Archive for mark kithcart
The SEOmoz Top 10 Newsletter – A MUST HAVE!
Posted by: | Comments
I received the SEOmoz Top 10 newsletter a few days ago and before I really read it I hit delete on my iDevice (usually a gut reaction to the amount of spam I get these days). Immediately I knew I had made a mistake. So I had to log on to my laptop to “recover” it from my trash. Thankfully I did this!
If you are not a part of SEOmoz in some way go check them out now. I am not one to gush or give reviews but they are the real deal when it comes to SEO & online marketing. The newsletter is proof positive that they not only put out great content but also deliver great content from some of the best sources on the web today. Go here to get this newsletter - The SEOmoz Top 10
Full disclosure: I am a paying SEOmoz client – but I have not embedded any affiliate links or anything in the links on this post (not even sure if they have an affiliate program).
Some tidbits I learned from the SEOmoz Top 10 newsletter;
1. Anyone having issues with understanding why Google Analytics is now returning results on referring sites that are from (not provided)? This is a recent Google change and this article from the that newsletter points to the “why its there” and “what to do” – 7 Best SEO tips for (not provided) Keywords
2. Crawling Bots (especially the Google bot) are NOT archaic crawlers that just see “code or text” any more. They can crawl flash sites and also will assess user experience as well as crawl Javascript. Check it out here - Just How Smart are Search Robots?
3. And my favorite! People are thinking that On-page SEO isn’t as useful now since the Panda update and Long Tail doesn’t convert – Think Again! Great article and study of long tail conversions and on-page SEO versus great consumable content – On-page Optimization is Not Dead & Long Tail Keywords Increase Rankings and Conversions
There are 8 more too like “How to Use Twitter as a Lead Generation Tool”.
Get the Newsletter so you don’t miss this great stuff!
The DEMO Experience and the 3 reasons there aren’t many SEO experts
Posted by: | Comments
I made it to Palm Desert with little fanfare in anticipation of DEMO Spring 2010. During the flight from SFO to LAX I was half in and out of sleep with moderate neck-lash because I don’t own a neck inner tube (amazing invention that someone no-doubt ably got rich with – and good on ‘em too).
During my head-bobbing experience which wouldn’t allow me to sleep much I was thinking about my last blog post regarding Social Media Experts/Gurus and how they seem to be popping up everywhere. The thought that kept me ruminating on the post was that there aren’t many professed SEO experts or guru’s that have only been around a few months. Why?, Check it out;
- SEO isn’t something you learn overnight. SEO is continually changing and it’s not something you “jump into” and call yourself an expert. There is On-Page SEO (an art in itself) with no-follow rules, internal page linking strategies and all of the associated tags. There is Off-Page SEO (which includes Social Media) requiring back link strategies, bookmarking, authority acquisition and content development strategies to support your On-page SEO. Most importantly, you actually have to prove that you can get results.
- SEO is more science than marketing. You can’t wave your arms extolling the benefits of transparency with fancy terms such as “media assets can be created on various platforms to increase your reach and interaction”. SEO is working with raw data, interpreting the effects, testing and implementing additional strategies to get results – lather, rinse, repeat. Social Media will be a contributor, however, I haven’t seen Social Media lower an average site Alexa rank 25,000 spots within a couple of months.
- SEO isn’t for the weak or timid. You charge a client money and you better get results – more traffic, more visitors, more conversions and have the numbers and knowledge to back it up and adjust to get predictable outcomes. Social Media is engagement and testing messages but rarely do you see intensive backend tracking for social media campaigns – unless they were truly a social media expert/guru.
Tracking and numbers are everything and social media, to me, is very much a part of the overall plan for a company or a client; however, it must be measured for it’s overall effectiveness based on the client’s needs, products and audience.
I think a better term for anyone in the industry would be to stay away from being a Social Media Expert/Guru and become an Online Marketing student working to become an expert. Learn all of the various ways to get a client tangible results that bring traffic, conversions and revenues that can be tracked back to all of your online campaigns. Learn how to adjust a complete campaign not just one aspect of the campaign (i.e. Social Media). Those who take this approach and get extremely good at it will be the ones who will be revered as the complete package in the online world and will never have to look for work even in a recession.
A good article by Shoemoney – SEO vs Social Media
Oh yeah, and I will blog about DEMO too which was an incredible experience!
Tweeting Cars from Ford – What Next Your Toaster Updates Your Facebook Status?
Posted by: | Comments
Wow, CES 2010 is obviously full of surprises this year. I was mildly amused and somewhat alarmed to find out that Ford is unveiling a tweeting car.
This, of course, has some folks up in arms about safety but what does this say about Social Media? We hear that it is a passing fad and perhaps this whole Social Media thing will finally blow over and we can get back to business. But is it?
This new development from Ford seems to suggest the exact opposite of Social Media being a fad or a passing moment on the internet. But it does make sense from one perspective, Scott Monty, uber social media guru, is the Social Media Head at Ford and very much engaged in building the Social Media presence at one of the oldest brands in the world. Scott has done some “experiments” with Social Media while at Ford so far and it looks like they are getting some traction (ROI is debatable).
So, I would love to hear from you – Is Social Media a passing fad or do you have some personal concrete experience and examples to share that indicate Social Media is integral to our lives and also to businesses?
