring.
The gist is there is a ticking clock on temporary, in that, we surmise, Google can tell when a 302 started, and it can certainly tell if it has yet to end. This makes sense. The unknown is what period between is given Google's blessing as truly "temporary" in temporal terms, and what then falls outside that window.
In 2007 so far, though, we are definitely seeing instances of the window slamming shut, loudly. And these are not spammers, no -- just, as can often be the case with a 302, used in a pinch with all intentions to return and fix, then forgotten. A promise written in the sand.
Please make sure any 302 you are using does indeed end, ultimately. If not, it likely will be ended for you.
Friends Don't Let Friends 302
Posted by john at 04:34 PM
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January 18, 2007
Powerpoint Presentations Are Boring
I personally don't care much for powerpoint presentations and in a recent meeting, I made it known.
Just the other day, I went to meet with an Agency to discuss Intrapromote's core competencies in SEO/SEM. Of course, I had to have the obligatory PPT highlighting clients, accolades, services, etc.
About half way through the powerpoint, I did something I’ve never done before. I looked at the group and said something along these lines – “powerpoints are boring. I’d like to switch gears and start asking/answering questions�.
Once I stopped the powerpoint, the meeting went on for another hour and tons of knowledge was gained for both parties at hand thus maximizing our time together.
In the future, I plan on continuing to do powerpoint presentations for prospects, but find more value in having a discussion as opposed to the ol’ dog and pony show of PPT’s.
Maybe I should bring a PPT to my next face-to-face meeting and have one slide that says: “Today, we’re not having a Powerpoint�. J/K…or am I???
8^ )
Powerpoint Presentations Are Boring
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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.
Tag, I'm It - 5 Things You Didn't Know About Me
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November 21, 2006
Giving Thanks 
Part of my Thursday will include giving thanks ….. and not just for the three layers of food on my dinner plate.
We are blessed with the opportunity to work with some amazing companies and especially the people within these companies. If you’re one of them, we appreciate you and consider you a blessing.
Speaking of blessings, I also consider myself lucky to work with such a big-hearted, funny and intelligent group of people at Intrapromote. I’m sincerely thankful for all of you.
Now, let’s eat.
Giving Thanks
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November 10, 2006
The MySpace Factor
Over the years, I've had the pleasure of speaking with quite a few Marketing Managers about different techniques they use to promote products, services, etc. Most of their marketing tactics are standard ones like SEO/Link Building, PPC, offline & online publicity, email marketing, etc, but some of their other techniques I found to be quite odd, yet intriguing.
For the past year or so, the one marketing trend I find to be interesting is the usage of MySpace as a marketing avenue. I really don’t have any hard evidence of MySpace being a great way of grass roots targeting online, but would certainly relish the opportunity to hear from our faithful Speedwagon readers about any success stories from leveraging a MySpace account for augmenting marketing efforts online.
From what little I know about the MySpace realm, it seems like it might be a good tool for some industries, but certainly not all. A “good fit� example would be a music artist looking to make headway in the music industry, find new fans, and perhaps sell a few CD’s along the way.
Other than aspiring musicians & maybe comedians potentially benefiting from the vast exposure on MySpace, I really don’t see any other industries that could benefit from having their own “space�.
On a SEO note, I really don’t see any SEO-related value from having an account with MySpace, but can only assume that link popularity may be credited from having one with anchored phrases? Link Juice coming from having an account is VERY doubtful IMO, but I love being wrong sometimes.
Please chime in with some MySpace stories of your own. I’d love to be educated on verticals that have successfully launched an effective MySpace campaign.
P.S. – Don’t get sucked in the MySpace black hole! I’ve lost friends and family in the MySpace abyss and don’t know if I can handle losing anyone else.
Happy Friday!
The MySpace Factor
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October 30, 2006
Searching for Horror Movies on TiVo 
Okay, it's not technically SEO, but it's still "search."
