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Are Digg the best linkbaiters of all-time?
2007-05-24 01:53:00
Everyone always talks about how SEO's manipulate social media websites such as Digg in order to potentially gain hundreds of natural inbound links from the huge amount of traffic generated from promoted stories. Seeing that SEO's are getting quite a bit of stick I thought I'd take a look at this from a slightly different angle and by analysing some of the inbound link stats Digg aren't doing too badly themselves! A story which made the Digg homepage last week from TechEBlog titled top 5 Google tricks was arguably a piece of content crafted specifically for the social media audiences. But linkbait or not the story was successful and what I found particually interesting was that while this generated 725 inbound links the actual Digg story also gained a similar total with 688 links.So for every pathetic SEO who profits from Digg (I won't link to the original source of this video as he doesn't like linkbait!) the link juice seems to be shared fairly evenly, also benefiting Digg ve...
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My First #1 Google Ranking - Blog Meme
2007-05-15 23:17:00
I first saw this idea at the SEO1 forum and thought it would work well as a blog meme, so here goes:My first #1 Googl e ranking was while at Uni back in 2002 when I did a multimedia project to create a driving school website. I put this up on my personal website and next thing I knew a couple of weeks later I was getting several daily requests to take people on driving lessons around Oxford! When looking into where this sudden interest had come from I found the website was ranking at number 1 in Google for an "Oxford Brookes Driving School" search which is still at #1 today. I'm not really sure why people searched for this but they obviously did, I've changed the contact details since then though so my driving instructor career hasn't been going quite so well recently! :)I think you normally tag 5 blogs in these meme things but seeing that this is just getting started I've picked 10 of the blogs I subscribe to (is that another meme in itself?), would be great to hear how some of ...
More About: Meme , Blog , Ranking

Matt Cutts says paid directory links are fine
2007-05-15 19:34:00
In a recent post I questioned the value passed from paid directory listings following Google's attempts to find paid links.Matt Cutts has now clarified the situation by stating that directory listings are fine providing the purpose of the fee is for a selective review, with only quality sites accepted rather than the directory becoming a "free-for-all link site".I have to admit I've been impressed with Google's transparency over some algorthim questions this week, Matt Cutt's also confirmed yesterday that some sites have been given the -950 penalty as a result of over on-page optimisation.-------------------------Sea rch Engine Optimisation - Promote your business online, submit for a free website analysis today!
More About: Links , Directory , Paid , Matt Cutts

Beginners Guide to Getting Traffic from Smaller Social Media Voting Sites
2007-05-13 23:09:00
If like me, you've read all the articles about how easily you can get onto the Digg homepage, but have so far struggled to create that killer piece of content, then you'll probably want to hear about alternative methods of achieving social media bookmarking success. A small percentage of people may get it right first-time and receive the necessary 25+ diggs to become a promoted story straight away, but the rest of us will probably have to work a bit harder, learn from our mistakes and build up towards the ton of traffic and nice amount of new inbound links which come as a result of a popular story!I find there seems to be a new "I made it onto Digg once so I'm an expert" post every other day now, so here's my "I haven't made it onto Digg yet, but have managed to get some traffic from a few of the smaller sites" post instead! It's obviously not impossible for beginners to get popular on the main sites such as Digg, Del.icio.us or Reddit, but it certainly is easier if you have a...
More About: Social , Media , Traffic , Sites , Guide

Google integrating AdSense and AdWords logins in UK
2007-05-11 14:46:00
While logging into my AdSense account today I was greeted with an option to update my AdSense and AdWords login to a single Google Account login. AdSense publisher accounts were upgraded in the US last week, but it now appears that Google have started to roll this out in the UK.Here's the screenshot (click image for full-size):This is something that was previously available for AdWords but until now the AdSense login has remained separate from Google accounts. There have been many requests in the past for transfering money between AdWords and AdSense accounts so it will be interesting to see if this is a step towards making that feature available.-------------------------Search Engine Optimisation - Promote your business online, submit for a free website analysis today!
More About: Adsense , Adwords , Ense , Integra

