We heard the news! Today GoDaddy.com opened the doors for people to register .Me domains. How exciting! We happily proceeded to the site in order to see which domains were still available. It was quite fun to type in Poke.Me, Shoot.Me, Punch.Me, Pinch.Me and any other “creative” domain we could think of. Many were taken but some were not. The site was slow but we knew it was because people were flooding it looking for their piece of the .Me pie.

It was exciting to see that we registered domains like Consult.Me, YouAnd.Me, Hug.Me, Why.Me, Quote.Me. etc. We paid in full and were ready to go! We happily boasted to our colleagues that we obtained these domains and were as giddy as a school girl.

Our dreams were then crushed…sadness filled us….frowns then were plastered on our faces. GoDaddy.com officially failed. Not only did they accept our money, they told us these domains were good to go. About an hour after purchasing them… the dreaded emails entered our inboxes. There was an error. What kind of error? Well, they were already registered.

*Sigh*

According to Twitter - our friends are quite disappointed too. We haven’t found one person who has gotten a domain they desired…. seems GoDaddy has some serious problems to fix and money to return.

Since we’ve spent amount of time and money today researching, buying, listing and writing this post, we would like it (if you ever want to buy from GoDaddy.com - ) if you would Visit Our Affiliate Link so we can make a few bucks to buy the Tylenol needed for this newly acquired headache.

The Boston SEO Meetup that occurs every month has out done itself again. Every month this networking event grows and expands as more business savvy individuals come to learn and increase their knowledge on the search engine optimization industry.

Brian Hawkins, assistant organizer & affiliate marketing manager Pingo sets up these events on the first Monday of every month. July’s event brought in 32 people eager to learn more about this fast paced industry. Harry Gold from Overdrive Interactive executed a wonderful presentation on Social Media and how it works and also what they have done to assist a handful of major brand clients with their online presence.

To learn more about how Overdrive can help your growing organization please visit their website.

Event Feedback:

“ Great learning points, and a good primer to social media. Thanks for the great ideas! ”
- Mogan

“ excellent speaker and discussion. very good overall discussion about the latest and greatest SEO tidbits. kudos to the organizers for another outstanding event. ”
- Kiril Stefan Alexandrov of bigskinny.net

Every meetup has a moment where the group gives a piece of advice. Here is what a few of the attendees had to say.

Cristina
Streamline sensors
Tip: really great content

Gong HoCircleChoice.com: online home improvement referral site
Tip: Looking to expand to China

Kaj
Plan B for open office
Tip: don’t slack off

Morgan
Pixability, Inc.
Tip: Don’t create duplicate content.

Barb
DesignerShoes.com
Tips: Getting media attention like devil wears prada. For ways to send samples to Oprah etc. make sure that you give your full url www. Domain .com

Patina Hind
Pixability, Inc.
Tip: Timothy Farris of 4 hour work week. How to get publicity, to send bloggers opinion for the book. To try to get people to blog about it.

Jeff Selig
Boston Media Domain
Tip: FriendFeed.com you can create a room on the site. You can pick a keyword and get a link in. Got picked up for link juice to the site.

Here is just a sample of some of the better tips of the night. If you are a business owner, employee or even remotely interested in learning about online marketing than this event is a must for you to attend. This is a judgement free no pressure event. Come, ask questions and learn very valuable information you can apply to your personal or business life.

We all know or should know, that content particularly keyword rich content helps a page with its rankings. On the flip side, apart from keyword research, how much should your search engine optimization strategies influence your content?

In theory, content should be written for the user. Using headings, titles, internal links, well placed keywords and other search engine optimization strategies are supposed to be secondary. To most web site owners it is a quandary - content or SEO?

If you are experiencing a high bounce rate then you need to examine your statistics closely. If you are getting visitors to a page on non keyword searches, you need to find out why. Perhaps your use of that word is to high on that page or perhaps your selected keywords has not been well optimized.

The real concern is where you are getting a high bounce rate for your selected keywords on that page. It is obvious that your search engine optimization program is working - you are getting the visitors. It is also obvious that having found your page, they don’t like what they see and they move on. You need to stem that flow.

