Ask the SMXpert: Keyword research and copywriting
Contributor and SMXpert Christine Churchill answers keyword research and copywriting technique questions from attendees who participated in the SMX West 2018 Keyword Bootcamp.
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Debra Mastaler's latest articles
Ask the SMXpert: Google manual penalties explained
Have you ever gotten a manual penalty from Google? It's no fun. Contributor and SMXpert Kaspar Szymanski shares answers and insights on how to avoid getting another ‘love note’ in the future.
Link Building Tool Review: Link Prospector
Our link building tool review series continues today with Link Prospector by Citation Labs. A joint venture between Garrett French and Darren Shaw, Link Prospector is headquartered in Raleigh, North Carolina and has been online since February 2012. Garrett and Darren continue to add features to the tool, foreign-language support and an API are scheduled to […]
Six Degrees Of SEO Bacon & B2B Link Building Q&A
Several weeks ago, I had the privilege of being part of a Search Marketing Now (SMN) webinar, it was sponsored by Optify and focused on B2B link building tactics. Scott Fasser, Director of Customer Experience at Optify and I shared a number of B2B linking tactics and then hosted a lively Q&A session. We ran out of time and […]
Link Building Tool Review: WordTracker Link Builder
This week’s tool review focuses on the Link Builder toolset from Wordtracker. Wordtracker has been around since 1998 and is most widely known as a keyword research tool. In 2010, they added Link Builder in response to consumer demand and to help their keyword customers with their link building efforts. Based in London, the Wordtracker staff is […]
Link Building Tool Review: Ontolo
Welcome back to the first Link Week of 2012, I hope you enjoyed the holidays and had a great New Year celebration! Next up in our tool review series: Ontolo Internet Marketing Tools The current Ontolo toolset is owned by partners Ben Wills and Andy Davidoff and has been a work in progress since 2008. The tool is […]
Link Building Tool Review: Raven Tools
Third in our series are the link building tools from Raven Internet Marketing Tools. Raven Tools, founded in 2007, has a 20-person staff based in the country music capital of the world, Nashville, Tenn. Raven’s development team of eight is hard at work finalizing three new features set to launch between now and mid-November; vice […]
Link Building Tool Review: SEOmoz PRO
Second in our review series are the link building tools from SEOmoz Pro; I was excited to review this tool set since it’s not one I use. Let’s start with a quick overview of what’s in the program and then focus on the link building tools. SEOmoz PRO SEOmoz PRO is a set of “software, tools and resources to maximize […]
Link Building Tool Review: Link Research Tool Set By CEMPER
Beginning today, my Link Week column will be devoted to link building tool reviews. Each review will focus on how the tool works and provide tips on how you can use the results to build links. If you’re on the fence about buying a tool, hopefully my reviews will help with your decision making process. The […]
3 Common Link Building Questions Answered By 4 Experts
I’m a forum rat, I visit several on a daily basis as a way to keep up with what’s going on. If there’s an update, cool new tool or SEO controversy brewing, chances are I’ll read about it on one of the forums before anywhere else. Conversely, if I have a question or want to bounce a theory […]
A Campaign Prep Checklist For Link Builders
This is the fourth and final installment of our Link Building Blueprint series, as a refresher here are the first three posts: Part 1 – A Link Building Blueprint: The Foundation Part 2 – Utility Linking Part 3 – Proven Ways to Use Content to Attract Links Our blueprint has, up to this point, outlined […]
Proven Ways To Use Content To Attract Links
This article is really part three of our Link Building Foundational Blueprint series and will focus on using content to attract links. Here are parts one and two. There are many ways to generate links using content, you’re probably familiar with article writing, guest blogging, link bait, white papers etc. All of these content tactics […]
A Link Building Blueprint: Utility Linking
Almost every SEO I know spent the better part of last week discussing recent changes Google made to its ranking algorithm. This update hit some webmasters hard while others went unscathed, and results still seem to be settling out. Nothing I’m working on was impacted (knock wood) probably because I tend to use a wide […]
A Link Building Blueprint: The Foundation
Over the next several months, I plan to use my column here at Link Week to lay out a link building blueprint you can use as a guide in your linking efforts. We’ll start with foundational tactics and some of the side opportunities they offer, and keep going into the more detailed “advanced” techniques toward the end. If you […]
15 Link Building Predictions & Recommendations For 2011
Happy New Year and welcome to the first Link Week of 2011! Just like last year, Julie Joyce, Eric Ward and I have compiled our link building predictions, recommendations, tips and trends for 2011. As you’ll see, our thoughts are as different as we are and cover a wide range of topics and sites. When […]