Google Analytics gets facelift
2007-05-09 11:47:00
Logging into my Google Analytics account this morning I noticed the following alert:"Over the next several weeks, we will be migrating all existing Analytics accounts to the new Google Analytics interface. You will be notified by email once your account has been migrated. For an entire month you will be able to access both the original interface and the new interface. During the migration, you should experience no interruption in service and you will be able to see all of your data regardless of which interface you use."The Google Analytics blog announced the new version yesterday, which generally looks like a cleaner, easier to use system. Here's a list of the new improvements:"Email and export reports: Schedule or send ad-hoc personalized report emails and export reports in PDF format.Custom Dashboard: No more digging through reports. Put all the information you need on a custom dashboard that you can email to others.Trend and Over-time Graph: Compare time periods and select date...
More About: Facelift , Lift

Linkbaiting vs Directories Link Building Debate
2007-05-06 20:53:00
Lyndon Antcliff has started an interesting (and slightly heated) discussion about how social voting beats directories for link building. In my opinion there are still some good arguments for submitting to quality directories, but I totally agree that linkbaiting is the way to go and if successful the benefits are far greater than submitting to directories. It's also far more enjoyable to watch how many people vote or link to your content then it is submitting to directories for hours, so that helps! :) Link baiting may not suit everyone however as it requires a certain degree of creativity and understanding about how the social media systems work and how to manipulate what the audience likes to see, whereas anyone can submit to a directory. I wouldn't completely disregard submitting to directories as a link building technique just yet and probably wouldn't go as far to say directories are dead, but perhaps Google's recent efforts to find paid links could suggest it is dying a slo...
More About: Building , Link Building , Debate , Directories

Internet World conference highlights
2007-05-03 15:54:00
Yesterday I attended the Internet World conference in Earls Court, London. I've never been to the event before but found many of the conferences and exhibitions very useful, below I've listed some of the main notes I took away from the day.Microsoft adCenterThe first talk I attended was from Microsoft adCenter, this was basic but my experience of adCenter isn't great so I found this useful.Some information I found useful was:The Average MSN searcher spends £2,000 online in 6 months (I think this must be based upon adCenter conversion information).Over 11 million people in UK use MSN Messenger8.8 million people in UK have an MSN Hotmail accountOver 5 million people use Live search each month in the UKadCenter audience "is also more likely to convert than any other - 70% more than the average UK searcher and over twice as likely as Google searchers."This also talked about how Windows Live Passport details are used for demographic targeting, this allow you to bid upon keywords targ...
More About: Highlights , Lights , Highlight

Add SEOptimise to Technorati favourites
2007-05-02 00:35:00
I've just noticed my Technorati favourited by figures have jumped quite a bit recently, it's upto 64 members now but the last time I checked it was 2, and one of them was me!100 members would be a good target to get, if you'd like to add SEOpti mise to your Technorati favourites please click the button below. And while your at it why not subscribe to the RSS feed, connect to my LinkedIn profile and join the MyBlogLog community and Blog Catalog neighbourhood too :)Update: The large increase in favourites has come from this evil, lazy or smart plan, cheers Andy!-------------------------Search Engine Optimisation - Promote your business online, submit for a free website analysis today!
More About: Nora , Favourites

5 reasons why Google PageRank is overrated and 5 more about how it can stil
2007-05-01 19:56:00
With the latest Google PageRank update currently underway I thought I'd share a list of 5 reasons why PageRank should be taken with a pinch of salt. Yes it's nice to have an increase in PR, but other than seeing that little green bar move up a bit it doesn't really mean too much else in terms of importance and it definitely shouldn't be relied upon as heavily as a search ranking factor anymore.5 reasons why Google PageRank is overhyped: Authority/Trustrank is the new PageRankIf you want a high quality, respected website you should be looking to become an authority in your field. Building trust with the search engines and becoming a leading site within a certain catergory is what counts in terms of achieving high search rankings, PageRank in this respect is irrelevant. PageRank is updated continuallyJust because your site has gone from a PR4 to PR5 this doesn't mean you'll see an instant jump in search rankings, PageRank is updated continually by Google and is far more complex ...
More About: Pagerank , Google Pagerank , Stil , Reasons

