The article below shows the value of SEO link building from 5 top SEO experts. No matter what you believe, it’s still a very important part of any SEO strategy and Internet Marketing. Don’t just take my word for it, read the articles, not that I haven’t written a marketing book on SEO, Search, Blogs and Internet Marketing.

5 experts demystify SEO link building - iMediaConnection.com

To hammer the value of anchor texted based links, I am going to ask you to visit the following sites, Zappos, Expedia, and salesforce.com. Now check their rankings in Google for any of the keywords in their title tags, do you see them in the top 10 search results, you should? They are some of the best SEO companies. Also check out MSNBC.com and shopping.msn.com, they also rank high for their keywords, in the top 10 and top 5.  Well, we have friends at the Green Channel at MSN so, let’s give them a link for the great work that they are doing!  Why do all of these site rank in the top 10, and are very good at SEO, rather than their competitors? My main proof is that they all use Anchor text based footer links on the bottom of their pages. If you don’t know what that is, just look at the bottom of their pages, you will quickly see what I am talking about.

Recently, I was talking to a Sr. SEO manager for one of the top 5 Internet companies in the world. His boss recommend I talk with him, to figure out how I can help them. In the hour long conversation, I was lucky to get a word in. He thought, I was looking for a job, which I wasn’t against. I mean, who wouldn’t they are a top 5 Internet Company with billions in revenues. But, by the end of the 1 hour, I wouldn’t work for him or his boss. Why? And what does this tangent have to do with Link Building? patient my dear, patient:-)

That Sr. Manager and his associates have an SEO guidelines document, and they don’t talk about Link Popularity, Google page rank or Anchor Text based links at all. Well, if they did, it might not even be more than a sentence. The worst part of it is, they have so many opportunities to help their internal departments, as most of their pages have a Google Page Rank of 9 and 8. We are talking far more than 30 pages with at least a PR of 8 or higher. Thousands of pages with PR of 7+, and they don’t recommend that these website designers, producers or teams do any SEO links. This guy claims to have written a marketing book, but I checked and it doesn’t even cover proper keywords. Mind you this guy, does not recommend using Adwords.google.com, so how could he even know about proper Anchor Text links.

So what’s the message in all of this? Knowing about SEO is different then being very good at SEO, and the most important thing to know is the power of Anchor text links from high PR pages. You don’t have to buy my Marketing book, but you should, it is at Amazon, and only 19.95. The strategies work, have you seen our rankings for “Free Blog” “SEO” “Create blog” “Blogging“, we are in the top 10 at google. Even for our clients RentExpert.com for VRBO. But, we are not there yet for “Travel Blog” for our website eVacations.org, we are SEOing it for the major keyword “Vacations“. Yes we are shooting for major keywords, and doing very well. Top 14 in Google for “SEO”, go ahead buy our marketing book, you will benefit from it. And, go get some organic links!

I have been a fan of PRWeb for more than two years, because we received thousands of links with our Press Releases and quickly got a good Google page rank for our previous blogs and real estate websites. Every SEO expert knows that sending out a professional Press Release through a wire service is the best way to get thousands of contextual links.  One of the other things you can do, is to go to our b2b and  online marketplace and  submit your business information.  While it won’t give you thousands of links, it does get get good traffic and it’s a sure way to promote your businesses! But recently I learned that PRNewswire says that they SEO press releases, but they did not provide contextual links within their press release, in fact they only provided one link. I had my client check with his PRNewswire rep to make sure that he got what he paid for. He paid the extra $250 but never got the links, his rep said that they SEO but don’t provide links. This was the silliest thing I have heard.

But, I wanted to do some research and make sure that PRWeb and PRNewswire were fully researched before I provided my SEO and Internet Marketing verdict. I read a few blogs, I did some research and my past experiences to make my judgement, which is. PRNewswire is an old company, with old ties and if you want to be seen as a Fortune 500 company, use them. They are expensive and worthless for SEO, because they don’t provide any contextual links back. PRWeb is the #2 company for Press Releases and does so much to SEO your news that it actually helps you get thousands of links in a week or less. The online tools for PRWeb are not super easy to use, but who cares, they give you THOUSANDS OF contextual links from news sites, which is amazing for SEO.  Every business should do press releases, but only when they have news.  B2b marketing finding customers is now much easier, so you don’t have to constantly push,  sites like Alibaba and Trade Key are great sites for b2b Exchanges and online businesses to promote themselves. 

Every SEO expert also knows that you need more Contextual links than your competitor, especially from news worthy sites, and blogs. Well guess what folks, PRWeb delivers, thousands of links for the price of about $130. But don’t take my word for it, spend hundreds of dollars, lots of time, and than you can email me later saying, YOU WERE RIGHT Vipin. No, don’t do that, take my word for it, and read the following links and search results:

Prweb Vs. Prnewswire - High Rankings Search Engine Optimization Forum

PRWEb vs. PRNewswire Press Release Service for SEO - SEO Tip Week 38

PR Newswire vs. PRWeb From an SEO Perspective » Slicksurface …

PR Newswire vs. PRWeb From an SEO Perspective. A client of ours distributes “soft news stories” for their corporate clients. These can range from product …
www.slicksurface.com/blog/2007-05/pr-newswire-vs-prweb-from-an-seo-perspective - 25k -Now you have the secrets of the top SEO Experts, you should be sending out Press Releases every week on PRWeb.com.