It's time to utilize TiVo to find some good horror classics from your local cable/satellite provider. If you're in the mood for something scary but don't know exactly what you want to watch, here's how to find all the horror movies shown in your area over the next two weeks:
- Start at TiVo Central.
- Select Find Programs.
- Select Search by Title.
- Select Movies.
- Select Horror.
- Scroll down through the alphabet listing and select the 0 (zero).
The list of all horror movies will appear in the right column. Scroll through the entire list to see what sounds good during this spooky season.
Searching for Horror Movies on TiVo
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October 20, 2006
Have You Met Ted? - Part II 
A classic pickup line revived in the TV show “How I Met Your Mother� gave rise to an idea to allow you, our readers, to ‘meet’ our key staff and contributors on a more down-to-earth level. This week I want to assume the role of wingman and without further ado ask, Have you met Tom?
What do you do for IP?
I manage link building campaigns. It is my job to get a site indexed as cleanly as possible, and to add links to it from places that make sense with relevant keywords.
What did you do before SEO?
That's so long ago, I don't remember.
So Tom, where did you go to school?
Adams College
What are your favorite bands/groups?
Tony Clifton
Diamonds in the Rough
The Bowling Green Philharmonic
Sexual Chocolate
Stillwater
What are your favorite cd’s?
They're All Gonna Laugh At You
Chicago 17
The Best of the Band
Painted Desert Serenade
What is your best playlist?
The Weight
Jessie
Mr. Roboto
What are your hobbies?
Spending time with my family, sports, movies, mopery.
What are your Favorite movies?
Godfather II
Casablanca
Goodfellas
True Romance
Kill Bill Vol. 2
Things you miss the most from the '80s?
'83 Sox
Arrival of Jordan
'85 Bears
'87 Hoosiers
Shermer, IL
Things you miss the least from the '80s?
Belushi OD
Bias OD
Buckner E
Baby Jessica TV
Bakker PTL
What do you do for recreation?
Watch movies, Bears, and White Sox, change diapers, begin and never finish screenplays.
What makes Tom tick?
Laughter, family, friends .
What do you enjoy doing at work?
Making a site better translate to search engines.
And for the poll question.......
What do you enjoy doing while not at work?
The opposite of work - lying in bed just like Brian Wilson did.
What is your biggest work related accomplishment (not necessarily IP)?
Development of our Link Building Department.
What is your biggest accomplishment, not work related?
Marriage to Colleen, birth of Reilly.
Where would we find you hanging out on a Friday night with nothing planned?
Taming Tivo and Netflix. they're both relentless.
What are your favorite books?
Rebel Without A Crew
The Theatre of Tennessee Williams, any volume
To Serve Man
any of my father's yet-to-be published novels
What's the most exotic place you’ve ever been?
Jamaica Mon
Favorite morning drink?
H2O
Most essential life tip...
"don't walk where you're not supposed to walk because there may not be someone with superhuman strength to save your little [butt]. And don't do drugs."
Most essential SEO tip...
External linking is very important, but do not underestimate the value of internal linking.
Well, that should serve as a nice introduction to Tom Lustina. In case your interested in the more 'official' bio, check out this official bio page.
Have You Met Ted? - Part II
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October 09, 2006
Have You Met Ted?
A classic pickup line revived in the TV show “How I Met Your Mother� gave rise to an idea to allow you, our readers, to ‘meet’ our key staff and contributors on a more down-to-earth level. So I want to assume the role of wingman and without further ado ask, Have you met Erik?
What do you do for IP?
Manage campaigns, manage the blog, assist in developing long-term programs and strategies
What did you do before SEO?
Writer & editor, both freelance and in-house
So Erik, where did you go to school?
Wabash College
What are your favorite cd’s?
REM, "Life's Rich Pageant"
U2, "The Unforgettable Fire"
George Michael, "Listen Without Prejudice, Vol. I"
Dire Straights, "Brothers in Arms"
Bee Gees, "Saturday Night Fever Soundtrack"
What is your best playlist?