Google PageRank update started
2007-04-30 01:27:00
The latest Google PageRank update looks like it's currently underway. I've noticed a few websites which have seen increases, this blog being one of them going from PR4 to PR5. There were rumours of buggy PageRank data last week but it doesn't seem to be a false alarm this time as many datacenters are now showing updates, not just the Google toolbar. Here is another example to show the increase of www.placesun.co.uk from a PR4 to PR5 on all datacenters.-------------------------Sear ch Engine Optimisation - Promote your business online, submit for a free website analysis today!
More About: Pagerank , Google Pagerank , Update , Tart

Yahoo! Panana on it's way to UK!
2007-04-24 11:17:00
I receieved the following email from Yahoo ! Search Marketing this morning, look's like we won't have to wait too much longer for the Panama platform in the UK:"Dear Advertiser,The New Sponsored Search Is Coming!We previously announced that an improved marketing platform is on its way, full of advanced, easy-to-use features that will help you better connect with customers looking for your products and services on Yahoo! Search Marketing's distribution network. Please take a moment to read our plans for assisting you during the transition to the new Sponsored Search.We've been thoroughly testing our systems to help ensure a quality experience once advertiser accounts are upgraded, and will shortly begin the process of notifying advertisers about their account upgrade.You will be notified of your upgrade date two weeks in advance of your upgrade. You will also be able to access a preview of what your account will look like after the upgrade, to help you become familiar with the fea...
More About: Nana

5 Reasons Why I Blog
2007-04-23 21:39:00
I've been tagged by Joe Williams so it looks like it's my turn to list 5 reasons why I blog!1) Improve search rankingsIt's no secret that one of the main reasons I write this blog is to help improve the site's search rankings. Providing original content about the latest search news can lead to many natural incoming links, helping to improve search rankings for a range of long tail keywords for individual posts as well as giving a boost to general results for the whole domain. 2) Keeping fresh with the latest newsBecause the search industry is continually changing so rapidly, I think it's very important to have a website which reflects this. Showing readers that you know about the latest Google algorithm or AdWords quality score update and the impact this will have upon results. I've found that writing a blog has also encouraged me to keep up-to-date with what people in the industry are writing about, learning different bits from each which I can incorporate into my own blog.3)...
More About: Blog , Reasons , Sons

Pay Per Click Roundup 23/4/2007
2007-04-23 16:13:00
I meant to post this on Friday but didn't quite get round to it, anyway here's a recap of the pay-per-click advertising news I found of interest during the last week.Google AdWordsOn the Radio: more on Audio Ads - Inside AdWordsIntroducing preferred cost bidding - Inside AdWordsUsing Google Analytics with Website Optimizer - Google Analytics BlogGoogle AdWords Preferred Cost Bidding Not Welcomed - SERoundtableGoogle Pay Per Action First Results For Publishers & Advertisers - SERoundtableDoes "GoogleClic k " Spell The End For Bid Managers? - Search Engine LandNew Google AdWords Dashboard Looks Like Yahoo Panama - Search Engine JournalGoogle Ads Tracking Mouse-Over - Google BlogoscopedHow to lower your AdWords minimum bid - eWhisper.netYahoo! Search MarketingFaster, Simplified Online Customer Checkout - YSM BlogUpgrades and Enhancements - YSM BlogPunctilious Punctuation - YSM BlogDespite Panama, Yahoo Earnings Fall 11 Percent -- Investments Blamed - Search Engine LandMicrosoft adCente...
More About: Pay Per Click , Roundup , Pay-per-click

New Google AdWords SMS Text Phone Alerts
2007-04-22 13:47:00
You can now sign-up for Google AdWords SMS text phone alerts, which can "send your cell phone timely text message alerts for budgeting and billing".For more information please view the Google Help Centre About Phone Alerts page.-------------------------Search Engine Optimisation - Promote your business online, submit for a free website analysis today!
More About: Google Adwords , Adwords , Text

