Ignore mainstream media journalists and whiners who like to form councils.

Understand that Google is looking for relevant content. “Relevance” is, in the end, deemed by the searcher. If there are a lot of searches for “pay levels for doctors” and you publish a page that shows “pay levels for doctors“, then you are producing relevant content and Google will reward you.

Google are, no doubt, measuring how relevant visitors think the information is, and there are various signals that could be used to determine this. These signals will not come from a council of elitist, self-interested old media. The signals will be based on user activity and user voting patterns. These signals must be scalable i.e. links, visits, timeliness, recommendations, frequency of appearance, re-quoting, etc.

Increases in “quality” i.e. content depth and accuracy – will come from end-user voting. If users want deeper answers to search questions, either Google will deliver it, or users will abandon Google and go somewhere that provides it. Perhaps that’s what ICSC should do – start their own search engine

Having said all that, a lot of samey, lightweight content won’t survive in the long run, because Google likes to provide variety in their result sets. Look for ways to differentiate your content. Quality is only one – arbitrary – point of differentiation. You’d be better concentrating on aspects such as ease of access, readability, findability, relevance and freshness.

Keep the end user firmly in mind.

via Content Farming – SEOs Get It, Journalists Don’t | SEO Book.com.

Which is, of course, the worst way of doing SEO.

Part of the problem is that SEO is often thought of, by clients, as a fix. It is a fix applied to solve the unforeseen problem of not showing up in search engine result pages.

Whilst some businesses get it, we know most never will. But this fact is to your considerable advantage if you build and run your own sites

via SEO Flows Through Everything | SEO Book.com.

In that interview, Amit Singhal, Google’s head of core ranking, said something interesting. He said that Google is “the biggest kingmaker on this Earth.” Kingmaker is a term used to describe someone or something that has great influence on a topic. For Google to describe themselves as “the biggest kingmaker” is an important point.

I personally do not think Google said it that way to be egotistical, rather the opposite. Google knows how important they have become in influencing the world based on the organic search results and they don’t take that responsibility lightly.

Amit Singhal told The Telegraph: “We deal with those responsibilities by having very concrete principles,” says Singhal. “All rankings are decided algorithmically, and the focus is on user benefit, not advertiser or commercial benefit. We ask ourselves, ‘Can a random company who does not want to be part of any Google system be harmed by a change we’re proposing?’ If they are, we won’t do it.”

Now, I know many SEOs and Webmasters that would laugh at this statement. What do you think?

via Google Says: We Are “The Biggest Kingmaker On This Earth”.

Do you feel lucky, punk?

John Schuster in an SEO (Search Engine Optimization) expert in Chicago.

Working with professional businesses and organizations world wide.

I’m Feeling Lucky Today | Chicago Web Designer

SEOmoz | Link Building Has Changed

Boston, MA, Aug 21, 2009 (PRWeb.com via COMTEX) — Popular authors of books on search engine optimization (SEO) and public relations (PR) have reviewed YouTube and Video Marketing: An Hour a Day (http://www.amazon.com/YouTube-Video-Marketing-Hour-Day/dp/0470459697) by Greg Jarboe.

Shari Thurow, the author of “Search Engine Visibility” and “When Search Meets Web Usability” says,

“YouTube and Video Marketing: An Hour a Day is the definitive guidebook for anyone serious about online video marketing. A masterpiece! Greg Jarboe sets the gold standard for books on YouTube. His YouTube book should be a part of everyone’s Internet marketing library.”

David Meerman Scott, the author of five books, including the “The New Rules of Marketing and PR” and “World Wide Rave” says, “Online video is a great way for anyone to get the word out about their products and services (or even themselves). Musicians and comedians were among the first to use YouTube videos, but now, with the help of Greg Jarboe’s book, anyone can get the word out on YouTube. Entrepreneurs, business owners, and nonprofits all make use of video.” Scott adds, “This book provides everything you need to know. And it’s written in a quick and approachable style. I had done a bunch of videos before I got the book so I was not a novice. But I’m certainly not an expert either. I learned a great deal and will refer to it often.” About Shari Thurow Shari Thurow is the founder and search engine optimization (SEO) director at Omni Marketing Interactive, a full-service SEO, web design, and website usability firm. She has designed and promoted websites since 1995, and is outsourced to many firms worldwide. Her clients include Yahoo, Microsoft, America Online, ABC News, HSBC, Expedia, Deloitte and Touche, National Cancer Institute, and WebMD.

