I made the pilgrimage this month to one of the best loved conferences in the UK. And how pleased was I to go! On first joining the scrum waiting outside the Dome to get in I unsure what to expect, it almost felt like I was queuing to see some major underground band. In the main auditorium I half expected Mexican waves to spontaneously burst out as the atmosphere rippled through the crowd with a tangible feeling of anticipation and excitement. Organiser Kelvin Newman hosted the event through the day and this guy not only has incredible energy to organise the event but he has the personality thrown in. I have no idea how they manage to put this show on for free but the fact that tickets are sold out within 13 minutes of release confirms that this is THE hottest ticket for SEO. [Read more...]
Best Link Building Articles to Read | April 2012
An exciting month with two great local conferences, BrightonSEO and Ion Search in Leeds setting the standard for out-of-London events. The news I have been focusing on this month has been rel=author tag, suddenly everyone seems to be talking about it and has been featured at the conferences.
I have put together a special Brighton SEO reading list of all the best round-ups from the event and (*self-promotion alert*) you can see a digital version of the souvenir poster from Brighton SEO that I was commissioned to produce for the show. Only 50 copies were made and sent to the speakers and a few select industry leaders.
Enjoy the reading and maybe see you at Sascon in Manchester next month.
Shelli aka shellshock uk
>> Link Building Reading List: April 2012
>> Industry commentary:
The New Google Link Algorithm
by Patrick Altoft
The online armageddon that the latest round of blog network de-indexing has caused is sending huge ripples and implications through the agency. Moving forward we are going to see a lot of second rate agencies who can’t deliver fall away. If you have been relying on blog networks for links then you are in trouble. Patrick from Branded 3 gives an interesting insight to actual stats about what he has seen on clients sites during the snowfall of GWT unnatural links warning messages. [Read more...]
Linkpreneurs and Link Building 2012+
linkpreneur – an individual who has the ability to secure link opportunities that others could not even conceive.
I recently wrote an article at Econsultancy defining the term Linkpreneurs. The article addressed how link building has changed dramatically in the last few months and where we need to focus our attentions moving forward as quality link builders. You can read the full article here: Linkpreneurs: the new school of link building. [Read more...]
Link Building Curated Reading List for March 2012
Incredibly in the online space of millions of blogs very few people have something of value to say; I read hundreds of articles every week and come across way to many me too posts. I find it amusing/depressing to see a story break and watching the wave of how the word is spread from blog to blog with each writer reading the other and producing a basic rewrite with nothing personal to add. When assessing what to keep or ditch I will only include a link if I feel the article has something of real value to say, has a unique opinion on a subject or breaks a story.
Next month coming up I am looking forward to Brighton SEO and ION search on my doorstep in Leeds. If any of you are going to either event feel free let me know and we can catch up on the day.
Thanks
Shelli : )
Big news this month:
Blog networks deindexed
Over Optimization
Schema – semantic mark-up
>> Link Building Reading List: March
Assessing Link Signals in 2012 – Has Anchor Text Had It’s Day?
by Tim Grice
Right back at the beginning of March when there was plenty of discussion about the 40 changes to search quality signal by google and what the changes to the way they evaluate links was. Tim offers a great insight with the conclusion that anchor text appears to be devalued and a focus on brand building is recommended. [Read more...]
Link Building Curated Reading List for Feb 2012
Link Building Monthly (a curated reading list of link building articles) launched and hit in-boxes last week. I am posting the first few editions so that readers can get an idea of what is contained before they sign up. The newsletter is free and 100% spam and advert free. I respect every sign-up and don’t allow anyone to have access to your details – so you won’t suddenly end up receiving emails from a random company selling cheap seo or little blue pills. After a few months access to the reading list will only be by email newsletter: sign up now and then you don’t miss an issue. Check the Blue box to the right.
BTW any article suggestions and feedback of what you would like to see in here is much appreciated, just leave a comment below and I will respond.
>> Link Building Reading List: February 2012
Non-google Link Strategy: An Example of Stealth Link Marketing
by Eric Ward
Link building has evolved so much and IMHO good link builders are now link PR people – looking for promotional opportunities and strategic partnerships wherever they may be. This great, quick read article gives an example of a Florida scuba company and how they looked for link opportunities outside of the SERPs for brilliant payback results. Think outside of Google for link opportunities for long lasting results.
(861 words – 3 min) [Read more...]
Best Link Building Blogs To Read 2012
Link Building Blogs to Read and Tweets to Follow
You have to read, LOTS, if you want to keep up with SEO and the link building industry. I recommend following a tight list of authorities on a regular basis and also having a B list of a diverse mix of sources to keep you informed and creatively fresh.
In my previous post I put together the top 20 must read sites for SEO. I then realised that I hadn’t included any specific link building blogs and so have put together the following list of the best link building blogs from the authorities in the link world. You could call em linkerati if you want.
If you follow these blogs and twitter streams you will be kept in the link loop.
THE Link Building Blogs and tweets to follow:
Paddy Moogan
Works at Distilled in London, for anyone living under a rock Distilled have become one of the world leading SEO companies after SEOmoz retired from client work and partnered with Duncan and Will recommending their agency. Paddy is an SEO consultant but writes a lot of articles about link building, his articles are always well informed and a great source of information. Paddy writes for SEOmoz and Distilled. [Read more...]
Top 20 Must Read Sites for Link Building & SEO
Keeping up to date with the community is an essential part of the link builders/seo role. The mercurial nature of the internet means change and innovation on a constant basis. I spend a few hours every single day keeping to date with my google reader list and via social news sites, I also have to put in extra time at weekend to keep up to date with my Instapaper reading list and any in-depth articles I want to take time thinking about.
Just like an art director a good link builder must keep a good grasp of current affairs and a diverse mix of intellectually stimulating and sometimes controversial opinions and free thinking ideas. For creative ideas and link strategies that think out of the box you have to be resourceful and knowledgeable. Basically you have to know a little about a lot. [Read more...]
Top Ten Best Infographics 2011 End of Year Review
Infographics really took over in 2011 being the link bait of choice. A well crafted social media campaign in conjunction with a well designed infographic can build a lot of natural links, elevate awareness and drive high volumes of traffic to your site. A good infographic has to be: well researched, laid out and designed. Following is a 2012 new year review of the best infographics to come out of the previous year.
#1 The Anatomy of an Agency by Julia Morra and Trevor Gourley
Planking: What This Teaches Us About Viral Marketing
Planking does not involve strips of wood!
Planking follows in the footsteps of legendary viral campaigns such as extreme ironing and the recent cat hugs kitten youtube phenomenon: viewed an incredible 30,757,859 times. The origination of planking is difficult to attribute but is believed to have started with comedian Tom Green (best known as the short lived Mr Drew Barrymore) with a quick uptake in the north east of the UK. Planking has spread worldwide as an underground craze but achieved real media attention after the unfortunate accidental death of a 20 year old man in Queensland as he was ‘planking’ on a balcony ledge. Ellen Page, Kristen Bell and Flavor Flav are all celebrities who have taken up the craze.
Just like extreme ironing planking has devoted fans who compete to take the most outrageous photo. And therein lies the key to it’s viral success: competitiveness, escapism and belonging. [Read more...]