If your visitors are bleeding out then you need to closely examine the content and visual appeal of the site. The search engine optimization program has done its job and now its time to optimize the page for the visitor. Are you ’selling’ and turning the customer off too soon? Is there a clear call to action strategically placed?

Some sites have tremendous search engine optimization appeal, however the page is a total turnoff — slow to load, full of flashing graphics and ads that hit the visitor hard. The actual content is hard to read to the human eye and finding what the visitor wants is darn right impossible.

With this scenario, the visitor takes one look and they are gone. One major problem! Search engine like Google are now measuring this ‘bounce’ rate. If visitors leave your page quickly then it is obvious the page is not relevant to the search term. If it happens often enough they will reduce the ranking of that page - search engine optimization work will all go down the drain.

Your visitors are now becoming your votes - the longer they stay and the more they look at, the higher your pages will eventually rank. Your visitors are now part of your strategy - don’t let them bleed out and reduce your search rankings.

You may wonder why I suggest recycling well ranked content? If you have content that is old, perhaps 2 or 3 years old, maybe it has become a little out of date. It ranks well and brings in traffic, however because of its age, your visitors are leaving as quickly as they arrive. Why not make use of that content using the latest in search engine optimization strategies>

You have several options. You can create a new page with up to date content. The original page can then be modified with a stand out link letting visitors know there is a more up to date page available. The new content will require some extensive search engine optimization work and will take some time to rank.

Another option is to hijack the page’s URL. Create a new page with perhaps slightly denser keyword use and appropriate search engine optimization techniques. Rename the original page’s URL into as an archive and use the old page’s URL for the new page.

All links that were going to old page will now go to the new page. The new page will maintain the old pages rankings. The question is, is this considered white, black or gray hat search engine optimization work?

The search engine’s claim to have the users interest at heart. If that is so, then this technique must be considered a white hat search engine optimization strategy. The idea of this process is to provide visitors with the latest content when they undertake a search, not content that is 2 or 3 years old and possibly no longer relevant.

Place a link on the new page to the ‘archived’ page and promote the ‘new’ content. Because the information is now up to date, it may attract new inbound links which will increase the pages rankings even further. As an SEO strategy, it provides a win-win situation.

Your visitors now receive up to date content and your page can accumulate higher rankings thus leading to increased visitors. Sometimes your old pages are buried treasures that just need unearthing, dusting down with a little work and letting loose to do their work all over again.

Almost anyone that has not lined in a cave for the past 10 years can tell you what they are, but they may or may not know how to use them effectively.

Keyword research makes most of us shudder, it’s a daunting task to be sure. Worse than that it takes for ever and some of the tools for doing it are not great. But no matter what tools you use the rules for analysis remains the same.

First, remember Latent Semantic Indexing (LSI). I know someone reading this just said huh? It’s actually a fancy name for clustering or grouping words, in other words use your looking for 2 or 3 word phrases not single words.

Next keep the keywords and phrases page specific. Remember that the search engines index pages not sites. It won’t do you any good to get one big group of words and copy and paste them onto all of your pages. Well it would but only to rank on page 50, so instead that better choice is to separate those keywords and phrase into groups and using them on individual pages.

The third consideration is country/region specific language. English is English right? Wrong, words that are English and mean one thing in the United States may mean something completely different in England.

Next cross reference between the search engines is that the searches and number of demand filling sites will be different depending on the search engine.

Finally, as bad as keyword research is keep doing it on a regular basis, you will find additional words/phrases and find changes in the numbers of demands and the numbers for suppliers as well. Constant and continued updating of your keywords will get you top ranking and keep you there.

Every website owner who wants to attract traffic does everything possible in the way of search engine optimization to get their sites to number one in the search results. The truth is, with millions of web sites out there, it is not always going to be easy.

At times it may seem like it is an impossibility and for some keywords, it may well be. However there are two options available if you are caught in this situation. First, change your keywords - perhaps target long tail keywords or keywords that are closely associated. Smart search engine optimization may get you ranked for those keywords and attract the right traffic.

