LinkedIn for SEO

As a blogger and Web Developer I spend a lot of time online studying SEO.  One of the blogs I follow is SEO Blog by the folks over at Big Oak.  While they don’t post as frequently as a lot of other SEO Bloggers, they always put out quality content.  It was through these guys that I first learned about Squidoo… a source of both good SEO and good money for me (See my LCD HDTV Reviews).

The other day Shell posted a helpful article on how to use LinkedIn in your link building campaign.  It was a great little tip that never corssed my mind.  That is the sort of thing Big Oak does.  So, go check out their blog and subscribe to the RSS.  You’ll be happy you did.

More Work for Me

In the words of fellow developer John Dyer, “man, i’m so excited about adding another browser to my list of browsers to test for. thanks google!”

Check out Chrome.

Are You Obsessed with PR?

As a webdeveloper and Blogger, there is no doubt that I love to see that little PR bar increase every couple months.  Along with that, I love seeing my pages rank high on speciffic keywords that I’ve targeted.  And then, there are those beautiful, daily, visits stats.

However, it is all too easy to get caught up in looking merely at these three metrics to determine the success of your project.  Thankfully, the folks at SEOptimise.com have put together a GREAT list of 33 metrics by which you can measure the success of your site or blog.  Not all will apply to every site, but it is helpful to remember that there is more to success than PR.

Here are a few I really liked:

returning visitors
This is obvious, only returning visitors really like your site. So the more come back the better, the more successful you are. One time search visitors and casual social media visitors are not the backbone of your site. The subscribers and returning visitors (often the same people) are.

bounce rate
The bounce rate is one of the most important usability metrics and thanks to Google Analytics or Woopra easy to follow nowadays. 100k visitors from Digg with an bounce rate of 95% means that in fact only 5.000 actually visited your site. So a site with a much lower visitor number AND bounce rate can be much more successful than a “stupid traffic” site with huge traffic numbers. Targeted quality traffic is key for a successful site.

quality of backlinks
Getting a ton of links may mean nothing in comparison to one link from the NYT. So determine the quality of links: Has the linking page many other outgoing links? Has it PageRank? It it an old authority domain etc.?

Pages indexed
It’s seldom as simple as “the more pages indexed the better” but for small sites it often is. If you have 50 pages online but only 20 indexed your site is not successfully spidered by Google. A site:yoursite.com search in Google is enough to find out.

Social Media metrics

Free Magazines Every Blogger Should Own

As a web developer and blogger and I am always trying to stay on top of the latest trends, tips, and news.  If you’re anything like me, you subscribe to many, many, RSS feeds and are always looking for ways to step up your game.

Well, that is great, but I’m sure that, from time to time, you like to leave your computer.  And even if you don’t, there are those important breaks you need to take in order to do some “thinking” after downing those 5 cups of morning coffee.  Now, you can make those breaks even more productive by checking in with some great print resources.

A couple months ago I stumbled across these magazine offers and subscribed on a whim.  I’m really glad I did as these magazines have been a great help with industry news and tips.  Best of all, they are FREE.

Until now, there has not been a magazine that caters exclusively to the business of running a website. Website Magazine has tapped premier talent in the Internet industry for our content and each and every issue will contain practical advice and insights for website owners.

Each issue of Streaming Media Magazine will focus on a special theme, but every issue offers must-read features, commentary, and reviews for readers in all markets. Written and edited by industry practitioners, experienced users, and streaming business experts Streaming Media Magazine is the trusted resource for organizations investing in enterprise, news/entertainment, and education applications for streaming and other digital media.

Internet Retailer is America’s #1 source of information on e-business strategies for retailers and direct merchants. The magazine also covers exclusive reports on the competitive, marketing and operational trends in e-retailing. If you are a store-based retailer, a cataloger, a virtual merchant or an e-business provider, Internet Retailer provides the information you need to make the most of your use of the internet as a retail sales channel, multi-channel integrator or a tool for supply-chain automation.

eWeek is the essential technology information source for builders of e-business. Through a combination of news, analysis and evaluation, it guides readers in making the best technology decisions for their enterprise. Focusing on e-commerce, communications and Internet-based architecture, eWeek enables readers to successfully evaluate, deploy and leverage new technology solutions for competitive advantage.

Rental Home Website

SunBurns, a company that rents vacation homes in Destin FL approached Design Simple about creating a simple website that highlighted their newest rental home in Destin Fl.  The site was built on the wordpress platform to allow for easy updating and management.  Since the company did not want to spend a lot of money for the website, we decided to use the Brian Gardner Revolution City theme with very minimal customization.  The layout, design, and color scheme were already a good fit for the look and feel the company was going for.  The result is a visually appealing and functional website.

Along with setting up the site, Design Simple was asked to help with some initial SEO and getting the house listed in the google local business engine.

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