Why am I being so flippant today? I’m not too sure; perhaps it has more to with the fact this it is a Friday and that within a few hours I can stop by at my favourite “Watering Hole” on my way home and generally reconnect with the real world i.e. those who don’t make their living from life in this massive “Goldfish Bowl” we call the Internet?

Perhaps it is also due to the fact that I have spent quite a bit of time this week looking at existing link Building Campaigns from folks who should know better and wonder how they have ended up getting their butts kicked by the “Mighty G”.

Some people really should know better and I know those who are reading this will know better but let me reiterate this message for once and for all. There is effectively no such thing as a bad inbound link. There are good links and there are very good links but effectively there is no such thing as a bad inbound link.

The reason for this? Well one of the things that Google likes to see is a nice spread of inbound linking types as well as sources of IP’s. Hence to take full advantage of this Google is expecting to see direct links, indirect links, redirects, dofollows, nofollows, typos you name it. Why? The answer is simple, Google wants to see an inbound Links landscape that very closely resembles what humans would provide and that includes mistakes.

If it doesn’t see that then look out as your entire approach could be seen as too controlled and manipulative?

Have a great weekend and keep those messages and emails coming in.

See ya soon folks!

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It appears that as of the time of the post that Google have either completed or in the final stages of completing another Page Rank Update.

As with all events like this there are winners and losers but all I have to say to anyone is that at the end of the day, Page Rank matters damn all in the universal scheme of things, its SERPS that matter and many’s the time I have seen in the SERPS, medium to high PR sites (PR4+) get their butts whipped (as an american colleague of mine so eloquently puts it) by relatively low PR sites (i.e 1 or above).

Here are a few links to how the update is being received in parts Google Page Rank Update Discussion and more detail about this can be found at this Google Info Blog

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I recently read an old Blog Post about the subject of Linking Foot Prints and the damage they can cause if a Linking Campaign is not carried out correctly. The real reason for this is whether my inbuilt nagging suspicions that most Automated Link building Systems can actually cause more harm than good is justified or not. If anyone wants to find out more about Link Building Footprints and the upside / downside of these then take a glance at this post. It covers quite a lot about this particular subject, is not necessarily the definitive word on the subject but covers most of the basics of Link Building AND Spamming etc.

So back to my “Bete Noire” about Automated Link Building Systems.

The reason for this being that they are so automated (as the name suggests), almost everything is done for you that it is almost like taking a sledgehammer to crack a nut. The real downside is that when you automate something, it necessarily creates a repetitive system and process to carry out this task and thereby hangs the problem, the very repetitiveness of the process itself. It is this repeated action, the repeated submission process, repeated analysis that causes the potential problem. It is all too easy to reverse engineer.

Now OK most folk would call me a complete conspiracy theorist here but all I can respectfully suggest to most readers here is that if I can come up with the logic of reverse engineering an automated Link Building Process then you can bet that Google, Yahoo/MSN et al with their seemingly endless budgets have whole teams dedicated to unwiring the latest attempts at automating a sneaky way to bypass their systems.

The answer to all of this? Programmable defects, programmable flaws or mistakes to replicate an organic Campaign. Take into consideration the Human element, the ability above all to screw up that makes the Human Race such loveable beings.

The reason behind my thinking in all of this stems from my experiences in another Industry that has also seen its fair share of Automation and “Electrification”, the Rock and Roll Industry. Back in the late 70’s and early 80’s (yes folks I am that old) amongst the vanguard of new technologies taking the Industry by storm were programmable synthesizers and Drum Machines. Now these were all very fine but once you had programmed the machine and pressed the “start” button, off it went and delivered by and large what it was supposed to do, over and over…..and over……and over again almost “ad infinitum”. The trouble with all of this is that all the songs using these techniques started to sound the same, the beats and rhythms were the same and all became very boring until some bright spark (at Yamaha I think if I am correct) came up with the idea of replicating a real Human drummer and replicating the pitfalls that used to come along with them also. OK they left out the downsides in that at least a machine was less likely to sleep with your girlfriend but you get my drift? Basically the concept was (and is correct) that there wasn’t a drummer out there (and never has been) that kept perfect time in a piece of music from start to finish. There was the odd one that came close but never any one that got it totally spot on from start to finish and that was what made the music so real, it was this very human flaw that makes music so listenable and enjoyable. So to replicate this, Programmers now started to introduce the concept of the programmable unpredictable “flam” or grace note to break things up a bit and make machines sound a bit more like humans.

So how does this all tie up with my gripe with Automated Link building Systems? Well it is this constant repetition that gets my goat. It is not a case of repetitive excellence it is more a case of just plain old repetitiveness that makes it so easy to spot and do something about.

