| LED Digest 2366: Chasing SEO Theories |
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================================================== The LED Digest Moderated Discussion List "Effective Online Advertising, Since 1997" Data > Information > Knowledge > Wisdom www.GetWebContent.com/LED : the LED's Key Sponsor The Web's Most Experienced SEO Content Providers. ================================================== List Moderator: Published by: Adam Audette LED Digest adam, led-digest.com http://www.led-digest.com .............................................. March 13, 2007 Issue no. 2366 .............................................. .....IN THIS DIGEST..... ==== CONTINUING ================= --== Hosting - 1and1.com? ==-- ~ Adam Jusko "...if you decide to take your site off of their servers, they'll actually refund you..." ~ Robert Joy "The main problems are with PHP and they do have restrictions..." ~ James Miller "Speaking of the ease of doing it and also the response, they were reasonably good." --== Fabricating Content for SEO ==-- ~ Dirk Johnson "We are seeing a lively exchange on this subject of generating content..." --== Managing Lists ==-- ~ Malcolm Fitzgerald "There is no contest between should and must: the list admin is responsible." ~ Mari Bontrager "Kindness...Wouldn't that just solve a whole slew of issues?" ~ Roy Williams "The last thing I want is a DOS attack..." ~ Tom Anson "...a kindly-worded response can change the tone of the whole correspondence." ~ R. Neilson "But I also see this as a larger problem in our society." <Moderator Comment> ==== BULLETIN BOARD ============= --== Javascript Content & Google ==-- ~ John Smart ======== CONTINUING =============================== From: Adam Jusko Subject: Hosting > I was wondering if any of you know > anything about the quality of hosting > provided by 1and1.com... - Tom Aman, LED Digest 2365 - http://www.led-digest.com/content/view/1766/55/ Tom, I give 1&1 high marks. I have used them multiple times in the past and currently have our site Bessed on a dedicated server there. The service has been reliable and get this: if you decide to take your site off of their servers, they'll actually refund you the prorated amount for what you haven't used yet. Most companies make you prepay and then if you're unhappy with their services or simply don't want your site anymore, you get nothing back. I get no compensation from 1&1 for telling you this. But there is a lot of bad hosting out there & it's good to know one that's reliable and cheap at the same time. Now I hope you don't switch and then 1&1 makes a liar out of me -- I'm usually hesitant to make recommendations even if I think a service is good. Adam Jusko Bessed http://www.bessed.com -------- new post - same topic --------- From: Robert Joy Subject: Hosting We have a client who chose to go with 1 and 1 instead of with our own hosting service and nothing wrong with that. But we as web designers do experience a few problems with 1 and 1. The main problems are with PHP and they do have restrictions with regards to the script and resizing of images. The client or us have to resize the images before uploading them onto the server at 1 and 1. When we asked 1 and 1 if there was a way around this and they took a long time to respond was, the solution is that you will need to resize the images. The other problem is that they do have short time limit before the server closes down when nothing is being FTP'd, I can understand that this is a security reason, so although it is a short time the reason although annoying is understandable. This is the only client we have with 1 and 1 and at times it does take longer than we are used to do FTP files, well longer that we would expect, other than that they seem okay. Robert Joy -------- new post - same topic --------- From: James Miller Subject: Hosting I've come across several people who use this company for hosting. I also put a web site up on their UK subsidiary. Speaking of the ease of doing it and also the response, they were reasonably good. I can't say anything about support and prices though. James Miller Daisy Analysis www.daisy.co.uk ============ Sponsor Message =========== Want a fresh pizza delivered? Call Domino's. Want some fresh web content? Visit GetWebContent.com. We deliver fresh, we deliver fast and, unlike Domino's, every pizza copy we bake is different. We custom write it to fill your order and then burn the recipe. After that it's all yours to use on one site or 1,000 sites. www.GetWebContent.com/LED, fresh, fast and only for you. ============ Sponsor Message =========== -------- new post - new topic --------- From: Dirk Johnson Subject: Generating content We are seeing a lively exchange on this subject of generating content for search optimization purposes. A few clarifications, if I might. There is such a thing as content generation for non-SEO purposes, but that is another discussion. People can write about any subject they please, with the intention of providing useful information. I might take exception to it from a return-on-investment perspective, but otherwise (using real estate as an example), it's harmless and maybe even somewhat beneficial to discuss house preparation, local historical facts, local events, local schools, etc. But then, I am an ROI-focused businessman, so please forgive hard focus on getting a return. In this thread, we're talking about content that is specifically written with search results in mind. But first, a thorough competitive analysis provides us with a road map of what other successful agents are doing across the country. From that, definite trends emerge, and the occasional anomalies can be seen for what they are. It is true that tangential content occasionally does work. Yet I see little evidence