Google AdWords Account Snapshot out of Beta
2007-04-22 13:31:00
Google have been testing an AdWords Account Snapshot page in beta since November but this has now been made available for all advertisers.My account this morning contained the following alert:"New! Check out the Account Snapshot page. Get an overview of your account on a single page, including actionable alerts and key performance stats. Click 'Account Snapshot' in the Campaign Management tab to try it out." The Account Snapshot is now available under the campaign management tab, as shown in the screenshot of my own account below, please click here for more information.Click image for full-size screenshot:-------------------------Searc h Engine Optimisation - Promote your business online, submit for a free website analysis today!
More About: Google , Beta , Google Adwords , Adwords , Count

Google AdSense displayed without ad notice on LinkedIn
2007-04-20 00:11:00
I spotted today that LinkedIn is currently displaying a plain text advert at the top of it's homepage which is provided by Google AdSense, containing no sponsored links or Ads by Google notice! Here is a screenshot's of an advert which is currently being displayed (highlighted in red box), this is generated by Google AdSense JavaScript and links to a pagead2.googlesyndication.com URL, clicking on the image shows a full-size screenshot where I've hovered over "SEO Compare The Definitive Top Five SEO Websites" so you can see the URL at the bottom of the browser.2 example AdSense ads displayed on LinkedIn homepage: It looks like LinkedIn is a Google search network partner so they will have more ad formats available to them than regular AdSense publishers, but until now AdSense ads have always been marked as sponsored links even if the Ads by Google notice isn't always displayed. An example of another Google partner displaying ads without the Ads by Google notice is MySpace but all ...
More About: Adsense , Google Adsense , Notice , Ense

Search Engine Strategies PPC Roundup
2007-04-14 01:57:00
I'm not quite sure where to start this week as my FeedReader seems to have been overflowing with news from Search Engine Stategies over the last few days. I've picked out the main PPC stories from SES New York in addition to the rest of this weeks pay per click news.Search Engine Strategies Meet the Search Ad Networks - Bruce ClayAdvanced Paid Search Techniques - Bruce ClayAds In A Quality Score World - SERoundtableIn House Big PPC - SERoundtableGetting Traffic From Contextual Ads - SERoundtableLanding Page Testing & Tuning - SERoundtableCreating Compelling Ads - SERoundtableAuditing Paid Listings & Click Fraud Issues - Bruce ClayWeb Analytics & Measuring Success - Bruce ClayAdmitted: "We Do Arbitrage" - TraffickMicrosoft adCenter: Today and Tomorrow - SERoundtableVideo Recap and Reflections on SES - New York 2007 - Pepperjam BlogThis Weeks other PPC news:Google AdWordsThe next step in Google advertising - Official Google BlogA new case study on botnet-based click fraud - Inside Ad...
More About: Roundup

AdWords New Features highlighted in account
2007-04-13 20:37:00
I also noticed today a "New Features " heading in the top right-hand corner of my AdWords account which funnily enough links to a list of new features, makes sense! :)Here's the screenshot:-------------------------Searc h Engine Optimisation - Promote your business online, submit for a free website analysis today!
More About: Adwords , Count , Highlight , Account

New AdWords Campaign Summary View
2007-04-13 19:25:00
While logging into my Google AdWords account this morning I noticed a new campaign summary view, screenshot below. (Click image for full-size)The Google Help Centre explains the new features, which includes grouping online campaigns using a new date picker, with a show all campaigns feature and no click-to-call tab. This looks to have been rolled out to all advertisers, rather than being a limited test, as all of my client managed accounts are now displaying this.-------------------------Search Engine Optimisation - Promote your business online, submit for a free website analysis today!
More About: Campaign , Adwords , View , Summary

UK Search Engine Conferences
2007-04-10 20:00:00
SES New York started today and as most of the main search engine conferences are located in the US I thought I'd share a list of events which are happening (or already taken place) in the UK this year.I'm relatively new to these events but plan on attending some of these conferences during the year as it can be a great experience to learn from the top experts in the search industry and also meet lots of like-minded people in the world of SEO.UK SEO Conferences 2007February:Search Engine Strategies - LondonMarch:SEO Days - LondonSearch Marketing World - Dublin (Not actually in the UK but a lot closer than the States :D)May:Internet World - LondonKiller Search Marketing - LondonSeptember:ad:tech - LondonOctober:Online Marketing Show - LondonPlease let me know if there are any further SEO events this year and I'll add them to the list.-------------------------Search Engine Optimisation - Promote your business online, submit for a free website analysis today!
More About: Ferenc