Shari Thurow, Author of “Search Engine Visibility,” Reviews “YouTube and Video Marketing: An Hour a Day” by Greg Jarboe

via The Intersection of Social Media and SEO.

(live-PR.com) – Capstone BPO INDIA based BPO company provides Outsourced Data Entry & processing, Website Design & Development, Accounting & Bookkeeping Services to CPAs, Revenue Cycle Management Services to Healthcare Service Providers, Legal Outsourcing Services to law firms and in-house counsels.

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Internet Marketing Can Help Your Company Succeed During Challenging Times

Chicago, IL — (SBWIRE) — 11/13/2008 — At a recent Speaker Event hosted by Presidents Advisory Committee (PAC), a diverse group of Chicagoland small business presidents, CEOs and owners learned how low-cost search engine marketing can promote and grow their businesses.

PAC member Mike Montgomery, President of liQuidprint (http://liquidprint.com), a leading Web design and consulting firm, explained the power of Internet marketing. “People who are running businesses are trying to find your product or service,” he told his peer executives. “Potential customers – the businesses you want to meet – use search engines to find a solution to their problems.”

Mr. Montgomery described two approaches to search engine marketing. First, Search Engine Optimization (SEO), which helps search engines find your Web site because it is “optimized” for select key word searches. This approach helps prospects find your site with no cost to you.

The second is Pay per Click advertising (PPC), where your business pays only when a visitor actually clicks on an ad appearing as part of the search engine’s search results and visits your Web site. Good PPC ads reflect the search term, have a clear call to action and direct the visitor to the exact Web page that will meet the need he or she is looking for.

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I’m not the only freelancer who faces this kind of situation. Freelancers are used to wearing different hats and providing a variety of services. Odds are, you needed to do a bit of SEO on your own site. Or you had to design your own site early in your career when you were low on capital. The diverse tasks we need to accomplish often lead us to learning new skills which may be applied professionally.

But if you’ve designed a website that converts well, or started an SEO campaign that makes your site the first in a long line of search engine results, does that mean you should be a professional web designer or an SEO consultant? To answer this big question, you need to ask yourself five simpler questions first.

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David A. Utter | Staff Writer

If you spend much time online, there’s a good chance you have a greater affinity for technology than the average person.

Something new comes along, and you’re looking for a reason to give it a try. It’s fun, and it could be rewarding too.

Lisa Barone looked at the current state of search marketing and SEO, courtesy of Andrew Goodman’s assessment of SEO and recent trends. There’s a lot of curiosity and love for the latest and greatest ways to attract attention, she noted:

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Chicago Search Engine Optimization

When I think of the word ‘optimized‘ I think of other words like streamline, clean and efficient. But interestingly enough when you put the word ‘optimization’ after the words ‘search’ and ‘engine’ something in the meaning gets lost in translation.

Why is it that when I am looking for professional services I usually have to start looking at the least relevant search results first for the good stuff?

I think the answer to this is plain and simple, “Search Engine Optimization“. Thats right, these sites are so clean, streamlined and efficient that Google says they are the best fit for the search. Lets take a look at a few.

So we do Web Design in Chicago, how bout we search “Chicago Web Design” in a Google search and see where we pop up against everyone else.

Here is what I’m looking for

Aesthetics

How does the site look? Does it look clean, friendly and perhaps someone you would like to hire? I mean, you are hiring a designer so shouldn’t their site look nice too?

Navigation

Is the navigation clear and easy to use?

Content

Does the copy on the website speak more to humans or to search engines bots? Is the content on the site dictating the keywords or are the keywords dictating the content. Are they clearly overemphasizing the use of a couple words? Does it scare you when you see that?

Quality

Usually dictated by the above traits but can clearly be seen in their portfolio/samples.

The first result:

John Schuster’s Web design portfolio

http://johnschuster.net

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Are we just so mesmerized by the glitz and glam of the coolest, latest and greatest iteration of FaceSpace, MyBook or SuckedIn — or whatever the flavor of the day is — that we’ve become oblivious to basic principles of marketing? How about creating a product that fulfills a specific need, is well positioned against its competition, is priced appropriately, and is promoted within the right context? How can you even know if you’re going in the right direction if you don’t have a virtual roadmap?