�This is too complex to sum up quickly, but here's a list from a specific vertical that's pretty good:�
Led Zeppelin, "Kashmir"
Boston, "Don't Look Back"
Kansas, "Carry On, Wayward Son"
Van Halen, "Take Your Whiskey Home"
Night Ranger, "Don't Tell Me You Love Me"
Now, based on the music questions above who would you guess is Erik's favorite band?
What are your hobbies?
Home theater
Gradually assembling (and actually using) a home gym
What are your Favorite movies?
"Godfather"
"Godfather Part II"
"This is Spinal Tap"
"Star Wars (IV)"
"Pulp Fiction"
Things you miss the most from the '80s?
The favorable ratio of enjoyment to accountability
Jell-O Pudding Pops
The simplicity of the Atari 2600
Waiting for the latest Star Wars episode
Thinking that I knew everything
Things you miss the least from the '80s?
Nancy Reagan - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nancy_Reagan
Constantly being told that the Soviets were about to bomb us
Acne
Cleaning horse stalls
What do you do for recreation?
Run
Lift weights
Read
What makes Erik tick?
Trying to figure things out. I spend way too much time in my own head.
What do you enjoy doing at work?
Digging deep and finding those key factors that are keeping a site from performing well.
What do you enjoy doing while not at work?
Spending time with my family. My wife and I have three kids who simultaneously thrill, awe, exhaust, and attempt to destroy us.
What is your biggest work related accomplishment (not necessarily IP)?
Probably launching the SEO Speedwagon blog while maintaining a full workload
What is your biggest accomplishment, not work related?
Living through the first two years of having twin boys.
Where would we find you hanging out on a Friday night with nothing planned?
Because we probably couldn't get a sitter, we'd be in the basement, watching a DVD, having just ordered a mushroom and tomato deep dish pie from Nancy's.
What are your favorite books?
Truman Capote, "In Cold Blood"
F. Scott Fitzgerald, "Great Gatsby"
Lao Tzu, "Tao te Ching"
Jerzy Kosinski, "Being There"
What's the most exotic place you’ve ever been?
I've been to paradise, but I've never been to me.
Favorite morning drink?
Cup of coffee with loaded with french vanilla Coffee-Mate
Most essential life tip...
My high school offensive line coach was unwittingly prophetic when he said, "Fire out and stay low."
Most essential SEO tip...
Nine domains with identical content does not make you nine time more likely to receive traffic.
Well, that should serve as a nice introduction to Erik Dafforn. In case your interested in the more 'official' bio, check out this official bio page.
Have You Met Ted?
Posted by brent at 11:26 AM
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September 19, 2006
Search Engine Optimization as Defined by the US Government
When our former PPC Director, Adam Lasnik, took a job at Google working with Matt Cutts, we knew it was Google's gain.
But I'm not above making sure his time is well spent. Just yesterday, Adam was to have taught an SEO seminar at Catholic University. The target audience? Government employees.
But do government agencies really need SEO help? I decided to query a few .gov sites to see what they say about how to optimize their sites. (I fully acknowledge that many of these might be officially outdated, but they are still live pages.)
- Here are a few tips on search engine usage (PDF) from the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge Office:
- Use two or three search engines since no one will cover all Web sites
- Keep up with information about the Web by surfing various sites and talking to friends
- The US Government's Export Portal (PDF) challenges you to keep a close, regular watch on your conversions:
How will I know that my site is successful? Look at your goals every three to six months. Have you met them? If so, is it time to create new, more challenging goals?
- FirstGov reminds us (cached version of a PPT file) that "MSN and Yahoo! obey robots exclusion more often than Google." Ouch. Also, in case you were going to send it a Christmas card, "Google’s algorithm is called Page Rank."
I hope Adam had a full house (sounds like he did) and that the participants were able to take away a great deal of information. I'm considering hitting universities next to see what they're teaching about SEO. I'm sure Adam would love to head back to school to star in his own lecture series.
Search Engine Optimization as Defined by the US Government
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July 27, 2006
Shawn Hogan Biopic Gets Greenlit! 