PPC Weekly Roundup - 07/04/2007
2007-04-07 07:11:00
Here are the main stories from the world of PPC over the past 7 days:Google AdWordsGoogle confirm two changes to how top ads are displayed and make Website Optimizer available to all.Brad Geddes discusses what determines the 'Account Quality Score', 'AdGroup Quality Score' and 'Keyword Quality Score' for AdWords?John Battelle reports that AOL are to launch white label AOL-only AdWords system on Monday.Jennifer Slegg starts a new blog with some great early posts such as Targeting keyword variations for increased search & pay per click traffic, Using dynamic keyword insertion in AdWords URLs for higher click throughs and How to Brand with Google AdWords & Pay Per Click.Vinny Lingham posts about Google's new metric: Impression Share.Search Engine Guide takes a look Inside Google's New Pay Per Action for Advertisers. SERound table posts about Google entering TV market with TV commercial trial.And the Inside AdSense blog confirms some fresh, new look AdSense ads.Yahoo! Search Mark...
More About: Roundup , Weekly

AdSense "Related Pages" appearing in Google Groups
2007-04-01 01:51:00
While searching Google Group s today I noticed some "Related Pages" links appearing as part of an AdSense ad block, this displayed a section of sponsored links with related pages listed underneath, as pictured below.Image on left is from Google Groups and right-hand-side is from GMailIt looks like Google are currently testing related content as they have recently made changes to their robots.txt file, disallowing access to the /relcontent folder. In addition to Google Groups I've also noticed related pages appearing in GMail, this was actually first spotted in June 2004 but I'm not sure if it's been active since then, I don't use GMail too much! :DI would assume this won't become available as a new AdSense ad format because they're not paid ads and Google will just use this within it's own network of sites. It's unclear at the moment how these links are chosen, some seem to be generated from recent news stories as many of the listings are dated and from within the last few we...
More About: Adsense , Ense , Late

PPC Weekly Roundup - 31/03/2007
2007-03-31 17:52:00
Here's this weeks collection of PPC news:Google AdWordsPay-per-action beta -- your questions answered - Inside AdWordsAdWords Editor's "Top 10 Favorites" - Inside AdWordsThe Guide to Creating AdWords Pay Per Action Campaigns - eWhisper.netAdSense Publisher View Of Google Pay Per Action - Search Engine LandIs There a Doman Wide Quality Score in Google AdWords? - Search Engine Round tableYahoo! Search MarketingYahoo's Panama ad platform will launch in UK / Europe in Q02 - JenSenseJudge Approves Yahoo Click Fraud Settlement - Search Engine WatchYou Complete Me - Yahoo! Search Marketing BlogMicrosoft adCenterAd Titles and Dynamic Text - adCenter BlogPPCE-Consultancy Offers Paid Search Briefing - Search Engine LandPPC And Your Good Name: Sales From Brand Searches Aren't Incremental - Search Engine LandDoes "Set It & Forget It" Still Work In The PPC Game? - Search Engine Roundtable Things You Shouldn't Care About in PPC - PPC DiscussionsYes, Co-managed PPC And SEO Campaigns Work - Med...
More About: Roundup , Weekly

AdWords Editor 3.0 released
2007-02-27 07:58:02
Google have now released AdWord s Edit or 3.0 available for download.Here are the new and updated features:"New features:Site targeting: AdWords Editor now provides full support for site-targeted campaigns.Negative sites: Add or edit negative sites for keyword- and site-targeted campaigns.Edit while you wait: If you manage multiple accounts with AdWords Editor, edit another account while your changes post.Count your selection: The status bar now displays the number of rows you've selected in the data view.Pause or resume ads, keywords, and sites: Use the Status menu in the edit panel to change the status of selected items.Updated features:Export to HTML: Your HTML export will show or hide deleted campaigns, depending on how you've configured your preferences. The HTML export is ideal for showing your account to someone who doesn't use AdWords Editor.Export to CSV: In addition to account, campaign, and ad group snapshots, you can now export custom views. The CSV export is ideal for ...
More About: Adwords , Released

