As long as there have been search engines there have been people claiming to be SEO pros/gurus/wizards/ninjas. These so called “experts” make amazing claims and promise you the world of rankings. However, in the end these charlatans often do more damage than good.

So, in hopes in saving a few souls from the dark side I introduce 6 tips in unearthing a true SEO Jedi.

When contemplating what to write for this post a clip, introduced to me recently, kept playing through my mind. So, to put this post into context I ask you watch the video before reading on.

You gotta admit, that was pretty funny! I am not familiar with this show, but if you’ve been around marketing for a while you might feel that the creators found their inspiration from the Internet marketing world.

There is no doubt that a complex marketing vernacular exists. It isn’t exactly Tolkien, but if you are new to the industry you’ll have your work cut out trying to understand what everyone is talking about.

Recently, I was looking through my draft folder on mymarketer, which holds all the posts ideas I’ve wanted to write but saved for a slow rainy day. I noticed that my oldest blog post idea dates back to August of 2007. I feel 33 months is a bit too long for a draft idea to stay dormant, and obviously that slow rainy day isn’t coming anytime soon.  The occasion has come to blow off the cobwebs and allow this idea to come to fruition.

My idea stemmed from an article in the Wall Street Journal, which gave some interesting data about the importance of business blogging.  I have always had a keen interest on this subject. Mainly, because business blogging is what really launched my Internet marketing career. Having seen a great deal of success with blogging, I am an avid believer that, if done correctly, blogging can be a great online tool for boosting a business’s bottom line.

It is interesting to see that almost three years later the debate continues concerning the importance of businesses utilizing blogging as a resource and a business tactic. Having just left corporate America I still believe that business blogging is not used enough as an online tool. With this in mind below are my 11 tips on how to fully take advantage of blogging as a resource for your business:

Josh Spaulding wrote a fantastic article about whether or not you should build backlinks to your article directory articles (let’s just call these articles, AD Articles). His answer:

“The answer to the question is 98% of the time, no. And 2% of the time, yes.”

With all the brilliant ways to do web marketing I am amazed that banner ads are still alive. We see them every where, so someone still finds impression advertisement effective. For me the banner ad was born dead (or at least mostly dead ). Even back in the 90′s I never clicked on them, I felt they were invasive and annoying (as I assume that a lot of people do).

Yet, like spam, banner ads penetrate the masses with nothing more than sheer brute force and undodged determination. Whether it is with the old static skyscraper ads or the new interactive—play a game or punch President Bush—banners, you cannot but surf a few popular websites without being annoyed by them.

The other day I clicked on my first banner ad in over a decade. The ad copy stated: “Warning: Smoking Can Used To Kill You” (see actual ad below). I looked at the ad for a long time before clicking on it. First, I was trying to tell myself that I didn’t need to encourage businesses using intrusive advertising to get my attention. Second, I was trying to figure out what the ad’sangle was. Finally, my curiosity won and I succumbed to yet another marketing scheme and clicked on the banner.

yodas-page-rank I find it fascinating how everyone is trying to kill page rank, including Google. I was just reading a blog that shared, “Page rank means nothing.” The blog further states:

“Ya, I said it. It’s a loose comparative tool for relative sites but does not rank the site’s productivity. A less than google-perfect site can still be making tens of thousands of dollars. I know this because one of my sites has well over 550,000 in traffic monthly and ranks #1 out of more than 2 million sites… and has a PR of …. ready for this? PAGE RANK 2.”

I don’t doubt the blogger when she say that she is getting “550,000 in traffic monthly” and that her site “ranks #1 out of more than 2 million sites.” What I seriously doubt though is that all that traffic comes from just one single #1 ranking keyword. If so, that single keyword is very unlikely to be “low hanging fruit,” that a page rank 2 site can easily snatch up.

So, I am not one for rap music or R&B, but when I came across the below video I couldn’t pass it up. This is definitely one effective way to teach SEO. Unfortunately, the old saying that white guys can’t rap still holds true for me! When you get a chance checkout the rest of the SEO rap songs. ~Paul

Related Posts:

• 32 Halloween Costumes for Internet Marketing Geeks
• 6 Tips in Finding A True SEO Jedi
• Notes from PubCon (Wednesday) 2008
• 6 Free SERP Tools that Actually Work!
• A SEO Valentine’s Day Card

So, this last week I have been in Las Vegas taking a Java Boot Camp course.  Frankly, it has been a rough go for me. Having been on the marketing side for so long my mind just doesn’t want to simulate into the “everything must have a defining class” universe.

This being the case, my mind is always looking for creative outlets—even in my java reading. Yes, it is possible to do this. In fact, I found a spectacular quote that relates well to personal web marketing:

For the last several months I have been working with Janet (aka newspapergirl.com) on creating a title for her new online pr book. That’s right, I said several months! We have gone through hundreds of possibilities. Personally, my favorite so far is, “Lois Lane’s Complete Guide To Online Press Releases” (her blog tagline is: The Lois Lane of the Web). Something about not infringing on trademarks keeps her from going with that title. Can you really trademark Superman!

It would not surprise me to learn that Janet has lost some sleep over her struggle of coming up with a nice catchy title. So, I decided I would help her further and research the titles on books people like. I’ve read hundreds of people’s top 3,5,10 books list. As I read these lists I would copy to a text file titles I liked. Soon I was creating a rather comprehensive list of my own.

I realized that my research might be of use to others so I compiled them into categories and created my own (rather large) top list. I do give full disclosure that I have not read most of these books. Though, I do start out with a list of the books I have read, which are books found in other lists. I also must disclose that each book links to Amazon for you to buy, and yes, my affiliate code is embedded (hey, this list represents countless hours of my life, the least I can ask for is 15% of your purchase ).

I was told that PubCon evenings were all about staying out late and drinking your liver away. Yes, I was up late last night, but since I don’t drink I was transcribing my session notes instead for your enjoyment. Hopefully, this evening will be a little easier.

I have to admit that I am a schwag junky, and PubCon has not disappointed me. I will post all the schwag I got shortly.

PubCon Day 2: Viral Videos, Competition Analysis, Copywriting, Misc
George Wright – VP Marketing & Sales of Blendtec (Opening Speaker)
George is the mastermind behind the viral campaign of willitblend.com. I am sure many of people have seen the blender videos that will blend whatever you suggest. If not, check it out here: