As long as a web page, any web page, is being spidered, given sufficient time and motivation, I can generate CONVERTING TRAFFIC to a target web page for ANY keyword or phrase with nothing more than search engine placement. WITHOUT PAYING FOR LINKS!

I realize that is a bold statement but I’m one of those rare search engine placement specialists who do more than just talk about it. I actually put my money where my mouth is, (http://massa.techndu.com/default,month,2008-01.aspx0), and brother, that can take a lot of money!

{For those of you whom sarcastic humor may easily escape, that was a vague reference to the size of my mouth which is another vague reference to people who talk too much}

While that may seem like unabashed boastfulness, it is merely a fact. A reality borne of applied pressure against a specific obstacle.

But that is not what keeps the statement from being nothing more than bragging. What reduces the statement down from bragging to the simple observation of a proven reality is that I don’t do anything you could not do as well.

There is no need for magic to be applied. I don’t need to use any custom programming that gives me an insider’s eye into the inner workings of the Google algorithm. I don’t need to be a wizard, a computer whiz, a script kiddie or guru. I just need to roll up my sleeves, use my head and do the work.

Quality Work Isn’t Hard, It’s Just Hard Work.

If you have a website that is more than 60 days old, is being spidered and is not generating qualified traffic, then you have either gotten lazy and starting taking shortcuts, (thereby quickly reducing your own trust rank), or you have given up and stopped working on it. If the former is true then you might as well move on to the latter because the more short cuts you take the more sense stop working on it makes. PPC is always an option.

MOST COMMON SHORTCUTS

Starting off on the wrong foot thinking building a website is a way to make money without having to work at it

Failure to set a realistic objective and strategy

Failure to test basic navigation and functionality

Failure to secure a quality design and layout

Start buying links as a quick fix

Start participating in link exchanges in public forums, (do you NOT realize those forums are being spidered???? Duh!)

Start auto-generating content

Start using auto-submit programs to submit your site to 1000’s of directories and add a link sites

Start spamming forums, blogs and social media sites

Failure to monitor your own stats, (it is amazing how many people come to me for help in generating traffic when they already have significant traffic and just don’t know it.)

Failure to set effective milestones and abandoning strategy prematurely

Start using some technique you read in an seo forum or blog without so much as even thinking about how that technique would beneift your own goals

How to Avoid the Shortcuts and Make It Work --- Without Having To Pay For Links

I had written a blog post back in October of last year titled, “What is a Directory Submission Worth?” http://massa.techndu.com/2007/10/24/WhatIsADirectorySubmissionWorth.aspx.  

In that post I had discussed the negative press directory submission was getting in the seo community and how I felt the need to clarify that while it was true that a great many free directories were losing their page rank,  that did not mean they all had no value. The gist of that post could be summed up pretty well with this one paragraph:

So, whether it’s free or paid for review, taking the time to select an “appropriate” directory and category that you feel could benefit your site, writing a proper title and description that indicates you care what someone reading  it would think of your site and doing these things on a schedule that a human could actually do is not only a good way to promote your site on a virtually non –existent budget but I also think it helps to build a little trust in your site. It is natural, logical and should be done because it is kind of like online promotion  101.

By carefully selecting directories that are good and submitting properly, you can move your target keywords! ” But how do we know if it is good Guru”, you may ask. Well, grasshopper, the best rule of thumb is if you look at it and think it makes sense for your site to be there, then you are right.

It is not about trying to second guess Google and decide what THEY think is good. Even if you get lucky and get it right it would only be a guess and you could very well be just as wrong tomorrow as you are right today. Worry about what you are doing and let Google worry about Google. I know that is difficult to accept but it is true and the more you can do it, the more you are going to make.

It is about slowing down and taking the time to give a damn. Give a damn about your own site, the quality of the site you are submitting to and the experience the end user will get by you being there.

Quick, Cheap, & Easy

http://www.seobook.com/google-gives-article-directories-boot

Just a couple of weeks ago,  SEO Book wrote another brilliant post about Google devaluing article syndication directories. The always observant Aaron Wall is right of course --- almost.  

You can’t argue with evidence we can all see. Anyone can look ad tell that the toolbar PR of a LOT of those type of sites has dropped or fallen and can’t get up. BUT, there are two issues I would point out at the risk of overstating the obvious and possibly spilling the beans on some upcoming issue of the SEOBook blog. If that be the case, my apologies in advance.

#1. Even this post admits that not all article syndication sites were popped. Aaron said:

” EzineArticles did not get edited, perhaps because they have more stringent editorial guidelines, they were a known market leader, or they were a Google case study. Just about every other article syndication directory did.”

{the bolding was added by me for emphasis}

There is, (or at least could be),  some value in article syndication directories.

My point is that Google is not trying to eliminate article syndication directories, if they were EzineArticles would be gone too. Rather Google is simply trying to eliminate crap.

#2. He also said:

“Search engineers can't stop everything, but by the time a technique is cheaply and reliably outsourced the value has already been diminished or will soon become worthless. “

This point could very well be true BUT, I have always been of the mind that when everyone else is taking the shortcuts, taking the long road around makes you stand out as being different. In other words, the more people doing it wrong, the more value there is in doing it right.

Doing it right is not quick, easy or cheap. It is time consuming, difficult and time is money. BUT, it works when you take the time to help eliminate crap!

What About Free Add Your Link Sites? Do they do any good?

If you mean do they work as a quick, easy and cheap solution, then the answer is unequivocally --- no. BUT, if you are starting to see a pattern to the post, then yes, GOOD, free add your link pages COULD have some value.

“But how do we know which ones are good Guru?”

Boy, if you have to ask that question again, then you haven’t been listening. But, here is your answer again.

“Well, grasshopper, the best rule of thumb is if you look at it and think it makes sense for your site to be there, then you are right.”

If you are one of those people who simply can’t trust your own judgment, then you can always check to make sure the free add a link page is indexed but beyond that, I could give you a list of like 25 factors you could check but a few of the factors being found could be good or could be bad. All the factors being found could be good or could be bad. None of the factors being found could be ---- well, you get the point.

By the way, for those of you who are worried about the size of your small toolbar PR, there are literally millions of add your link pages with a PR of 3 or more. BUT, the irony lies in the fact that if you do it for the PR alone -- you lose!

The Million Dollar Secret To SEO Success

I don’t feel the need or the inclination to go into forums, blog comments, social tagging etc. I feel all I could do from here is belabor the point. If you don’t want to take the time to slow down and LOOK at what you’re doing, set a realistic objective, develop a strategy and then execute that strategy, or just call me and I’ll do it for you.

If you say you don’t have the time to do it yourself and you can’t afford PPC or to hire anyone to do it for you, then you are dead and you are wasting your time because you will fail. Promoting anything online or off takes an investment and if you are not willing or not able to make that investment, then save you and everyone involved with you the grief of having to listen to you complain about how the world is unfair.

It can be done. It’s not about taking the quick or easy or even cheap route. It is about knowing what you want and what you are willing to invest to get it and then giving a damn. You can do it. If I can do it, ANYONE can do it but you have to believe in yourself enough to quit following the herd and to think for yourself.  Use your head and look for the places you belong. There ya go. That’s the million secret to SEO success.

Peace Y'all

G

If you don't stop pickin at that thang it never is gonna heal.

Prologue:

This post today isn’t about the technicalities of SEO. It is not about scamming digg or how to buy links without getting caught.  There are plenty of places to go and find information on those things. Even I, on a different day, enjoy discussing and disclosing the practical application of this technique or that. The seo guru calls out John Andrews for a showdown.

But today is different.

Today the post is about the essence of SEO. It is about the only real reason for SEO to even exist. It is about people and how you deal with them to get the most results using the least resources.

It’s often easy to forget the real purpose of SEO when so much of our time and focus is consumed with the technology of our profession. Today the Guru hopes to remind you of what REALLY makes SEO work. People. People interacting in a way that results in something happening that you and them  wanted to happen. 

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And of course --- the N word.

I’m actually a quarter Cherokee Indian but for all intents and purposes, I’m a white guy. Being accepted as a white American man in a white American man’s world,(things are changing by the way),  I’ve never really had to bear the slings and arrows of racist remarks. Honky and cracker being about the worst insults I’ve had to deal with and frankly, when compared to spic, chink, heeb, raghead, mick, beaner, camel jockey, slope head, wet back, spear chunker, kraut, dink, guinea, kike, jungle bunny, pollock and canadian, honky and cracker just ain’t that bad.

And of course, the N word.

I’ve never had to experience how it would feel to have someone completely and totally invalidate you as a person. To have someone take from you every single shred of dignity and humanity with one word. Until this past Monday.

 A couple of weeks ago I wrote a post about making the proposition of outsourcing core functions less threatening and a much easier pill to swallow. It was about building trust in a service carrying some negative reputation baggage by not charging until AFTER results were delivered. The SEO Guru Kills the In-house/out-house debate  As one might expect, we’ve been pretty busy this past couple of weeks handling new inquiries, (that would be enquiries for my friends across the pondJ).

Focus On The Clients That DO Pay Instead of Focusing On The Ones Who Don’t

We knew when we decided to make such a bold announcement that there would be those who would try to take advantage of our good nature, (and lack of judgment?), but my philosophy has always been to focus on the good clients and not allowing ourselves to focus on the bad. Sure enough we have had a few bad experiences and already we have had to perform some work at our expense that we did not get paid for.  

Just a cost of doing business in our opinion and we are still thrilled to have the new clients that we are a good fit with. But something happened yesterday that made me realize that there is another lesson I could share with everyone to help them not only with their seo efforts, but in dealing with their clients, their providers and their employees better and with better returns on investment.  

Pack your bags –we’re takin a side trip

Let me interject an old adage here that is a lesson to us all whenever we are interested in something but fear looking stupid or being taken advantage of due to our own ignorance of the topic at hand.

It is often far better to keep silent and have others wonder at your true ability than to speak and remove all doubt.

******************************************************************************************************************

I didn’t care for his tone or his arrogant demeanor but I knew from experience that people who do that kind of thing are just scared so I listened.  Until we finally got to the part where I asked, “so what is it you would like me to do for you”, and he replied, “I want you to use your link Ni***** to get me enough PR that I can sell links”.

I literally felt sick to my stomach and starting shaking as the shock from the verbal slap to the face turned to adrenalin. In my younger days I was no stranger to giving and getting a few bloody noses but in my entire life I have never wanted to beat the crap out of someone as much as I did right then.  As I’ve grown more mature, I’ve come to abhor violence, (mostly because younger guys could kick my ass now days), but I’m sure had this person been within range I would have knocked him on his ass.

For the first time I realized with blazing clarity why a man would be so offended by that word coming from someone using it to illustrate their total lack of respect for that person as a human being.

After a few seconds I realized the guy was still talking but I hadn ‘t heard a word. I interrupted and told him I was not interested in any job he could offer me and I would appreciate him never calling me again for anything. I then said the best I could do to help him was to advise him to stop talking so much and then I clicked the little red phone button.

The term link monkey doesn’t carry quite the same suggestion of contempt as the other term BUT, the underlying sentiment remains.

How would you feel if I called you up as said, “I want your seo monkeys to make me a lot of money from my site?” Would you feel like I was a professional considering entering into a mutually profitable relationship with you? Would you feel like I had respect for you as a professional or even as a person? Or would you more likely feel I thought you were stupid enough to work really hard, really cheap so I could get rich while you remained perfectly content to live on the kind of wages that barely fed your children?