6 Daily Habits That Make Up My Link Reading List
I’m frequently asked what resources I read to keep up with the latest trends and information on link building. While it’s an easy question, answering it takes a while since I follow a long list of sites. Here’s a list of resources I find invaluable and try to review every day. I’ve grouped them by […]
Link Building Basics At SMX East
Greetings from the Big Apple! I’m here this week attending SMX East, soaking up lots of SEO/SEM news, meeting new people and catching up with some of this industry’s best and brightest. There are two link building sessions being offered, Link Building Basics and Show Me the Links. The material in the second session will be […]
How To Generate Links Through Media Relations
One of the tactics I use to generate new links is to review a site’s stats and create a media promotion based on the trends I find. This strategy is not an easy, turn-key linking program but if you’re serious about growing your business as well as your links, it’s one of the best ways to attract […]
Smart Links Can Make Your SEO Sing
Webmasters build links for two reasons: to drive traffic and to influence search engine placement. Neither option is as cut and dry as I’ve stated here but when it gets down to it, that’s why webmasters deliberately build links. If you’re building links to support ongoing SEO efforts, there are a handful of key tips to […]
Four Engines, Four Ways To Generate Links
Do you favor one search engine over another when building links? I have a favorite for general searching, but when it comes to link building, I don’t use just one. Ask, Bing, Google and Yahoo! each offers a unique set of search options, I use all of them for a wide range of results. Here’s […]
There’s No Such Thing As Advanced Link Building
Confession time: I’m headed to Seattle next week for SMX Advanced, and I still haven’t started my slide deck. I’m not a procrastinator by nature, but when it comes to slides – well, I’d rather get a root canal than do slides. Well, maybe not a root canal, but I have managed to find lots […]
How To Use Goverment Website Information To Create Sticky Link Bait
If you have a tiny marketing budget but need big links, this sticky link bait tactic might be for you! A recent report from the Pew Research Center found 61% of all American adults (or 205 million people) look for or completed a transaction on a government website in 2009. This information alone is impressive, but what made […]
Another Big Roundup of Link Tools
One of my previous columns here on Link Week showcased a number of tools commonly used in link building. Since that post, a large number of new tools and services have come online, so I thought an update would be helpful. Not all of the sites listed will be traditional linking tools, I’ve also included a number of […]
Seven Deadly Link Sins
If you find yourself in link hell it might be because… 1. You accepted information from the herd. The SEO/SEM industry is becoming cluttered with people trying to make a name for themselves by regurgitating information. Don’t take anything as fact. Test, test and test some more before drawing conclusions or changing how you build links. […]
Massive Passive Inbound Links
Reading Eric’s column last week reminded me of a successful passive marketing campaign I did several years ago which used almost no traditional link building methods. The client, who sold concrete from a simple ecommerce site, was hesitant to try my “passive” approach, he wanted an old fashioned link building campaign and was willing to spend […]
“Inkbait”: A Case Study In Linkability
In the world of search engine optimization (SEO), the tactic known as “linkbait” is one of the few link building tactics the search engines embrace, encourage and algorithmically reward. The reason for this is simple, linkbait generates editorial links which the search engines love. Knowing this and understanding the influence of universal search, the bounty placed on paid […]
Link Building Trends For 2010
Happy New Year and welcome to the first Link Week of 2010! Eric, Julie, Garrett and I wanted to share our thoughts and recommendations on what we think will “work” in regards to link building in 2010. Last year was one of the most algorithmically significant years our industry has seen in awhile and we […]
Top Searches Can Attract Top Links
The search engines have been publishing their “Top Searches” lists for 2009, so far I’ve collected lists from Bing , Yahoo!, and Google. Other sites posting “top” searches are ESPN, Snopes, and my favorite, Yahoo’s Top Video’s (warning: time killer!). I set my alerts to catch these lists because they spark ideas for link bait and content development […]
11 Effective, Efficient Ways To Use Limited Time To Build Links
I visit most of the SEO forums at least once a week to keep up with what’s going on in the link building community. This past week was fairly quiet, but over on the HighRankings Forum, a thread on time management vs. link building efforts caught my eye. A webmaster wanted to know the best […]
DMOZ: A Solid Directory Or The Great Pumpkin Of Search?