Blogger noindex meta tag problem fixed
2007-02-23 13:53:03
I posted last week about the Blog ger tag including a noindex meta tag, Adam Lasnik of Google has now confirmed on my original post that this should be fixed."Just chatted with the Blogger team, and looks like things should be working normally now. :)"I've just tested this by adding the back into my Blogger template and there's no sign of a noindex/nofollow meta tag this time.-------------------------SEO Services - Promote your business online, submit for a free website analysis today!
More About: Problem , Meta , Index

Paid version of Google Apps for your domain released
2007-02-22 19:52:02
The BBC News website today reported that Google have introduced a paid version of Google Apps for your domain. This is aimed at small businesses at a cost of $50 a year per account.Google Apps includes GMail, Docs and Spreadsheets, Google Talk, Google Calendar, Page Creator and Start Page, with the small business version offering extensibility APIs and 24/7 help and support with a 99.9% uptime guarantee and 10GB storage for GMail, shared calendar resources and the option to turn off advertisements. Here is a full comparison of the standard and premium edtions, with the premium edition currently offering a free trial until April 30th.The BBC article also talks about Google's "brutal timing", coinciding with Microsoft's launch of Office 2007. Google hopes that the chance to collaborate on key documents via the web will prove popular to small firms who are more used to e-mailing copies back and forth.Analysts said the announcement was intended to give people an alternative to Microso...
More About: Domain , Main , Your , Paid

Ultimate Social Media Optimization List
2007-02-19 07:48:02
Over the last couple of months I've found myself reading through more and more social media optimisation (SMO) articles. I found Lyndon Antcliff's enormous linkbait list to be a great resource so I thought I'd share a similar list of articles which I found to be useful in improving my own understanding of SMO. Pronet AdvertisingIntroduction to Soci al Media Optimization A Comparison of SEO and SMO Social Media Optimization Vs Social Media MarketingTargeting Social Media OptimizationWill Social Media Optimization become mainstream?55 Sure-Fire Social Media Headline Formulas That WorkSocial Media SensationalismMeasuring the ROI from Social Media MarketingSocial Media Discussions at SESTraditonal PR with a touch of social mediaSEOmozSocial Media Optimization, eh? Let's See What's in Our Bag o' GoodiesRohit Bhargava5 Rules of Social Media OptimizationSearch Engine LandForget ABCs - The Social Media Alphabet Is DNRSMore Letters of the Social Media AlphabetBeyond Google: Social Media ...
More About: List

FeedBurner RSS signup conversion tracking on the way
2007-02-15 13:44:03
I wrote a post on the Feed Burner forums yesterday asking how to track RSS subscriptions as conversions.The reply from Dick Costolo confirmed that:This is on our roadmap but not yet possible. We have four or five more things we want to add to site stats to make it "whole" and then we will begin to bridge this blind spot between site visits, subscriptions, and conversions from site visitors to subscribers and the crossover therein.This probably takes us a couple/few more months as this also implies that we need to stop having two separate stats dashboards and create a common content-centric view of stats in which you see your subscription conversions and crossover traffic (eg, "28% of commenters are subscribers"). We are very excited about this, but as always, the good stuff takes time to build :)"This sounds like an excellent feature and one which I would definitely be keen on using to track the type of traffic and keyword phrases which convert into RSS subscriptions.----------------...
More About: Feedburner , The Way , Sign

Google AdWords Professional verification pages fixed
2007-02-15 13:44:03
Google have now fixed the AdWord s Qualified Profession al verification problem, so when you now click on an AdWords qualified individual or company logo (while logged in or out) the status page is displayed, rather than forwarding to the AdWords login page which has been happening for the last couple of weeks.Here's a screenshot of my status:-------------------------SEO Services - Promote your business online, submit for a free website analysis today!
More About: Google , Cat , Page