It’s Not About the Money – It’s About Respect

It’s not about money. It is true that there are gaps in the global economy that provide opportunities to produce superior quality at reduced labor costs by taking advantage of those gaps, but what is also true is that people all over the world are not that different when it comes to wanting respect and to be able to maintain their dignity as a professional and as person.

If you go in search of link monkeys, what level of service do you really expect? Then when your site gets busted or after 90 days of no results, do you run to Sphinn, http:www.sphinn.com and post a story about how you got exactly what you should have expected or do you post about how you got ripped off?

There is some value in having low level employees do the tedious, repetitive work that you don’t want to do.  There is also the fact that your time is likely much more valuable than to spend doing activities that bring in little while taking great effort. But would you really expect to get focus, loyalty and a dedication to quality from a link monkey?

It's perhaps those low level employees doing the tedious work that you should show the MOST respect to ehh? What do you think goes through the mind of that “link monkey” when you turn your back? At best you can expect them to be ready to quit you in a heartbeat for the next person that will pay them one penny more. At worst, you should be prepared for that monkey scheming on revenge for invalidating them so completely.

As for me and Techndu, you refer to anyone on my staff as a link monkey, a rag head, a sand n*****, or any other term I may not have even heard of yet that illustrates a lack of respect and I assure you, our conversation is over. I demand respect from my employees and my clients and expect them to demand respect from me.

What Can a Link Monkey Do For You?

If you want someone to not think about what they are doing and simply act, a link monkey can do that for you.

If you have no regard for quality and are willing to accept any link from any place, a link monkey can do that for you.

If you want to pay the absolute least amount of money for the absolute lowest quality, a link monkey can deliver that for you.

If you want to constantly have to worry that you are being cheated, a link monkey can do that for you.

If you want someone to hate your guts because you have no respect for them or their efforts, a link monkey can do that for you too.

What a Link Monkey Can NOT Do For You.

Provide reliable reports

Consult with you on in-the-trenches trends and industry changes

Review and select based on stated objectives

Schedule their time to get maximum results

Consider your image and reputation when performing work on your behalf

Try to provide a value-driven service

Treat you with respect as a professional and a business partner

I don’t care if you think looking for link monkeys is the best way to further your business objectives, that is your business. I do care that you would look for link monkeys and then publicly post how outsourcing is a rip off, because now that is MY business.

If you look for the cheapest crap you can find, don’t be surprised when you get cheap crap. If you expect anything different, then who is the real monkey?

There is nothing in this world that can not be produced with less quality and sold cheaper. Those who consider price alone are this man’s lawful prey.

A bargain is not getting the lowest price. A bargain is getting the best quality at the best price.

Link Monkeys don’t get customers saying things like:

I just want to chime in here and vouch for Techndu from a customer standpoint. I have been using them for an SEO project for several months now and am VERY happy with the results.

Shawn Pringle

CEO the PR Prowler

Rating Buyer Project Name Review Date Project Status 10

site similar to joomlazone 2/14/2008 Closed   Review: Excellent-quality work delivered fast, perfectly done, trust worthy and EXCELLENT interpersonal skills. I appreciate the time and effort in completing this project. www.workspc.netNorte Vista High School – LibrarianHighly Recommended!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 10

Finish Website Changes 2/13/2008 Closed   Review: What a fabulous group of professionals to work with! They continue to exceed my expectations. The communication has been extraordinary and the level of service impeccable. One night in particular this fine staff turned their cars around at 1am in the morning to make sure my site was ready for a presentation I was giving. I don’t know what I would do with out this fabulous group! Do NOT hesitate in using them, they will not disappoint you. 10

Baby Website 2/8/2008 Closed   Review: Very nice to work with, excellent communication.Excellent Job. Got it right on the first draft.

Peace Ya ‘ll

G

You’re not goin nowhere until you get your homework done!