Just kidding. You should have seen the look on your face!
So you know all those posts with can't-miss-tips about link baiting? Well, here's mine: Get sued by the MPAA. Works like a charm!
This has been a very interesting story since day 1. It's beautiful that somebody with Mr. Hogan's principles and pocket book has been challenged by the Motion Picture Association of America. And it's beautiful that Wired picked it up, which has brought the story to everybody, not just us geeks.
So here are some highlights from Shawn Hogan's case.
- Shawn Hogan buys a DVD of Meet the Fockers at some point in his life.
- His ISP notifies Shawn Hogan that they have been subpoenaed for his private information.
- A law firm representing the MPAA calls Shawn Hogan, accuses him of downloading Meet the Fockers, and offers to settle out of court for $2,500. The firm also informs him that fighting it would cost much more, and a judgement against him would cost more than $100,000.
- Shawn Hogan receives the law suit and plans to go to trial, expecting/hoping to pay over $100,000 to prove his case.
- According to Shawn Hogan, almost 20,000 people have settled with the MPAA or its recording industry counterpart, RIAA. Not one individual has gone to final judgment against them.
- Judge asks that, for the sake of irony, all parties pretend that the movie allegedly downloaded was Erin Brockovich.
Shawn Hogan Biopic Gets Greenlit!
Posted by tom at 05:17 PM
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July 05, 2006
A SERP of One's Own
With apologies to Virginia Woolf, a bit of SEO potpourri today, revisiting topics both old and recent.
Google Finally Knows Us. One of Tom's pet peeves has always (and I mean always) been that a Google search for [seo speedwagon] brought up Google's famous "did you mean...?" line, suggesting a typo. (Apparently, there's a band with a similar name.)
Finally, the confusion seems to be over; a query for [seo speedwagon] gives the user just that - like it or not.
Of course it's impossible to accurately define the "tipping point" at which Google decides that a query no longer needs spell-check assistance, but it's likely a combination of the following:
- Age of the subdomain that lists the query term
- Number of backlinks and the anchor text used
- Number of times a specific phrase is searched for, as measured by the engine
- Sheer number of times the phrase exists on the Web
- A comment from the CEO's mother
Now that the Speedwagon issue is resolved, I'll leave it to Tom to sort out his similar issues with Tom Huston.
Hardly Therapeutic. I'm a little surprised that no one has picked up on Sean's find from last week - namely that Google, in a mid-SERP "see also" result, suggests that the user try Yahoo when searching for [therapy products]:
An inside joke? Perhaps. Regardless, we'll not speculate as to why Sean was seeking therapy products in the first place, but instead hope that he found relevant results.
A SERP of One's Own
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April 21, 2006
If You Build It, Will They Want To Come?
I’ve heard people say that advertising is all about creating need. I disagree; I think it is more basic. I think it’s all about curiosity. I was reminded of this over the past few weeks as I have been driving home from work by the smallest, and most intriguing little sign I kept passing. 
What could this sign be about? Is it about a group of people with concerns about this road? Could it be some clever new business that is opening up on this road? I was reminded of this question every day when I drove to and from work until finally I could stand it no longer. As soon as I got in front of a computer again the first thing I did was search for this site, and you know what I found………a nicely done site advertising this persons home for sale. Now I’m not in the market for a house but I was so impressed with how this little curiosity piquing sign had drawn me in that I reviewed the whole site!
I have been reminded that although a site can be ranked well does it inspire curiosity? Does the search listing stick in the mind’s eye? Does it become an itch that we just need to scratch? I love the movie Field of Dreams in which the famous line is “If you build it, they will come�. Well, in the web world it’s good to remember that we can build it, but what will make them want to come? Maybe more importantly, what will make them want to stay?
Good advertising can come in many forms, big and small, cheap and expensive, but the best part about effective advertising it is part that inspires curiosity. Curiosity combined with relevancy is a hard pairing to beat, so let the creative juices flow. You never know who may be “driving� by your sign.