The second alternative is to accept that ranking well in the major search engines is not the only way to gain traffic. You can ‘buy’ traffic in the form of pay per click advertising on the search engines or through other forms of advertising.

You can also undertake a heavy social media marketing campaign. These campaigns will generally not deliver the same volume of traffic, however it can be far more targeted.

A mix of PPC style advertising, or perhaps Pay-per-action, a good social media marketing campaign, and a search engine optimization campaign targeting a different set of keywords may ultimately deliver a greater volume of traffic which is more targeted and easier to convert than just the single campaign.

Sometimes you are better off using a mixed marketing campaign. Bring your visitors in on different trains. Their final station is still the same.

If you consider some of the requirements for good search engine optimization strategies, not being a control freak can be your sites undoing.

One of the mainstays of seo is content, and plenty of it. Whether it is a blog or a website, one of the ‘requirements’ is fresh content, provided on a regular basis and optimized with keywords and link building strategies.

A post a day on a blog will generate 365 new pages per year. Over ten years, that equates to over 3600 pages of content. With that many pages, can you navigate around your own site? Can you find what you may have written two years ago? If you cannot find it, how can your visitors. Strategies work hard to get your pages indexed. For many website owners, its a matter of creating content then forgetting all about it.

It’s a part of human nature to think forward. What can I write about tomorrow? The past is just that - the past. Part of your forward thinking has to include the past. Part of your strategy is to create internal links helping readers find related content from the past.

The only way you can create these links if by knowing what sort of content you have and where to find it. Well designed categories help. Archive systems also help. For blogs, it can be a lot easier as blog programs such as WordPress create archives - you can create and use categories. For website owners, the task is a little different. If your not using a content management system, you are going to have to manage your content manually. Search engine optimization doesn’t stop at developing the content.

If you are controlling your content manually, you will need to consider manual filing systems, for example, articles for 2008 being stored in a suitably named folder. However you manage your filing system, you are going to need control - strict control.

Your SEO efforts will get your pages indexed and ranked within the search engines. Becoming a control freak will help keep your content structure designed in such a way that everyone, yourself included, can find that content in future.

Getting search engine optimization basics right is fairly straightforward these days. You can follow a plan just like a menu. Determine your keyword(s); generate content style using those keywords; submit to a couple of bookmarking sites; and your done. More advanced tactics require a little more in the way of creativity - or just planning.

If you look around the web, and the blog community is a classic example, there are those with well ranked sites that attract a lot of links, and then there is everyone else. We all undertake search engine optimization programs that match even the best of sites. So what is the secret to getting those higher ranks and attracting links?

First, let’s clear one thing up. It’s a search engine optimization reverse catch 22. Well ranked sites receive a lot of links. Sites that receive a lot of links rank well. These sites are going to continue to rank well because of that little circle.

That circle is the key - and the secret key to that circle is advanced networking. Again, looking at the blog community and those that rank well, they continually link to each other in their posts. Their search engine optimization strategies now include not just crafting internal links but also links to fellow bloggers within their network.

It is not just bloggers. If you are a site that promotes a certain range of products, you can network within that niche and start to include links within your content to those within your network. If everyone within the network does it often enough it can have a two-fold effect. First, as part of your search engine optimization program you are all going to have properly crafted anchor text links - this of course will help to build your rankings.

The bigger boost comes from your visitors, and the visitors to those within your network. They start to see a regular reference to your site amongst others.The result, they come and visit. If your site has quality content then your authority, or reputation, is going to increase with the result that others will start to link to you as well. You have now started that circle.

Smart web owners have networks within networks. Depending on the topic of their content, they will delve into the network of that topic to find a related article elsewhere and link into it. Top bloggers will often rehash the same subject matter and make their mark by turning it into a commentary. They can then link into opinions on that subject matter from other bloggers.

Learn to develop a strong network of like-minded individuals and start linking into their content using search engine optimization techniques. They will soon reciprocate and your inbound links will start to climb. Search engines like Google like to see links leaving a site as well and if it is going to a page with related content, everyone’s ‘authority’ gets a boost.

Become a networker and your search engine optimization strategies will become a little busier, but far more rewarding.