that it is a *reliable* approach. It is important to keep in mind that proper SEO work also includes keyword analysis. In real estate, that means only one thing. The most searched term in any metro area is "YourTown ST Real Estate", or something similar. Close behind is "YourTown ST Homes for Sale", "YourTown ST Realtor", and other related terms. You might also see traffic for "YourTown ST Condos", "Subdivision ST Townhomes", and other more specific terms. Invariably, in real estate search, there is a locality term, combined with a real estate term. Localities can be cities, counties, towns, neighborhoods, regions, subdivisions, even streets. Real estate terms can be "real estate", houses, homes, property, land, condominiums, apartments, etc. By building a matrix of them, the possibilities can number in the hundreds, even thousands. Some terms are more competitive and more popular than others. People using a search engine who are looking to buy or sell real estate invariably use some form of that locality / realty term search term structure. They generally do not search for "YourTown Fruit Festival", when looking for an agent in YourTown. A local agent that wants to rank well in free search for the primary keyword terms that *directly relate* to their business of representing buyers and sellers in their market needs optimized content that specifically addresses the terms that they decide to compete for. Those may be the most competitive terms, or they may be secondary terms that are less competitive, and thus, easier to rank with. But, informed decisions must be made about what terms to address, and how many of them. Skipping that important task is SEO suicide. Then, content must be developed that addresses those terms. When someone searches for "Your Town ST Real Estate", and an agent successfully gets a hit for that term from a search, then that content on the page must address that visitor. The agent needs to convey why they are the right person to service the real estate needs of that visitor. How many homes have been sold, what is the market for "Your Town ST Real Estate", what kinds of properties are for sale, in what price range, etc.? If you attract a visitor who searched for "Your Town ST Real Estate", (by using clever HTML tagging, etc), but then present content about local fruit festivals and house cleaning, there is a very good chance of having that visitor close that page and find another realtor that is not wasting their time with such link bait. Most real estate agents who are serious about search traffic should build at least 20 to 50 optimized pages that are meant to attract tnat specific search term traffic, and the content on those pages conveys that the agent knows the market intimately for that search term. That kind of content builds confidence for the visitor, and it is quite proper, from a search optimization perspective. The engine has delivered a page to the searcher that specifically addresses "Your Town ST Real Estate". There is nothing underhanded at all. So, until an agent has built those 20 to 50 optimized pages, they have not done the SEO basics that matter most to their business. Maybe they have been beating around the bushes with other tangential content, like house preparation, local historical facts, local events, and local schools, but those kinds of pages, if presented properly (HTML tags that reflect the real content on that page, and not bait and switch tagging) simply will not attract the primary search traffic for real estate in their marketplace. They can't. The approach I propose leaves PLENTY of room for good copywriters out there that want to work in this business. Many agents do not have the time or the writing skills to present the content in a way that's pleasing and readable. And they don't have the HTML skills to optimize it. This is where a very skilled SEO copywriter is invaluable. Developing 20 to 50 pages of that kind of focused, optimized content takes real writing work, and a lot of coordination with the client to get it right. This kind of optimization and content development is not inexpensive. It's an investment. The down side is that it's not glamorous work for the copywriter, and it won't win any Pulitzer Prizes, but it is content that is vital to the client's needs. A focused SEO copywriter should not be using the client as patron for their own literary expressions, by steering them toward tangential content development, as tempting as that might be. An SEO professional has an obligation to the client to develop content that first, competes effectively for primary search terms that are directly related to the client's business, and then, if that is successful, converts a site visitor that arrived there from that search into a client. In that way, the client gets the most bang for their buck, when it comes to content development. Chasing "feel good" content might feel good to everyone involved. But I am not sure how that's the best return-on-investment to the client. It looks nice, but it may have very little positive effect on the client's cash flow. These are just some observations from someone who has worked with dozens of real estate clients, and specifically analyzed many more well-ranking real estate sites. None of this is rocket science, but it seems that some people in this business can sure get sidetracked, chasing tangential concepts and SEO theories, instead of securing the basics first. Some people seem to specifically avoid the basics. I don't get it. Best regards, Dirk Johnson, Partner - Operations DomainDrivers LLC www.domaindrivers.com -------- new post - new topic --------- From: Malcolm Fitzgerald Subject: Managing lists and subscriptions Adam asks who is responsible for handling their subscription. Should it be the