Come on guys and gals, if you are going to try and come up with latest and best thing in automated systems then come up with something that replicates the human ability to screw up and make your programmes look like the real thing and include mistakes to make them look like the Campaign was indeed carried out by Humans and not systems.

There, got that off my chest.

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A Lot of Search Engine Optimization and Search Engine Marketing Professionals are voicing their opinions and saying than directories are dead. But remember, these are the people that also say that Page Rank is dead, SEO is dead, and the latest this is dead theory.  So is directory link building no longer worthy? well only the Search Engines can tell you for sure.

I believe the real issue with directory links is that only some of them are good and worthy, while some others are junk, being able to tell this difference is the key between loosing your time and having a fruitful link building campaign.  How you can tell if a directory is good enough or that you should pass it.  Here are the 3 main criteria of identifying a good directory from a bad one.

1) The director is listed in the Search Engines and most pages are being crawled.

You can find the directory in the most popular search engines, Google, Yahoo, MSN, and Ask. Also the category pages of the directory are cached on the search engines, if the directory offers detail pages, these should be indeed too.

2) The links are plain text, no redirects or javascript.

Check the source code of the pages of the directory. Look to see if the links are plain a href’s, without the rel=”nofollow” attribute, and no sneaky redirects are present. By validating all these you guarantee that these links are seeing and counted by Search Engines.

3) Doesn’t link to bad neighborhoods.

The directory doesn’t link to questionable websites, specially topics like gambling, casino adult, and illegal content websites. Be very wary about directory that offers sitewide likes to these type of sites.

Hopefully these guidelines will help you do more quality link building campaigns getting links from quality web directories.

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Many think that a profitable home-based business requires tons of high-tech supplies, and a never-ending stream of cash. Fortunately, that is not the case. Internet marketing can now be executed easily and successfully on a limited budget. The desire for home business enterprises is at a high point, and affordable marketing options are endless. With a bit of effort andcommitment, your internet marketing campaign can work with practical and useful advertising options.

When working with a limited amount of means, you must first construct a workable internet marketing plan. It must be decided what types of advertising and promotion will be used, and how much money will be allowed for each part of your marketing budget. Always be aware of your financial situation. There are several creative and unique promotional techniques that can be used in your internet marketing plan, which will not break your bank. Ironically, many have discovered that several of the low-cost marketing methods are just as useful as the more expensive ones.

Message boards and forums have taken over cyberspace. Joining these forums and discussion groups is another excellent way to market on a budget. Engage in groups related to your chosen service or program. Frequently posting questions and answers will build your reputation in the business community, while at the same time, advertising your services. This form of internet marketing has grown to be one of the most effective methods.

E-mail marketing has been coined as one of the most cost-efficient internet marketing methods. To utilize this marketing technique to the fullest, you must first establish a broad e-mail or newsletter list. This list will keep your customers up to date with all of your programs and services. The only problem with this form of marketing is the issue of SPAM. Be sure that each person on your list has requested to receive e-mails from you. If too many complaints are received, your web site could be closed down, and your business could be in danger.

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Ah, keyword research: the foundation of every successful website out there.

Wow, that’s a strong statement, isn’t it?

Well, it’s true.  For those of you who put little to no thought into, OR who don’t understand the high significance of keywords, the keyword research you do before getting one single web page up will have a tremendous impact on how well you market to your target audience.

No pressure.

So, why is this keyword research so darned important, you ask?

Let’s say you and I are standing behind a curtain.  You are probably the most revered speaker in your area of expertise.  I pull back the curtain and motion for you to go up to the podium and speak in front of an audience of about 200.

No problem.  You pull some notes out of your pocket, confidently place your hands on the mic and speak ever so compellingly for about 35 minutes.

After you are finished, the crowd claps nicely…almost out of obligation. You don’t understand.  It was actually one of your best presentations yet!  You were compelling, but not too sales-y.  You presented the problems, outlined the solutions available, and then unveiled your perfect product to fit the bill.

So, what happened?

This audience wasn’t waiting for you…they were actually waiting on someone else who was going to talk about a totally different subject.  They don’t even know what you were talking about.

So…..this wasn’t YOUR audience.  This was not your target market.

You had everything prepared…you had everything all perfectly laid out to be a “slippery slope” that led right to the obvious solution…your product.  But….you were talking to the wrong people.

How does this relate to keyword research?

The visitors you get to your site are a direct relation to what keywords your site is known for.  If you are telling the search engines that your site is known for “niche widget solution” or using other keywords such as your name, the name of your business…..that’s not the stuff your market is out looking for.

The keyword research you need to do is to determine what phrases people are searching for that have the problem for your solution.  They are searching for “perfect posture” or “correct golf swing” not “Xtreme Putter.”  They don’t even know your Xtreme Putter even exists!