Oh and by the way, in case you’re in the market for a home here’s the link.
If You Build It, Will They Want To Come?
Posted by brent at 01:37 PM
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April 14, 2006
My Love Of SEO Is Egging Me On
It's Friday!
Some of us are celebrating Good Friday and Easter this Sunday as others have already started their Passover rituals. So, it's no surprise to me that today is a bit slow on the SEO sales front.
I'm getting lots of voicemails, out of office replies, and find myself forced to use email as my primary way of communicating with clients and prospects alike. It's all good to me though. My love of SEO keeps egging me on to keep makin’ them calls and droppin’ them voicemails even though a lot of people aren’t available today.
It's a special weekend for a lot of us and I can't help but think about grandma's famous turkey dinner anyway. I'm practically salivating just thinking about it.
Have a great weekend everyone! Oh, and try not to drink too much of that special brew or vino this Sunday! ; ^ )
My Love Of SEO Is Egging Me On
Posted by sean at 02:37 PM
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April 04, 2006
A Bottomless Cup of SEO
At our house, coffee makers seem to last about as long as congressional campaign promises. By the time we realize just how much they've let us down, we can hardly wait until the next election.
In my latest round of pre-purchase coffee maker research, I came across some interesting marketing claims. One famous manufacturer was touting its latest model, and one of its big improvements was that instead of 10 cups, the new model brewed 12. More important, it brewed those 12 cups with a water reservoir and pot that were exactly the same size as the 10-cup model.
Interested, I probed a bit deeper in some shopping forums. Turns out the claims were true. Sort of. The older model brewed only 10 cups. But with that model, each cup was six ounces. The new coffee maker did brew 12 cups of coffee. But for this model, the definition of a "cup" was five ounces. Thus "more" cups with no change in footprint.
The quick moral (and SEO tie-in) is that in an SEO campaign, for clients and vendors alike, you need to make sure that everyone is defining "success" the same way - and the right way - consistently.
One client recently expressed concern that the company's rankings - for a few phrases they had picked arbitrarily before our campaign started, without any sort of keyword research - had declined. This, to them, was a reason for concern, even though search traffic had risen about 30% and the quality of the leads was rising noticeably. Pulling clients away from a rankings-based success model is always surprisingly tough.
Whether you're buying a coffee maker or running an SEO campaign, everyone's goal should the same: a giant, high-quality buzz.
A Bottomless Cup of SEO
Posted by erik at 11:32 PM
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March 31, 2006
SEO Speedwagon Is Headed For The Garage
After a while, race cars need to hit the garage for a tune up to keep them competitive on the race track and the SEO Speedwagon is no exception. Starting this weekend, the good ol' Wagon is hitting the garage for a tune up and lube.
Some of the items being addressed are:
·Enhancements for editing posts.
·Additional Spam-fighting features. (Soooooo needed)
I know y’all are probably thinking “what about the candy apple red paint finish�. Oh well, maybe next time our lovely wagon will get a new paint job, but for now it’s all about what’s under the hood.
Have a great weekend!
SEO Speedwagon Is Headed For The Garage
Posted by sean at 04:32 PM
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February 03, 2006
Super Bowl Sunday!
I have a feeling there are a LOT of folks out there who are technically in the office today, but not quite mentally in the game. It is in fact the weekend and the Super Bowl is on point for this Sunday in Detroit. Being a Browns fan myself, I'm not totally pumped about the Super Bowl but can't help but be excited about the game and more so about the commercials.
Remember last years Super Bowl when the first GoDaddy.com commercial aired when a lady in a courtroom setting spoofed the unforgettable Janet Jackson breast mishap that took place in the halftime show of SB 38? The FCC may not have been very pleased with either occurrence, but GoDaddy certainly was. Not only did GoDaddy get flooded with direct URL traffic and TONS of brand exposure, but they got pounded with search engine traffic to boot.