list admin or the subscriber? [see issue 2360: http://www.led-digest.com/content/view/1761/55/ ] Amy [Moore] says, "the subscriber should do it" and I agree. So they should! When they don't the admin must do it. There is no contest between SHOULD and MUST: the list admin is responsible. A simple technique for prioritising work: - Write down everything you have to do and mark them with "could", "should" or "must". - Reappraise everything marked "should". Change them to "must" or "could" - Cross out everything marked "could" and get to work. Malcolm Fitzgerald -------- new post - same topic -------- From: Mari Bontrager Subject: Managing lists Human Nature is really fascinating to me. We are so adept at killing one another off- either metaphorically or actually. And it wouldn't take much practice to bypass that inclination. I promise you that I am quite good at metaphorically beheading someone who really gets on my last nerve. But I work hard to perpetuate the kindness habit. Kindness... Wouldn't that just solve a whole slew of issues? And it would save so much energy if we didn't have to work out who's the bigger idiot. Just a thought- Mari Bontrager (Just call me Granny...) http://www.grannysez.info/the-5-great-habits.html -------- new post - same topic -------- From: Roy Williams Subject: Rude emails I never reply to rude e-mails. We receive them from time to time via forms on our website. My view is that these people are usually cranks, but that doesn't make then unintelligent. Some of them may well be very adept at causing problems for a website. The last thing I want is a DOS attack, so - I just hit the 'deleted' button and forget them. The last thing I want to do is to wind them up.... Real gone, Roy Williams Nervous Records www.nervous.co.uk -------- new post - same topic -------- From: Tom Anson Subject: Managing subscriber lists In the nearly seven years that I've been online, I've received relatively few rude emails. More often than not, a kindly-worded response can change the tone of the whole correspondence. But not always. One person I exchanged a few emails with considered herself to be an expert on aromatherapy, and anything that I said to her just set her off again. Of course, I started all of this by mis-spelling her name; but still, you'd think an apology would be enough. And another person really had me confused about what could possibly be going on until the very last email. The basic situation: She lived across the Atlantic from me. She ordered a product that weighed 16 pounds (I'm on THAT side of the Atlantic... ). Despite having international shipping clearly listed as a option during checkout, she clicked the option for domestic -- a difference of about $70USD. When I contacted her about this, one thing led to another, and no matter how kind and considerate -- yet firm on the cost -- I was, things just kept spiraling out of control. After two or three such exchanges, when I was at my wit's end with this, she wrote back, told me that her mother was dying of cancer, and that I wasn't ever to contact her again with my rude comments. I had a similar experience with a teacher in high school -- except that was face-to-face. The point is: While it certainly is easy to forget that the person at the other end of an email exchange is a real person (and that is probably more of a problem in some kinds of businesses than in others), a rude emailer might be struggling with a whole set of unnamed -- and unrelated -- issues, and you're just a save person to vent on. There is never an appropriate time to be unkind in response. Tom Anson Anson Aromatic Essentials http://www.therapeutic-grade.com -------- new post - same topic -------- From: R. Neilson Subject: Rude emails I have received some rude emails over the years. I usually will reply back in a neutral or calming fashion to try to appease the sender. And in about 99% of the case's I get an e-mail back stating they were sorry for the way they replied. I have found that when sending e-mails I try to think them thru as I compose them and then reread them before hitting the send button. When you take the time to reread the e-mail you usually will catch any rude remarks before sending. Also if I get an exceptionally rude or offensive e-mail I find waiting to reply for 15-30 minutes after first reading it helps me to think thru why the sender sent the e-mail they did and reevaluate if I did something to cause this rude e-mail. I almost feel everyone that gets a computer should be required to take a course in e-mail etiquette to learn how to communicate properly. But I also see this as a larger problem in our society. Many of us do not use proper manners or etiquette in society today that was standard 20-30 years ago. We seem to be in such a rush we forget common courtesy and I think we need to all slow down just a bit to remember how nice it feels to be treated with courtesy. R. Neilson <Moderator Comment> For further reflection... be sure to read this article at the NYT on the deterioration of netiquette (remember that word?): 'Yours Truly,' the E-Variations http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/26/fashion...5090 -Adam ==== BULLETIN BOARD =============================== From: John Smart Subject: Web 2.0 and Google I would love to tell you all how hard I worked to come up with this, and to research it. However, a client mailed me the following, and I thought I would share: "Does Google Index Dynamic JavaScripted Content?" http://www.brainhandles.com/2007/03/11/does-google-index... Enjoy John Smart InternetDesign.com ------------------------------------------------------- The LED Digest is sponsored by GetWebContent.com The Web's Most Experienced SEO Content Providers. 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