One reason I enjoy reading Michael Martinez’s articles about search engine optimization is that he’s an SEO who hasn’t drunk the “it’s all about link building” Kool-Aid. He’s pointed out in multiple blog posts (How to Get Traffic to Your Website for Free is one of my favorites of these) that link building isn’t even necessary to build traffic. All that’s really necessary is the willingness and the ability to publish interesting content on a regular basis. Earlier this year, I tested this approach Click to continue […]
Author: Randy Ray
How to Increase the Value of Your Website
Not everyone wants to sell their website. But if you’re planning an exit strategy, maximize the amount of money your site sells for. This post offers some practical suggestions for increasing your site’s value. Invest in a premium domain name. In real estate, a house in a good location is more valuable that a house in a less desirable location. The same is true on the Internet. A site on a premium domain is worth more than the same site on a less desirable domain. For example, “hotels.com” is Click to continue […]
How NOT to Ask for a Link to Your Website
Some people still do old-fashioned link outreach, where they email other site owners and ask them to link to their sites. Done correctly, this can be an effective (and even efficient) way of acquiring backlinks to your site. I like to think I’m pretty good at this approach, in fact. Some people have the wrong approach, and even if you try to help them improve their approach, they get mad. As my partner, Michael Martinez often tells me, “Don’t get mad. Get glad!” When you’re asking for help Click to continue […]
Succeeding in Spite of Your Backlink Profile
Eric Ward taught me how to find backlink targets in 2009. Looking at the backlink profiles of competitors’ sites was part of that process, and I still use that in my arsenal of linkbuilding weapons. One of the things I’ve discovered by doing this kind of research is that many websites succeed in spite of, not because of, their backlink profile. Less seasoned SEOs might look at a competitor’s backlink profile with the intention of getting as many of the same links as their competitor has. More Click to continue […]
Why You Should (Almost) Never Link to Wikipedia Articles
Last night, I noticed that one of the bloggers on an experimental site that I’m running was linking to a lot of Wikipedia articles. I sent him an email explaining to him why we don’t want to link to Wikipedia articles, and it occurred to me that a post on the subject might make sense. After all, a LOT of people ARE linking to it, and maybe they haven’t thought it through. Reasons NOT to Link to Wikipedia Articles The #1 reason is that there are almost always better pages to link to elsewhere Click to continue […]
21 Expert Writing Tips
Great content attracts links, builds credibility, and stimulates social media activity. Too many Internet publishers skimp on content because of costs. They forget that the cheapest way to publis great content is to write it themselves. Some Internet publishers aren’t great writers though. That doesn’t mean they can’t improve. Sincere writing with a few mistakes trumps grammatically correct fluff any day, though. And by paying attention to these 21 expert writing tips, even struggling Click to continue […]
Lazy Keyword Research Techniques
Lazy keyword research techniques can be more effective than careful, energetic keyword research techniques. The typical approach is to use some kind of online tool to get suggestions based on information that the search engines provide. I prefer to use more of a longtail strategy. If you want to be an indolent search engine optimizer like me, then start thinking in terms of topics and subtopics instead of thinking in terms of keywords and keyword phrases. Then just write articles or blog posts Click to continue […]