I'm totally pumped to see what GoDaddy has in store for us this Sunday and can't wait to check their SE searches go through the roof!!
Oh yeah, I'm rootin' for the Seahawks! Sorry Steelers fans, your team has had too many trips to the Bowl and I have to go for the team that hasn't been graced with previous Super Bowl experience.
Maybe one day my beloved Brownies will get their turn to play at the Bowl. But until then, I will continue to listen to my friends and acquaintances whine and moan with the same montra-like statement “we’re rebuilding our team� even though Browns fans have been saying that every year for about 20+ years now.
Go Seahawks!
Super Bowl Sunday!
Posted by sean at 11:26 AM
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December 23, 2005
Happy Holidays to Speedwagon Readers
SEO Speedwagon is heading into the garage until the first week of January. We wish everyone Happy Holidays and a prosperous new year.
If you're flying during the next few weeks, here are two good reasons to behave:
See you soon.
Happy Holidays to Speedwagon Readers
Posted by erik at 01:18 PM
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December 19, 2005
You Think Your Keywords Are Competitive?
List fanatics love the last few weeks of every calendar year. Search engine freaks are no exception, because that's when engines release their top searches of that year.
Yahoo and Lycos are the first to make their announcements. Following are their Top 10 searches of 2005. (Please check out the sites too, because they sub-categorize searches and show some very interesting data.)
- Britney Spears
- 50 Cent
- Cartoon Network
- Mariah Carey
- Green Day
- Jessica Simpson
- Paris Hilton
- Eminem
- Ciara
- Lindsay Lohan
What did you expect? "How to be a good citizen"? "Best foreign films"? Grow up.
- Paris Hilton
- Pamela Anderson
- Britney Spears
- Poker
- Dragonball
- Jennifer Lopez
- WWE
- Pokemon
- Playstation
- Hurricane Katrina
Just to show you how far we've (not) come in six years, following are the Top 10 Lycos searches for 1999. The more things change...
- Pokemon
- Britney Spears
- WWF
- Dragonball Z
- Pamela Anderson
- Star Wars
- Backstreet Boys
- Poetry
- Halloween
- Blair Witch Project
That's right. A full 50% of the top 10 terms from 1999 are still in the top 10 six years later. (This assumes we can call [WWF] and [WWE] the same term. If not, I'm afraid I'll have to hit you with a folding chair.)
FYI, [Y2K] was #20 in CY99.
I'm hoping that Google Zeitgeist will release some interesting lists in the next week or so as well. "Stay tuned," as they said long, long ago.
You Think Your Keywords Are Competitive?
Posted by erik at 10:37 PM
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December 05, 2005
Online Security - Fact, Fiction, or Perception?
I was reading a report from Consumer Reports WebWatch that talked about consumer confidence in online security. The article basically leaves the impression that confidence in online security is going down. I did a little research of my own and found the following claim from a Washington Post article, by By Caroline E. Mayer, with data from a Gartner Inc. study , "Overall, 3.9 million Americans were victims of credit card fraud in the year that ended in May, according to a study by the research firm Gartner Inc. That's down from 5.5 million the previous year.".
Huh? People think it's more dangerous, but the actual fraud is going down. Why the mixed signals? Probably in part because of the Citicard commercials and the seemingly nightly new reports of personal information theft. Being the part of America that tends to say one thing and do another, i.e. recycling is good - but I don't do it, I would tend to say the mixed message regarding online transactions is the same. Online transactions are more dangerous, but man it's nice to get my shopping done at home in my pajamas.
So is online security fact, fiction, or perception? I would definitely say perception, especially since I'm doing a good portion of my holiday shopping online this year, because I happen to perceive it to be generally safe. I think the main thing is common sense. How many of us hand our credit card to the gas station clerk without hesitation, but think twice about giving it out online. But for the record it's good to be cautious and safe. Along those lines the BBB Online has some great common sense advisement to consumers and businesses alike in regards to online shopping.
Happy Holiday Shopping Season!
Online Security - Fact, Fiction, or Perception?
