SEO Dance

Google isn’t the only website that ranks websites. There is, ofcourse, the Alexa ranking and many others. Technorati ranks blogs as well as several blog directories. IZEA, the new parent company of PayPerPost, has announced RealRank for their bloggers to show an actual rank of blogs within their system. I’m sure there are many others and let’s not forget websites like Sitemeter and StatCounter that show all sorts of information for webmasters to study over for hours. While it’s a small start, one company has taken notice of the recent PageRank shift and has responded to the change with a huge decision.

Some companies use PageRank in calculating their own ranking of websites/blogs. Eatonweb is a well-known and respected blog directory. Earlier this month, they announced on their blog that the will stop using PageRank as a factor in determining the rank of blogs on their network. PageRank will be phased out within the next 12 months. They cited that the recent decision by Google to penalize websites with paid links was one of the reasons as some very good authority websites have received a penalty. Therefore, the PageRank system has been comprised if Google plans to shun certain websites from it.

It will be interesting to see if other ranking websites follow suit. I believe the PageRank has outlived its viability. A number 0-10 reveals very little about how trustworthy or how useful a website actually is.

If more ranking websites lessen their dependence on PageRank, it will be a clear message to Google. But if they actually care is anyone’s guess.

Social networking is hot right now, so it only stands to reason that taking part in various social platforms will help you get recognized. Websites like Twitter can provide an easy way to update your website content on the fly. A new service, Utterz, looks to rival Twitter with a few neat tricks up its sleeve.

Once you get past the cow puns (utter, be herd, etc), Utterz is a fun service that lets you share pictures, audio, and video content. You can add tags to your media as well as a caption. You can also update your Utterz page from your cell phone, making this an equally appealing option as Twitter.

Of course, Utterz has widgets galore that allow you to showcase your latest utter on you blog or blogs. Once you’ve set it up for display, you can submit your website for consideration to be featured on Utterz. Utterz might still be in beat but shows a lot of promise. All of the social networking perks are built in to Utterz. Build your profile, share your favorite websites, send messages, invite friends, etc. There is plenty to explore with Utterz. With being able to share photos, videos, or even audio makes it a more dynamic choice for the “what are you doing?” type of social network services.

Add connections, send out notifications, and other interesting ideas are right at your fingertips. While Twitter may be more well known, look for Utterz, with all of its features, to start showing up on social networks and blogs.

It’s the question most people dread at an interview but it should be the easiest one to answer. “So, tell us about yourself.” I cringe at just the thought of having to answer the question. Where to begin and what to say? It really is a vague question, don’t you think? Why not ask me about my qualifications?

The open-ended question does it open for the person to answer any way they wish. They might want to talk about their experience or something that is not on their resume but would make them a great asset to a company. The About Me page of a website is pretty much the same blank slate. People can put whatever information they want to. They might want to talk about their experience or knowledge on the subject at hand or they might make it more personal by talking about their family. Whichever route you take, the about page is vital to a website much like the site map. It’s a way for your readers to find out more about you. The about page can also be a great way to reinforce what should be in the title of your page - keywords that your website is an authority on.

Household tips, another 451 Press blog, has a great about page. Right off the bat Stephanie reiterates what her blog is all about by starting off with the words “household tips.” She follows that by telling readers what type of tips to expect. It’s a nice example of a smart about page that tells the reader about the website but also uses keywords associated with the content.

The about page doesn’t have to be a novel. It can be a few sentences of compact information. Use your most important keywords in your first sentence. Don’t fret too much over what to write. Grab a nice cup of coffee or soda, and relax for a bit. Then think about what you want your readers to know about you and go from there. Believe me, the words will soon follow.

about me page

Twitter is a website that prompts users to answer one simple question: what are you doing? It’s social networking-lite and can be good for your website. How you ask? Well, here is what I think.

First users must sign up for an account. Then you can add a widget -a snippet of code - to your blog or website that will display your last twitter message. You can either post what you are doing or use it to preview new content you are working on. Either way it will be something new for your visitors to see each and every time they visit your webpage.

With Twitter, you can either update through their interface or text your message from your cell phone or through instant messaging. Just think you can add new content from practically anywhere. Suppose that you have a great story but haven’t had time to finish it. With Twitter, you can tease it to your audience. One of the secrets to successful blogging is to have new content each day. New content gives those faithful readers something new each day. Lately I’ve been updating more in the afternoon and always feel rushed to do so. With Twitter, I can put up a teaser in the morning and then feel less stressed knowing that my readers know that some new content is coming.

The Twitter community is growing, too. As more bloggers take advantage of the service, the more potential friends you will have who will see your postings from their Twitter homepage. It’s another way to reach potential new readers while having fun.

The Twitter interface is easy to navigate and uncluttered. Updating it is simply typing in a text box. Your last update is the only one that shows in the widget. All public updates show up in the public time line that is even more exposure to your profile to other users.

‘What are you doing?’ is my two-year-old’s favorite question. It seems we start at an early age curious as to what others have going on. You can share that and other information on the go or from your computer with your readers. Twitter can be a fun way to add new content to your site while giving your reader’s a little glimpse into your world.

Here it is. 5 days after Halloween and Christmas decorations adorn a lot of businesses. I took notice of it all today as I kicked off my holiday shopping. While I was shopping, it made me think that I also need to prepare my websites for holiday traffic. To maximize the holiday we traffic, it’s best to get those articles written so that they will be indexed by search engines.

For my gaming websites, list of the hottest games for Christmas or from 2007 would be good content. For my household tips and product reviews website, content centered around Christmas parties or cleaning for the holidays would be a good choice. So, part of my holiday strategy is to decide what type of content to place on which websites.

Once I have a plan, then I can think about keywords. Usually I go with the main theme of the article for keywords. It’s really important to get it written and live as soon as possible.

While retailers gear up for the holiday season, so should bloggers and webmasters as the holiday traffic won’t just be on that busy thoroughfare in towns across the country. Think about what content you should be writing this holiday. Is it a how to survive holiday travel or is it more product review related like the best toys for boys?

Christmas is a short few weeks away. Get busy on that holiday content today.

The acronym NaBloPoMo is one you might see a lot this month. It stands for National Blog Posting Month, which happens to be November. Bloggers sign up and pledge to post on their blog every day in November. Taking part in NaBloPoMo will help to increase exposure to your blog as well as immerse you more into the blogging community.

Once you sign up with NaBloPoMo, the interface is much like a social network. Join or start groups, add friends, or visit the forums are just some of the features of the community. When you sign up your blog, you’ll be listed in the members area as well as become a part of the randomizer, which displays a NaBloPoMo blog randomly. Oh and did I mention there are prizes? Some bloggers have generously donated prizes that will be randomly given away at the end of the month to bloggers who posted each day.

NaBloPoMo can not only be a challenge to you but might garner new readers, new links, and new friendships. It’s a win-win from any angle you look at it. New content every day is vital to a blog, so taking part in this challenge will help you get into the groove of blogging daily. Blogging daily will keep both visitors and search engine crawlers coming back on a regular basis.

Today is a perfect day to get started since it’s November 1st.

NaBloPoMo