Going back to my responses from travel search marketers, some comments from Dennis Deacon stood out to me: “As my clients tend to be niche agents, the challenge I face is tweaking the keywords used to target only a specific sub-type of travel, such as adventure or small-ship cruises instead of general mainstream cruises.”

Natural Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is a process that aligns a website’s code and content with strategic keyword phrase targeting, ultimately assisting a search engine algorithm in understanding a website’s keyword focus. SEO can be simple for some websites, while others may require intense website code, content, navigation and internal linking changes. Submitawebsite’s SEO services have proven to significantly increase natural search engine rankings.

Search Engine Optimization – Natural Search Placement & SEO Services Company

Achieving high, natural search engine rankings for keywords specific to your product and/or service is vital in today’s online marketplace. Statistics show Internet users are most likely to click on websites located on the first page of results. So how do you get there?

The answer is Search Engine Optimization (SEO).
SEO aligns your website’s code and content with relevant keyword terms and phrases. This helps search engines learn more about your website’s primary focus. Search engine friendly websites with quality content rank better. This not only results in an increase of overall traffic, but an increase of pre-qualified visitors interested in learning more about your product and/or service.

Link Popularity is a related SEO factor that also significantly affects rankings. Search engines count links from relevant, trusted websites to your website as votes. The more votes your website has the more popular it becomes in the search engine results pages (SERPs). Ensuring steady link growth from trusted, high quality websites is essential to attaining and maintaining high rankings.

I have developed four SEO packages designed to incorporate fundamental optimization strategies to boost your natural search engine rankings. Whether you are just starting out, or are ready for an aggressive campaign, I have the solution for your website.

Search engine placement is competitive. Become a contender with one of the following SEO packages today.
Chicago Search Engine Optimization

These techniques optimize your website’s structure, content and links using SEO keywords and techniques most appropriate for your business.

Our packages include

• Competitor Review
• Keyword Research
• Complete list of keywords targeted
• Initial Ranking Report
• Optimization of Meta Content
• Creation of robots.txt
• Creation of a spider friendly site map
• Optimization of the internal link structure
• Reciprocal Linking to Increase Link Popularity
• Re-optimization and tweaking to enhance positions
• monthly ranking reports

Call for prices and availability

The Tao of Crafting Strategic SEM Partnerships [SearchEngineWatch]

What year is it now? 2008?

Step #1: Make a Compelling Service
If you’re trying to sell junk you’re going to have a much harder time. So spend the time, and the thing is you can start up a website really for a lot less money than you could even five or six years ago.

Matt Cutts: And you only had 12 grand. First step is you make a compelling site, so imagine you’ve got that.

Step #2: Start a Blog
Seriously, blogs are one of the easiest ways to get links, engage in conversation, if people badmouth you on the web you can… defend yourself or badmouth them right back, depending on what your personality is like.

Step #3: Smart Marketing
Step number three is smart marketing and that can involve good SEO. If you do everything on WordPress you’re pretty much automatically covered as far as SEO, but you want to make sure things are crawlable. But the other aspect of marketing is having something interesting to say. So for example, valleywag, which is a Silicon Valley rumor sort of site, started out with a really juicy piece of gossip claiming that one person at a big company was dating another person at a big company. I’m not going to name them but they work at Google.

Guy Kawasaki: Matt, you said something very interesting and I don’t want to let it just slide by, you said that if you use WordPress, you basically have taken care of everything for SEO, can you support that?

Matt Cutts: All right so Stephan Spencer has talked about it but in general WordPress is pretty well SEO’d. Right? If you just start blogging you’ll pretty much be in good shape to get crawled by the search engines. In fact, WordPress 2.3 took some steps so that instead of having your content in three or four different places, they’re all unified on a single URL. So you can make your own HTML or you can pay some web designer to try to make a bunch of flash, but in some cases it makes sense to go for something that’s really cheap and really proven. And then if it works out you can always go with something custom down the road.

  Matt Cutts 3 step process to building up a really good site and getting a ton of traffic by Chiropractic Blogs