And, unless you do effective keyword research, they never will.

So, how do you do the right kind of keyword research?  Put yourself in their shoes.  If you were someone out there with the problem your product solves, what would you be searching for?

“How to train my dog”

“Popular 30 something hangouts in L.A.”

“Seattle modern art”

“Ping golf clubs”

These are the things prospective buyers are searching for….you just need to have the right keywords as bait to catch them before they go surfing by.

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By now most of us will have read or have heard rumours of the latest changes to the terms and conditions to mighty “Web 2.0 Behemoth” Squidoo. There seems to be a pattern emerging here and it seems to follow a pre scripted route.

Web 2.0 sites get launched, there is a feeding frenzy and it is like the old days of the Wild West. There is a land rush and certain Internet Marketers tell all their followers to get their keywords listed and their pages / lenses whatever registered. Life is good for a few months and material gets indexed very quickly because Googlebot, Slurp or whatever is busy assimilating all this new content and profits are made, adsense revenue etc rises and Clickbank does very nicely out of all of this thank you very much..

Then BANG. Google wakes up to the fact that for certain keywords / research items their index is full of the same thing because…….their bot indexed the pages and did its job and now we are all wading knee deep through the same pages all describing the same items. It is the Internet equivalent of Flood Damage. Google over reacts and puts the pressure on the new Web 2.0 property usually in the form of behind the scenes pressure to make all their outgoing links (that’s inbounds to us) “nofollow” whereas before they were “dofollow” to try and stem the tide of new material. The implied threat is “do this or we’ll blanket de index your entire site”. The owners panic and enforce this new “dictat” but through inconsistencies with the nofollow attribute (yes even from within Google itself) this action doesn’t have the effect required hence the “big boots” come out and we see what happens. I am surprised Squidoo managed to hold out as long as they did as they were slapped pretty hard before but not entirely surprised when you consider the history of everything.

Unfortunately because we live in a society whether we like it or not we are controlled by and large by what the Big G says and does (Guess Orwell got it wrong and its actually Big G not Big Brother) it is going to have to take someone with enough Testosterone to stand up to the Mighty G and say “No, we will sort it out our way and not yours”. Of course this means the site will have to allocate the resource to deal with the fallout. The obvious route is to go down the existing route and have a blanket ban but have the structures in place to deal with genuine grievances and mistakes quickly and fairly.

Yes it does sadly mean that every now and then “babies will be thrown out with the bathwater” but there has to be some sort of appeals process to take this into account.

I am not trying to be an apologist for Squidoo as to be honest I have never really fathomed out how the damn thing works to best effect entirely and there are other true Squidoo experts who can advise better than I can (I apologise and grovel accordingly) but having read through the new guidelines it seems to me that they have been fairly straight up and honest about it all.

How they arbitrate the fall out and manage this will be the true test of how good their organisation is or isn’t?

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Whenever you are starting up a business, you are not going to have a lot of money to just throw around, which means that you are going to need to know what kind of advertising is getting you the best results. There are a few ways that you can go about checking this. Keeping up with your Internet marketing stats is a must in this day and age. Sure you are going to want a hit counter on your web page, but that is just the tip of what you will need. You are going to want things that track how long people are staying on your site, what links are bringing them there, and of course, if they are buying anything. By knowing this kind of stuff, you are going to be able to tell what ads are getting you the most business and which ones are not. That way you can take down the ads that are not doing so well, and put up more of the good ones. This is a prime idea for first time marketers.

There are many different ways to track your Internet marketing. First of all, sometimes when you sign up with a program like Google AdWords, they are going to have link tracking. This way you are going to know how many people are clicking on your links, and when they click on them, how long are they staying on your site. This is all very important information. Not only is the fact that they are clicking on it good, but how long the people are staying there is even better. If someone clicks on your link and they stay there for just a few seconds, chances are they did not mean to go to that site. In other words, it was not a good click. However, if they get on there and they are on there for a few minuets or even an hour, you know that they were looking around your shop, and that is what you want. Even if they did not buy something, it’s good that they know what you are selling. That is because they may come back to buy more lately.

Although the stats that they give you on places like Google AdWords are helpful, that is not all you need. You are going to want your own program on your site that you can check whenever you want to. This kind of program needs to be looking at how many people come to your site and buy something, and how many things they are buying. Not only that, these programs will also keep up with things like how long they are staying and what link brought them to your site. It’s very important that you keep up with this kind of information. This is the kind of stuff that you are going to want to know to turn your little shop from a mom and pop store to a worldwide business. Working from home is not something that is easy, however, if you have the right stats, then you can tell where your advertising is having the most effect, and you can turn your small business into a big one.

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