Love it or hate it, the Open Directory Project (ODP or “DMOZ”) always seems to creep into the conversation when we’re discussing links and/or SEO. Check any forum, social news or answer site and you’ll see a wide variety of opinions on the 11 year old directory and how it’s managed. When talking about the […]
Why You Can’t Dismiss All Directory Links
If you follow me here or on the Link Spiel, you know I am a loyal fan and staunch supporter of using directories to secure links. After reading last week’s Elephant in the Link Building Living Room, I wanted to present a different point-of-view as I don’t feel the directory industry or the link builders using […]
A Case Study: Using Contests To Build Links
It’s common knowledge that certain markets are harder to build links for than others. For the most, part highly competitive industries are tough because they’ve been worked to death, but less competitive markets can also be difficult because of the demographic behind them. Such was the case for a client we took on awhile back […]
Using Competitors To Build Links
Doing business on the Web isn’t easy, and you need every advantage to grab attention from the masses clicking by. In order to succeed, companies need to understand how to manage the marketing information they find. This information can be used to help strategic planning, monitor competitors and provide early warning signs for new opportunities […]
Cool New Link Tools And… SEO Discounts!
I’ve come across some cool tools to use in your link building efforts and have a handful of discounts I wanted to share so let’s get right to it! Groundswell profile tool All link building tactics have one thing in common—they need relevant pages to secure the links from. Notice I didn’t say “authority pages” […]
A Big Bunch Of Link Building Ideas
Over the last couple of weeks I’ve come across some great link building discussions, techniques and Twitter tools I wanted to share here. I also wanted to mention a foundational linking tactic we’re using and seeing great results from. Let’s start with a valuable tip I found on one of the SEO forums . The value of outbound links The topic […]
A Link Building Stimulus Plan
With the economy the way it is, we’re getting a lot of inquires from people asking for package programs. They’re willing to cut back on the number of link building techniques they contract for, but not the quality of the links secured. Because of the volume of requests we were getting, I decided to look for a way to trim a couple […]
You’re Up A Link Creek Without An Anchor
Hey everyone, Happy New Year! I wanted to start the year off talking about one of the most important components of link popularity – anchor text. As far as I’m concerned, getting an anchor text link on an authority site ranks right up there with hitting the Powerball or finding out you’re having a baby. […]
Link Smart Or Die In 2009
The recession is more than just news fodder these days, it’s a reality many of us as service providers are feeling. At Alliance-Link we’re watching our clients cut back their on and offline advertising expenditures which makes it difficult for us to build custom linking programs. All of our programs use offline elements to drive […]
Forums Are So Much More Than Signature Links
Yesterday, while I was in Hancock Fabrics, a woman standing in front of me told the cashier she loved the store’s discussion forum. She said it helped her more than once and turned to it whenever she had a problem or was looking for ideas. What made the conversation interesting was the fact the woman in […]
When You Turn A Link On, Does It Return The Favor?
Last week during SMX East, the Link Building Boot Camp was a 75-minute overview of everything you ever wanted to know about link building and then some. This session was offered to anyone who wanted to learn the basics, get a solid understanding of links and prepare for the rest of the linking panels throughout the week. […]