Being a Swede can be a GOOD thing! by Torbjrn Reidarsson

Being a Swede can be a GOOD thing! by Torbjrn Reidarsson

In my work as a webmaster I have to consider the search engine friendliness of the sites I work on. Sometimes I feel lucky being a native swede, since the competition for swedish words is a fraction compared to english. Recently I was updating a site that sells stamps. (The kind that goes ka-dang and makes an imprint on paper. Not the small papers you lick on the backside and put on envelopes.) Since the swedish word is 'stmplar' I do not have to compete with the word 'stamps' and my work is so much easier! Sometimes it is a good thing to be a swede... ;)
Torbjorn Reidarsson
http://www.itrab.se
Webmaster for Stmplar, not stamps.
About the Author
Torbjorn Reidarsson is the founder and owner of ITRAB, a webconsultant business based in Linkoping, Sweden. He is the webmaster for sites like Stmplar hos Stmpelfabriken, Website Templates and ITRAB

5 Things to Keep an Eye on in the SEO World in 2005.... by Bobby Heard

5 Things to Keep an Eye on in the SEO World in 2005.... by Bobby Heard

After the latest PR update at Google and MSNs beta search going live, there is one thing for certain in 2005: the world of search is in for some major changes. There has been growing speculation around the SEO world that reciprocal linking is a thing of the past. Rumors are abound that PR means less and less, if anything. Bill Gates came out of his cave to say that Todays search is nothing and that it wont be that way for long. There are quiet rumblings in the SEO back alleys of a new, state-of-the-art search engine currently indexing the internet. Websites are dropping off the face of the planet. And were all left to sit here and put together the pieces. So what is in store for 2005?

1) Reciprocal links, while not becoming totally dead, are decreasing in value, and there will most likely be an algorithm update to lessen their importance. The original thought process behind the importance of a link was that it was seen as a vote for the linked-to site. Now that reciprocal links are everywhere, it is hardly a great way to count votes for a website. Reciprocal linking will continue around the internet, although the amount of people who try to get away with one-way links (by never getting back to you once youve added their link) will increase significantly. This will, of course, be an attempt to acquire one-way links, which brings us to our next subject....

2) One-way links and triangle linking, though already quite popular, should explode over the course of 2005. Both are much harder to control and acquire, which makes Google happy. The triangle link ploy makes links look like one-way links even though Site A is returning the favor to Site B through Site C. There will be attempts to sell triangle linking programs and systems by SEO companies, however, the complexity, difficulty and time involved in this scheme will produce ridiculous prices.

3) What this about a new search engine that is going to index every site on the internet, EVERY 10 seconds? Become.com has turned a few heads with its claims. Site owners have reported Become Bots spidering like crazy. Its all quite hush, hush, however and you need to have an invite in order to test it out. It should be interesting to see what theyre capable of if and when they decide to go live. Ill go out on a limb and say that its a household name by this time next year.

4) MSN will scrap the beta tag on February 1st from its sparkling new search engine, which is currently live at search.msn.com and Bill Gates thinks it will rival Google. There is a lot of debate over this issue, but there is no denying that it is far better than the old chugger they were using before. Love him or hate him, Gates has most likely given a hard right to the chin of Yahoo!, which seems to be suffering from a magnitude of quality problems. MSN will be second to Google in total searches in 2005.

5) PR still has importance. However, it is also decreasing in value. PR is only based on the quantity and quality of links (both inbound and outbound) from the given web page. The most obvious reasoning for the declining importance theory is due to the fact that on any given search on Google, the PR of each page seems to have barely any correlation with its place in the rankings. For all you PR lovers out there, hold on to your toolbars tight, because this could be a bumpy ride.
About the Author
Bobby Heard (bheard@abalone.ca) is the Vice-President of Abalone Designs (www.abalone.ca), which offers great SEO results at affordable prices.

Search Engine Optimization and Other Scary Things by Francisco Aloy

Search Engine Optimization and Other Scary Things by Francisco Aloy

by Francisco Aloy

Being a relative newcomer to the Web I decided to foray into
Search Engine Optimization to gain first hand experience and any
insights I could. My assumption was that it would have a basis
built on rational thinking and logical facts.

I pre-supposed a certain degree of agreement and transparency
from many of the established sources and opinion makers. My
starting viewpoint supported by my association of Search Engine
Optimization and the Web as natural extensions of common sense,
logical thinking.

In hindsight, I must confess I'm not more knowledgeable about the
subject than when I first started. I found very few opinions and
practices based on fact. What I did find - and it came as an
unexpected revelation - was general confusion and disagreement.

I found secret potion SEO, lurking-in-the-shadows SEO, ignorance
as dogma SEO, Voodoo SEO, witch doctor SEO, magical chicken bones
SEO, the 10 blind men and the elephant SEO, fancy and hearsay as
SEO!
In the minority, I found but a handful of opinions based on
cold hard facts and logic. How in the world can Search Engine
Optimization mean all those things?

OK, perhaps I did overdo the above paragraph, but the point I'm
making is this: With the infinite number of opinions, incorrect
assumptions and dead wrong practices; how do you know what to
believe? Imagine you're a small business looking for SE
optimization; how would you go about it?

The Search Engines, of course, won't reveal more than general
guidelines for optimization; other than that, they don't say
much. I realize they do things in that manner because they can't
explain much about their inner workings. If folks had the skinny
on the formulas and algorithms, nothing short of SE pandemonium
would ensue.

I'm sure you've seen the ads that guarantee a dominant position
for your choice of keywords. How can that be so? I think some
keyword phrases are so competitive, very few have the resources
it would take to acquire dominance. The cost of many of the
keywords and phrases are completely out of reach for most small
home based businesses.

Furthermore, I'm sure you've heard about websites getting banned
after hiring a SEO expert. I had this experience:

I remember reading about a well known SEO business and I wrote
them an email inquiring about why they didn't appear in the
search results dealing with their subject matter: search engine
optimization or search engine ranking. I received a short and
cryptic reply that didn't say much.

As time went by, I came onto an article that stated the
particular SEO outfit had been banned by the SE's during that
time frame. That explains the nature of the return email;
meaning: I don't want to talk about it!

The paragraph above implies that if they'll do it to their own
website, they'll do it to yours! Look before you leap should more
than suffice as the motto for your business decision.

I think SEO experts that are on the level won't guarantee you
dominance for ANY keyword phrase. Think about your competition
and see if it's feasible. For example, would you have the
resources to dominate for the word "business?" I did a search on
Google and came up with 695,000,000 results!

Before you make a decision and commit time and money, check out
any offer. Phone past customers and ask them about their
experiences; would they hire the same expert again? Ask for
quantifiable results and look for a positive track record; I
imagine SEO experts are not a dime a dozen. Investigate and get
answers to all your questions before you put money on the table.

(C)2005 Francisco Aloy

=============================================


About the Author
Francisco Aloy is the Editor of The
Newbie Business Guide. Constructive
and clear information to start your
Internet Business. For more articles
by Mr. Aloy, visit:
http://www.newbie-business-guide.com