I came across a very clever take on search engine optimization and the writers ‘Ten Commandments’. There isn’t really anything new in the article, on sta.rtup.biz, but it is cleverly written and somewhat humorous.

Knowing which directories to submit to and which social sites offer good backlinks is half the battle when undertaking a search engine optimization program. This article certainly provides a wealth of links to sort through. Here are the ‘Ten Commandments of SEO‘ in a nutshell - read their article for all the details.

1. Fresh Content
2. Keyword Research
3. Submit Blog Content To Social Bookmarks*
4. Use The Site Name In The Title
5. Get Links From Directories*
6. Post Comments On Blogs With DoFollow*
7. Use Signatures In Forums With DoFollw*
8. Use Free Classified Ads*
9. Submit RSS feeds*
10. Optimize For Google Images

The items with the asterisk (*) include lists of suitable links - a word of warning, you may spend all day just going through the links, however as resources, you can never have to many.

The article’s main thrust is towards Google and strategies to get results on their search engines. However, if you note each item on the above list, undertaking each one is going to get some attention.

As SEO strategies, they are all legitimate and once you develop a routine, are not too onerous. The results can be very rewarding if you put in the effort.

Every now and then an email will come through that is critical of search engine optimization. I had the enjoy of receiving one last week. Here is an excerpt:

I have had my blog for two years now, I have never done any search engine optimising but it ranks at number 3 in the PR’s. Why would some people pay to have a number 3 when it comes just by having your blog. The search engine optimising is really only for people with money to waste. They should just wait.

I have copied that excerpt verbatim. He had other tidbits to offer that went along the lines of having a better ranking than some of his competitors.

The email is interesting for a couple of reasons. The first is that, to a certain extent, he is right. If you have a website or blog, and you add content on a regular basis, you are going to build a PageRank of 2 or 3 over a period of time. There is a little luck involved. Obviously, whilst not undertaking any conscious strategies, he is also not doing any thing that is a negative.

I replied to his email asking if he knew how many visitors he was getting each day, how many came from the search engines, and how many subscribers he had to his feeds. His reply was “about 50 Feedburner readers with a reach of 1 and I get over 100 visitors each day but I don’t know how many from search engines”. And he doesn’t need search engine optimization strategies.

He will obviously not be targeting any particular keywords. His blog is probably written to a theme or genre which will concentrate on certain words. He may well rank for some of those words as well. However he is probably not getting much in the way of traffic from the search engines.

Does he need SEO? Probably not. He is happy with what he has and good on him. His blog is not a business, it’s a hobby. He doesn’t need any more than that. However, is search engine optimization a fool’s game? If you think it’s a game then - yes it is!

An interesting question posed during a recent conversation: Which search engines should I focus my search engine optimization strategies on?

It becomes interesting for a number of reasons. When you start to research the hundreds of search engines in use you start to realize that 75% of them actually rely on the big three or four for their results. They act as ’super’ searches and deliver results gathered from those main search engines. You cannot direct any SEO strategies towards them since they don’t actually index themselves.

Digging a little deeper you come across some that are not widely known outside their own small sphere of influence. Should you spend time getting listed on them? Search engine optimization is not a inexpensive activity. ROI can be an important issue for some businesses. The cost of getting one or two visitors from a little known search engine may not be cost effective in the long run.

Search engines have a knack for finding you eventually. The key is to get listed in the top search engines like Google, Yahoo!, MSN and Ask. Other players such as Lycos, Alta Vista, All The Web and perhaps Mamma may help to spread the word a little further. Which ones should you focus your search engine optimization strategies on? None is my suggestion - particularly if you are first starting out.

The focus of any search engine optimization strategy is to get your pages first indexed and then to have them ranking highly. It doesn’t matter which search engines you look at, the basics are going to be the same. Keywords, Content and Links.

There are other SEO considerations such as page design and readability, the use of sitemaps and robots file and internal linking. However these will generally influence the search engines equally.

When it comes to ranking your website in the search engines, think first of the page and your visitor. Optimize them with some tweaking for the search engines and you will get listed. Focus on one or a small group and it could be at the cost of other search engines. Get the basics right first!

