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.
Debra Mastaler is an internationally recognized authority on link building and is an OMCP Certified Link Building Trainer. Based in Washington DC, Debra is also a columnist for Search Engine Land, has written for or been featured in numerous tech publications and is active on the search marketing conference circuit as a speaker and trainer. Debra serves as a judge for the Landy Awards and is the President of Alliance-Link.com. Connect with Debra on Twitter and LinkedIn to stay in touch.
Contributor and SMXpert Christine Churchill answers keyword research and copywriting technique questions from attendees who participated in the SMX West 2018 Keyword Bootcamp.
Debra Mastaler | May 8, 2018 at 1:33 pm ETHave 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.
Debra Mastaler | May 7, 2018 at 10:42 am ETOur 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 […]
Debra Mastaler | May 22, 2012 at 11:20 am ETSeveral 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 […]
Debra Mastaler | Apr 24, 2012 at 3:52 pm ETThis 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 […]
Debra Mastaler | Jan 31, 2012 at 10:58 am ETWelcome 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 […]
Debra Mastaler | Jan 3, 2012 at 10:01 am ETThird 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 […]
Debra Mastaler | Oct 11, 2011 at 9:27 am ETSecond 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 […]
Debra Mastaler | Sep 13, 2011 at 5:02 pm ETBeginning 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 […]
Debra Mastaler | Aug 9, 2011 at 2:09 pm ETI’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 […]
Debra Mastaler | Jun 21, 2011 at 12:17 pm ETThis 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 […]
Debra Mastaler | May 24, 2011 at 1:22 pm ETThis 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 […]
Debra Mastaler | Apr 26, 2011 at 9:36 am ETAlmost 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 […]
Debra Mastaler | Mar 1, 2011 at 11:24 am ETOver 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 […]
Debra Mastaler | Feb 1, 2011 at 8:45 am ETHappy 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 […]
Debra Mastaler | Jan 4, 2011 at 3:49 pm ETI’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 […]
Debra Mastaler | Nov 9, 2010 at 9:06 am ETGreetings 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 […]
Debra Mastaler | Oct 5, 2010 at 9:24 am ETOne 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 […]
Debra Mastaler | Sep 14, 2010 at 12:47 pm ETWebmasters 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 […]
Debra Mastaler | Aug 17, 2010 at 12:40 pm ETDo 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 […]
Debra Mastaler | Jun 22, 2010 at 8:56 am ET