Learn SEO | Search Engine Optimization Tips and Techniques

While MySpace won’t pass along link juice it is still a good source of traffic if used properly. I see a good deal of traffic coming from MySpace to my two barbecue related websites.

My MySpace page is located at www.myspace.com/bbqfestivals and I am usually selective as to who my friends are. 80% of my friends are in the barbecue lifestyle in one way or another as either the owner of a bbq sauce company, a bbq competition team, bbq restaurant, an event organizer, etc…..  you get the idea.

My two barbecue related websites are www.bbq-festivals.com which is large directory of bbq events such as competitions and cookoffs, nationwide bbq restaurants and you guessed it bbq festivals.  www.bbqhub.com is the blog that goes along with the festivals sight and provides the latest news and information from the world of barbecue as well as product reviews and general barbecue related information.

I find updates for my sites on MySpace and it is a great place to announce the latest happenings and updates at both of my barbecue sites using the Bulletin Space function.  With a click of the button I can send out my latest site updates to almost 400 people who are into barbecue and a lot of those people visit my site.

It is actually one of the better sources of traffic if you achieve a large enough following.  I have always said that when you build a website you should build a blog to go with it. Now I am adding to that and saying in addition to your website and blog add a MySpace page and let them work together to drive traffic to your site.

What have your experiences with MySpace been like?  Positive or Negative???

Well after almost 3 years and two domain names with the same look (NoviceSEO.com was the forerunner to x7SEO.com) we have given ourselves a new look. I have been working on this for several days and I am hoping we will hold our rankings on Google.  With the old look we were on the second page of Google for the search term “learn seo”.  Time will tell………..  with this format however there is more content available on the index page so that should help.

Let me know what you think of the new look and any suggestions you may have………….

There is an excellent article at WebProNews.com today by Jason Lee Miller titled “Google’s Need For Freshness Sours Search Results“. He brings out a term that is new to me and may be to others who are learning the techniques of SEO.  Jason talks about the effect of “Link Velocity” and how it can drastically alter search return rankings.  Basically link velocity refers to the speed in which new inbound links are created to a particular website or webpage.  In the past a large number of inbound links occuring at the same time was a huge red flag to Google. Now with social networking sites allowing for the viral spread of a particular website the fact is you can find hundreds if not thousands of inbound links coming to your site overnight and these links are not black hat but a result of “spreading the word” about a great website with great fresh content.

I won’t try to rehash what Jason says in his article. Go over to WebProWorld and read it for yourself. This is definitely something to think about.  Great article Jason.

Google’s Need For Freshness Sours Search Results

If you are any kind of barbecue fan then you have heard the term “low and slow”.  Search engine optimization is like a good barbecue. To be effective and long lasting SEO needs to be low and slow as well.  The best barbecue is when the meat has spent 16 or so hours on the smoker with indirect low heat and everything cooks at a nice even temperature and the smoke is allowed to penetrate the meat.

Search engine optimization, if done correctly, is also a process that takes time. If you are expecting your website to instantly pop in on page one of Google I am afraid you are going to be in for a rude awakening. I will admit there are times when a new website ranks well but that is usually for some obscure keyword or phrase that has no competition.  But for the most part a website entering into a highly competative arena is going to take time to rise up the search rankings.

My first attempt at smoking a brisket was a disaster. It cooked way to fast over heat that was about double what it should have been. Grease from the brisket started a fire in the smoker and it went down hill from there. I tried to salvage what I had but when I finally thought it was all done it was barely fit to eat. The outside was almost black from the crust that had formed when the fire erupted. The middle was barely cooked and most of the juices had been sucked out.

The same thing will happen if you try to rush your SEO campaign. I can guarantee you that if you use shadey techniques to get that top spot you will have a fire eventually and Mr Matt Cutts will come put your fire out in a serious way by banning your site. Shadey SEO techniques include hidden keywords, buying text links, link schemes, keyword stuffing, etc…..   If you conduct your SEO campaign correctly you will have a great site that is well done and ranks well on Google and the other search engines as well.  Like smoking a slab of ribs or a brisket, SEO has to be planned and prepped and then given time to grow naturally. Here are some of my tips for a great search engine optimization campaign.

• Plan your site with search engine optimization in mind.  That means designers and SEO people need to put their ego’s aside and work together to create a site layout and navigation that is people friendly and spider friendly.
• Go organic – don’t by links from large companies that promise you a hundred inbound links for x amount of dollars. You never know where those links are coming from and odds are those companies are on the radar of the search engines and it doesn’t take much to follow that link trail to you.
• Great content – If you want naturally occurring one one way in bound links (read organic) then you have to have something worth linking to. Write great content that people will want to read and use. Make your site a resource that people will come back to over and over again.
• Don’t rush things – SEO takes time and you must be patient. Quality always grows over time.  Sure you can go out and do a thousand link exchanges in a month but that kind of activity raises a red flag with the search engines and is more than likely to get your site banned or at the very least buried deep in the search rankings
• Don’t be too flashy with bells and whistles on your site – Your website needs to look good and make a good first impression. But if you have too much going on and it causes your site load slowly people are not going to wait around. It is kind of like biting into a rib that has been cooked too fast…… it is tough and chewy and not very good…… usually winds up with the dog munching on it.

Of course there are many other things that go into a good SEO campaign but at the core is a slow process that isn’t too hot that produces good long term results.

There are of course the technical issues such as page titles, descriptions, keyword selection, navigation and such and I will touch on those in future postings.  What is your SEO technique like? Low and Slow or Hot and Fast??

I was approached today with a rather unique proposition.  I was asked to consider doing SEO work on an existing website in return for me being permitted to put my Adsense code and one affiliate banner on the site.  I started thinking about this and it does present some interesting possibilities. First I would definitely have a vested interest in seeing this website succeed as any Adsense revenue would come to me. The same with an affiliate banner. This would be my compensation for the work on the site.

The questions I need to ask are as follows:

• Does Google have a problem with me displaying my Adsense code on someone elses website?
• What kind of contractual term should I set for this – 6 months, 1 year, 2 years?
• How may Adsense placements per page;  1, 2 or 3?
• How can I assure without checking daily that someone doesn’t go in and change the Adsense code once the site had been uploaded and is active.

I can see advantages to doing this with a website that has high value search terms but at the same time I see potential legal problems between the site owner and myself if this relationship should head south at some point.

I am curious what you think?  Would you consider and arrangement like this in return for doing SEO work on a website?