Obtaining links to your site can be a frustrating business. Your search engine optimization program can produce pages that are, technically speaking, perfect - yet they fail to attract links.

You can get out and start to acquire links through directory submissions, social media and even article directories, however you should also have a healthy percentage of links from other relevant sites. As you start to acquire links from other sites you can assess the search engine optimization value of those links by researching certain factors.

1 - Relevance - The relevance of the page and site that links in to your pages. The more relevant the site or page is, the more value can be placed on that link.

2 - Anchor Text - The anchor text ideally should be your keyword. The closer the anchor text is to that page’s keyword(s) the more value can placed on that link.

3 - Link Placement - Links that appear within content carry more weight than links in a menu. Links a footer may carry even less weight. The content surrounding the link may also be considered when assessing the links weight.

4 - Strength - Strength is the least reliabel part of the equation. A site may display a PageRank of 4, however the real rank at the time may be a 3 or a 5 or any other number. PageRank is a general guide only, however a site with a PR significantly higher than your own should be sort for linking.

These are only some of the factors that can be used. These will provide an overall picture of the strength of any links coming in. Your search engine optimization strategies can then be planned around the value of these incoming links.

While I accept that Google is not the only search engine in town, they are the biggest when it comes to search queries on a daily basis. As such it would be foolish to ignore them and particularly to ignore their warnings.

They have recently published a post on their Adsense blog that, whilst focusing on Adsense for search, commenced with some tips on search engine optimization of your pages. One paragraph stands out and should be remembered everytime you see an advertisement that promises to have your site ranking number one inside a week.

[source]Ranking in Google search is based on many different algorithms, and optimization for search is a long, continuous process. For these reasons, and because the techniques might violate our guidelines, we recommend avoiding any techniques that claim to optimize your ranking very quickly or radically. If you have concerns or questions, you can consult other webmasters on a number of forums, including Google’s official forum for webmaster-related issues.

The important part of this paragraph is that search engine optimization is ‘a long, continuous process’ and that website owners should avoid any techniques that ‘claim to optimize your ranking quickly’.

In other words, when it comes to search engine optimization and rankings, slow and steady wins the race.

Search engine optimization will always create heated discussions around various aspects. These discussions often involve on page optimization strategies and how you should funnel your links. Static pages like your ‘About Me’ page are not different - should it be indexed or nofollowed.

There is at least one very good reason to index your about me page and that involves Google and Google Geo Search.

If you have a domain name that is not related to your geographical area, for example, a dot com when your based in the UK or Australia, or a .co.uk but your server is in the US, then Google may have trouble returning accurate search results. Your search engine optimization strategies need to deal with this anomaly.

Having an ‘About Me’ page with your company details and address that can be indexed will help search engines place you in your correct geographical area. Should you have your ‘About Me’ page indexed? The bottom line is - yes. If any page is important and needs to appear in the search results then your SEO strategies need to point the search engine spiders to those pages.

Local search will over the next few years be one of the most important targets for most search engine optimization programs. Search engine, particularly Google, are focusing more on bringing localized results to people who search.

Part of your search engine optimization program should be targeting local search. One area that is often forgotten is the who and where. If you run a bricks and mortar business then ideally your web site and domain name will reflect yur bricks and mortar business details.

For some businesses this is not always possible. The domain is not available, or perhaps the business itself doesn’t translate well to a domain name. Other businesses may select catchy domain names for marketing purposes. Whatever the reason - can the visitors to your website easily identify your bricks and mortar business. More importantly, has your search engine optimization program produced high ranked search results for your local area?

You would be surprised at how many businesses fail to place accurate details of their bricks and mortar business on their web sites. Street address, telephone numbers and contacts are all helpful. Smart search engine optimization can see some of these details included in the search results.

I know businesses that include some details such as their telephone number, into their list of keywords when planning their search engine optimization programs. The most important thing is to ensure that all your details are up to date so that potential customers that do undertake a local search not only find your listing, they can also quickly find you at the street level. If they cannot find you, they will not become a customer.