There have been so many excellent blog posts and articles written already in 2008 that it's just not practical to wait until January of next year to recognize them. I may have to start doing these monthly or something, but for now, here are some of the best pieces written about the art and science of SEO so far in 2008.
SEO Best Practices: Essential To Do's for A New Website by Search Engine People
Dev Basu outlines five areas that form a foundation for SEO efforts, including proper internal linking, sitemaps and developing a blog. This was actually from December 2007, but I overlooked it last January. Oops.
Prioritizing SEO Tasks by Shimon Sandler
A concise, easily digestible post that covers half a dozen high priory basic SEO tactics (such as title tags, H1 tags and keyword links) with links through to more detail on each.
25 SEO-Related Things To Do During Must See TV Thursdays by Cape Cod SEO
In this witty and very useful SEO post, Derek Edmond pretty much skips the usual tips about title tags and internal links and instead provides some fresh, off-the-beaten-path ideas such as "Research 2 or 3 of your main competition's websites for 1 or 2 things they have (on their site) that you don't have (and want)," "Check your Google AdWords reports for three profitable keyword referrals that you had not been optimizing organically for" and "Find 2 industry related resources that offer opportunities for article submissions, record the contact information and set a goal of contacting them for information on how to send one of your articles."
Recession Proof Search Engine Optimization Tips by TopRank Online Marketing Blog
Search guru Lee Odden recommends getting creative rather than conservative when it comes to beefing up SEO efforts during a downturn. He recommends aggressive content promotion, using social media, and experimenting with universal search among other tactics.
The Meta Tag Question by PromotionWorld
Writer Carrie Marie Haggerty attempts to cut through some of the confusion over the value of meta tags, which ones are most useful and how to use them.
Writing for People (and Search Engines): How to improve click-through rates for organic listings by Hamlet Batista
SEO is fundamentally about driving website traffic. Generating clicks isn't only a matter of top ranking, but also having a well-written description meta tag that appeals to searchers. Somewhat lower ranked sites can outdraw those in the top position with a description tag that is carefully crafted to appeal to both search engines and people.
22 Considerations for Improving Natural Search Performance by MediaPost Search Insider
Rob Garner provides a comprehensive checklist of key areas to examine and modify for organic search success. In addition to the obvious (e.g., title tags, copywriting and link development) Rob includes more esoteric areas such as canonicalization issues, removing session IDs and sourcing out on-page JavaScript and CSS to external files.
How to hire an SEO Rockstar by Search Engine People
Author Jennifer Osborne offers a useful checklist to use when determining what type of SEO talent you need and then evaluating candidates.
Link Building Campaigns That Work by Link Building Best Practices
Because search engine algorithms are constantly changing, a solid link-building strategy shouldn't be "trendy" but rather balanced between different types of link sites including blogs, forums, directories, articles and reciprocal link partners.
4 questions every web site owner needs to answer by Search Engine Marketing Exposed
A fairly short yet very thoughtful post that is more strategic than tactical. Stepping back and answering some basic questions about why someone would visit your site and what exactly you'd like them to do there provides a helpful starting point for SEO efforts.
The Ultimate Guide to Directory Submissions by SiteProNews
While this article doesn't quite live up to its headline, it's nevertheless an educational quick read for anyone starting link building efforts as well as a helpful refresher for more experienced SEO practitioners.
SEO Your Site in 60 Minutes by Search Marketing Blog Online
Another excellent post with a somewhat misleading title, this piece from Jon Clark is packed with three dozen checklist items to make sure your SEO tactics are on track, divided into home page, site and external activities. Items range from basic (formatting of title tags, use of H2 tags, internal text links) to advanced (setting up a domain name redirect, "link funneling" using insidious nofollow tags). While going through this list will take considerably longer than 60 minutes, but it's a worthwhile effort.
Deconstructing Search Engine Bias by MediaPost Search Insider
This post helps SEO pros understand, at a high level, the "biases" built into search engine algorithms in order to craft strategies and tactics to capitalize on them. These biases include factors like "spamminess," authority, blog buzz and links.
Using Differentiators in Keyphrases: What Every Search Engine Optimization Company Needs to Know by PromotionWorld
A thoughtful piece from Scott Buresh on the value of adjectives for search; using modifiers in search phrases can simplify SEO efforts while delivering more highly qualified traffic. This works with descriptors (e.g. "B2B email marketing" vs. just "email marketing"), location (e.g. "search marketing services Minnesota") and other attributes.
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del.icio.us tags: art and science of SEO, SEO Best Practices, Search Engine People, Dev Basu, Shimon Sandler, Cape Cod SEO, TopRank Online Marketing Blog, Lee Odden, PromotionWorld, Carrie Marie Haggerty, Hamlet Batista, Rob Garner, SEO checklist, Jennifer Osborne, Link Building Best Practices, Search Engine Marketing Exposed, SiteProNews, Search Marketing Blog Online, Jon Clark, Scott Buresh
icerocket tags: art and science of SEO, SEO Best Practices, Search Engine People, Dev Basu, Shimon Sandler, Cape Cod SEO, TopRank Online Marketing Blog, Lee Odden, PromotionWorld, Carrie Marie Haggerty, Hamlet Batista, Rob Garner, SEO checklist, Jennifer Osborne, Link Building Best Practices, Search Engine Marketing Exposed, SiteProNews, Search Marketing Blog Online, Jon Clark, Scott Buresh
Contact Tom Pick: tomATwebmarketcentralDOTcom
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