Posted by brent at 12:20 PM
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November 28, 2005
Thanksgiving, a time for reflection.
Hello all, I just got back from a trip to visit my family over the Thanksgiving holiday and I just wanted to reflect for a quick moment on all that I have to be thankful for. I hope that as you read this it will remind you of all the things that you have to be thankful for and may those memories brighten the rest of your day.
-I am thankful for my faith first and foremost which gives me hope.
-I am thankful for my wonderful & beautiful wife, who has made me better than I ever would have been without her.
-I am thankful for my son who brings joy and light into my life each and every day.
-I am thankful for my family who has done whatever it took to give me every chance to succeed.
-I am thankful for my job (yes, I truly am), it is a privilege to be able to work and I am thankful for it.
-I am thankful for my country that allows me to take time to reflect on all that I have to be thankful for.
I will cut my list off here because I don’t want to bore you and I have a TON of things on my desk begging for my attention. But don’t think that I am not thankful even for them, for they are why I am here ;).
I trust that everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving and was able to spend it with those they are most thankful for – see you next week!
Thanksgiving, a time for reflection.
Posted by brent at 01:02 PM
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November 16, 2005
My New iPod
I'm about to get my very first iPod and I can't say enough how excited I am to get one. This will be my very first iPod and look forward to using it...excessively.
This sucker comes with everything.
* 30GB
* Stores up to 7,500 songs (I'll never fill it completely)
* Battery life for up to 14 hours
* Up to 3 hours of slideshows with music
* Stores up to 2 hours of video playback
Enough with that.
I thought I would share one of the main SEO-related podcasts I plan on getting for my new toy.
The Daily SearchCast - Brought to you daily by the people over at Search Engine Watch. I feel this podcast will be one of my favorites because Danny Sullivan and the folks over @ SEW are some of the most well-respected in the industry and always have their fingers on the pulse of the SEO industry. This daily podcast ranges from 10-15 minutes in length and is basically a recap of the previous day's news.
I'm new to this whole iPod and podcasting thing and starving to find good quality SEO/SEM podcasts I can put on my list. Please feel free to chime in with your favorites.
TIA
My New iPod
Posted by sean at 04:02 PM
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October 31, 2005
Happy Halloween Google Logo
Google kicks off Halloween 2005 with a spooky logo:
I find the whole thing rather frightening, and I'm not sure what bothers me more: the first "o" - with its corpus nearly drained of blood, or the second "g" - just sitting there, luring us in, acting like everything's okay...
Still feeling lucky?
Happy Halloween Google Logo
Posted by erik at 06:53 AM
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October 10, 2005
Summer Camp, Space Camp, Search Camp?
Some of my favorite memories as a kid were from summer camp. I looked forward to that week every summer because of the fun, the games, and my friends. As I look back I realize that what I really loved about it was the glimpse of freedom that it gave me. For a whole week I could be my own boss, (sort of), and make my own decisions, (kind of). It was pure heaven on earth for a week.
Now days, there are all kinds of themed camps, Space Camp, Band Camp, Baseball Camp, and on and on. But they are mostly for kids, or grown-ups who have a lot money. I for one would love to attend a baseball fantasy camp, but I digress. I came across a snippet of an idea, given in jest on the Daily SearchCast, that I thought was pretty good. Search Camp.
The premise would be this: A set aside time to teach the basics of “quality� Internet searching. Now I realize that a lot of kids (probably zero) would sign up for this fun-filled week of sitting indoors behind a computer monitor with no computer games. So my iteration of the idea would be to have the “camp� for adults. And as adults the closest we get to a “camp� is a 1-day seminar that work pays for us to go to. But what an idea, more importantly what a productivity enhancing idea.
Productivity, efficiency, and I’d like to add relevancy (I agree with Google, it’s important). All buzzwords, and all important. I wonder how much time is wasted by people doing valid Internet searches in an un-productive, in-efficient and irrelevant manner.
Let’s think of it in ter