Before we can talk about Keywords in Anchor Text we need to define what in the heck this Anchor Text is.
Anchor text is also known as: link text, link title, or that stuff in between the <a href=””> thing and the </a> thing.
Here is an example: <a href=”http://www.galaxywebsitedesign.com/”>Galaxy Website Design</a> Continue reading
I am not a drummer. I like drumming. I have fun drumming. I even have a close friend that is a drummer. But, I don’t happen to be a drummer.
I drum by inspiration. In fact, the friend mentioned above is one of my PUPs (Parallel Universe Personaes) that knows how to drum. Once upon a time folks would talk about coming under the influence of the Muse — being struck by inspiration. Using the language of parallel universes this can be understood as tapping into one’s PUP from some universe or other. Continue reading
Here they are in the nutshell:
The above three truths come from my notes taken during a seminar by Jamie Turner. These little tidbits were dropped on the path as he was making his way to the main topic of the seminar. However, I felt these were gems worth mulling over a bit. Continue reading
This article is about the title attribute NOT the title element found in the header of your webpage.
This might resolve the whole issue of title attribute for you. If you’re looking at it because you would like to improve keyword density and work on your SEO then there’s no need to dig any further: Google and most other search engines do not take the title attribute into account when spidering a website. Continue reading
There is much confusion about the proper use of the alt attribute. The first confusion is reference to the alt attribute as the alt tag. This is more or less okay, but….. if you do a google search on alt attribute you will get results that are generated by more knowledgeable writers. So, while it is okay to use alt tag it would be better to at least know the proper term. If for no other reason when you see alt attribute used in an article you will know that they are talking about your good old friend alt tag. :)
Before we talk about the more philosophical aspects of the alt attribute let’s get right to the meat of the matter.
area, and input. For our purposes just concern yourself with the img element. And know you may not use alt on tables, href links, or anything else.alt attribute to provide text for visitors who can’t see the images in your document.alt="" instead of irrelevant text such as “red line”, “spacer”, etc.The alt attribute is displayed when the image is not. The alt attribute is literally the alternative to the image.
Reasons for seeing alt text:
First and foremost consider that the alt text is being used by screen readers. So be compassionate. The alt attribute is NOT the place to do keyword stuffing. Please have mercy on those using screen reader software.
Some people look at webpages with image download turned off by choice. Therefore they will see the alt text. They may have turned of image download for any one of many valid (and/or invalid) reasons. The choice was theirs. The alt text should make sense for these folks. You can turn off image download in your browser to see what this looks like. If you are a stuffer, hopefully you will be suitably shamed into better alt attribute behavior after looking at your pages in this fashion.
For those will slow internet connections, they will see the alt text temporarily while the image is being downloaded. When my broadband is acting more like narrowband dial-up, I will often see the alt text on the page while waiting for the image to download.
We live in a crazy time. Apathy, confusion of focus, overwhelm, and an abiding sense of hollow abound.
It’s weird. We are being pulled a million different directions. And as Harry Nilsson says in his script The Point “A point in every direction is a point is no direction at all.”
Social networking sites give us points of “contact.” But, often the contacts are unsatisfying or a bit hollow. This is were sharing a win comes in.
Any time you can contact someone that participated in a project (on any level) and tell them about a “win” for the project you are giving a bit of focus and helping point the way to some value in their work.
“Hey, thanks for giving me that lead the other day it looks like I’ll be sitting down with them for some serious conversation.” This shows you to be a winner. This shows the person you are contacting that you appreciate their help. This shows that person that what they do matters. And, encourages them. Everyone can benefit from a little encouragement.
So share those wins.
When deciding on where and how to host your blog consider the following.
If you have the choice between:
Use www.mydomain.com/myblog.
This will improve the ranking of yourdomain.com. Why put the work in to build the reputation of someotherguysdomain.com when that effort can go into building yourdomain.com? Continue reading
In case you are wondering, I am not an expert in SEO. I am willing to share what I do know, and, I’m willing to learn. I think SEO can be a great and wonderful thing. However, I advise my clients to forget about it.
I advise my clients to concentrate on WSO (website optimization) and marketing. But isn’t SEO mostly website optimization and marketing? Yes. But, it is a slightly obfuscated version. So lets get back to basics and and address the issues in their fundamental state.
I’m convinced that by dividing the tasks into WSO and marketing it will help to concentrate and focus our efforts. Continue reading
Admittedly a slightly inflammatory title for an article about SEO. The lesson that I hope you can take away from this blog is that it is a mistake to concentrate on SEO (Search Engine Optimization.) You will be much better served by concentrating on WSO (WebSite Optimization).
To concentrate on WSO (website optimization) requires first that you divide SEO into two distinct and separate areas of endeavor — 1) website development, and 2) website marketing.
All of the discussion around SEO have confused these two. The topics of website development and marketing of one’s website have been mushed together. This has served (either deliberately or accidentally) to confuse the issues of web development and marketing. This has made it possible for certain service companies to create a niche for themselves that allows them to provide a service that is inherently difficult to measure.
Let’s get back to basics. Let’s have those folks that know the products and services represented by the website spearhead the development — with expert technical help where and when necessary. And, let’s have those folks that know marketing spearhead the marketing of the website. If you happen to be running a one man (or one woman) operation, then get yourself two hats and get down to business wearing only one hat at time.
In my next blog, let’s start assigning SEO tasks to each of these hats.
I was speaking with two new clients this evening. A very pleasant couple, both artists with a background in several old school marketing. They know what they are getting into and are well prepared for it.
That’s not what this blog is about. At least not directly. As I was speaking with the couple, asking questions, poking and prodding into their situation and hopes for their website I realized what it was I looking for — I was looking for their passion. Before taking them on as clients I needed to uncover the degree of passion they had for their business.
It is clear to me that passion is the one thing that will help see one through the road ahead of each website owner. Need does not do it. Trying to get from here to there with “need” as your fuel is not the way to go.
Need can be a powerful motivator. But, working from need can be such a struggle.
I’ll give you an example. We all know that social media is an excellent place to make contacts and create buzz about your website. And, we know that if your need is profound enough you can keep your nose to the grindstone without fail. However, if you have a passion then you don’t have to worry about keeping your nose to a grindstone — there is no grind.
If you are passionate about ceramics creating blogs, tweets, and writing on facebook walls about ceramics is no chore — it is your passion. It comes easy AND the process is your reward. Using a need to drive you is so different. A need for sales is not satisfied in the present. The connection between writing yet another blog about ceramics and making a sale is tenuous at best. There is correlation. But it is hardly absolute. Hence, writing blogs, tweets, and facebook prods will not translate into immediate satisfaction.
Need is good. A need for sales will turn a hobbyist into a pro. But the spoonful of sugar that helps the medicine (of day to day work) go down is passion.
When trying to satisfy a need (such as income generation) I believe it is crucial to find a way that allows for the expression of your passion at the same time. This will give you the juice to make it through the humps and hurdles that are sure to come your way in this business.