Many people have realized the value and potential benefits of blogging, but they struggle when it’s time to actually write their posts and create their content. After all, it’s tough to maintain a blog and post interesting things day in and day out. However, the web is full of ideas and ways to set your creative capabilities on fire.

One way to generate new ideas and give life to old ones is use the social bookmarking and tagging sites to find new perspectives in your niche.  Digg, del.icio.us, stumble upon, flickr, youtube, and other sites all have tons of user-submitted content, organized by tags.  This system is referred to as a “folksonomy” - the practice and method of collective collaboration using freely chosen keywords known as “tags”.  Users tag content with descriptive phrases and terms in order to share it more effectively with people who are interested in the same topics.

It’s important to see what others in your niche are talking about, and one way to find this out is to see what’s been tagged with your keywords on the various social media sites.  You may be wondering, however, does this translate into posts on your blog? Here are five things you can do with knowledge gleaned from the social media.

1.  Write a response to another blogger. Did you disagree with what they said?  Want to add to their thoughts and bring a new point of view into the conversation?  Use your blog to share your insights, and be sure to link to the inspiring post so the original blogger is aware of you (one caveat - keep your criticism constructive and respective - flame wars have no place on a business blog).

2.  Create a round-up of interesting links.  Did you discover all sorts of all cool sites and articles?  Chances are your readers might be interested in them too, so why not post them on your blog? Don’t forget to write a sentence or two about each link so they know what they are clicking on.

3.Compliment another blogger.  Come across another blogger or website that is simply amazing?  Write a post about why they are so incredible and if it applies, use them as an example of a blogging success.   Maybe even interview them and tell your readers their story.

4.Share what you’ve learned.  Find an informative article or how-to that you really learned something from?  Elaborate on that for your audience.  Bonus points if you can post pictures or your own experience of following the original article’s advice.

5.  Post a funny, creative, or intriguing video.  When you’re simply at a loss for blogging words, youtube, vimeo, and other video sites can be your saviors.   After all, if a picture’s worth a thousand words, a video has got to be worth at least a million.

What do you do when you suffer from blogger’s block?

Are you holding off from starting a blog simply because there are so many other bloggers out there?  Worried about standing out from the pack and wondering how you’ll ever get traffic, lots of incoming links, and a high page rank?  A little bit intimidated with blogs with tons of content and several years worth of posts in the archives?

First of all, remember that no one makes the A-list overnight.  You may get spikes of traffic from a great post or by being popular on the social bookmarking sites, but building an amazing blog takes time.  After all, Rome wasn’t built in a day.

Focus on the little things, and think of each incoming link, unique impression, and new subscriber as a building block for your blog.  These all occur one at a time, but they definitely add up.  Building up content is the same way - make the effort to post several times a week (or even every day if you’re ambitious), and before you know it, you’ll have created quite an impressive archive of knowledgeable content.

Search engines love sites with tons of content on related topics, so the simple act of writing a post helps with SEO (of course, it’s even better if it is a keyword-rich post, but you knew that, right?).  Of course, search engines also love sites that are constantly updated, so posting as often as possible is another simple SEO boost.

It’s also important to remember that you don’t need to write a book every day.  Some of the best, most informative articles out there are only a few paragraphs long, and it’s difficult to read tons of text on a computer screen anyways (so be sure to break up blocks of text somehow, whether you use bold headings, bullet points, or similar techniques).

So get started on your blog, take it one day at a time, and you may end up being amazed at what you’ve built.

Blogging is essentially a social, conversational medium, so it only goes to follow that you can’t successfully blog in a vacuum.  You have to read and respond to other bloggers, link to outside websites, and be aware of what others in niche are talking about by participating in the popular social media networks.

Basically, you have to read at least as much as you write.  First of all, reading and absorbing the work of talented writers is one of the most important things you can do when it comes to developing your own writing voice.  It only goes to follow that, if you want to get the most out of your blog, you have to read other blogs as well.  Besides, being aware of the current popular topics in in the blogosphere is valuable, and you’ll never know where you’ll pick up a great tip or two.

You don’t even necessarily have to read tons of blogs about blogging (although as your Blogging Coach, I would say that you should definitely keep an eye on a few meta-blogs); useful, well-written advice and positive examples can be found on blogs in any niche.  It’s also important to check out blogs that discuss similar topics to yours, so you can pick up on market trends and see if anyone has written, linked to, or created anything interesting.

One of the key differences between blogging and more traditional forms of media, marketing, and public relations is that it’s a two way street.  Yes, your readers can and will respond to your posts in the comments, but other bloggers can write responses on their blogs too.  Reacting and sharing opinions are a key part of participating in the blogosphere, so it’s not only useful, it’s imperative that you read at least a few other blogs.

Don’t think that you have the time to read?  Try subscribing to your favorites and scanning them in a reader (I personally prefer Google Reader, but there are tons of options out there), or tagging posts that intrigue you with a “toread” tag in del.icio.us and coming back them when you have time to spare.

What other blogs do you read? Do you read them for news, education, inspiration, or entertainment (or a mix of all the above?)

In honor of Daily Blog Tips’s “Blog Project: Three” Contest, here are the three things that all bloggers should before they hit the publish button on a new post.

1.  Read over and spell check the content.  I know that blogging is an informal medium, but spelling and grammar errors can make you appear less intelligent that you actually are, and a quick proofread only takes a few minutes.  Besides, once you’ve invested the time in setting up your blog, writing posts, and participating in the blogging community, what’s a few more minutes to ensure that you put your best face forward?  Spelling errors on a blog are the equivalent of going into a job interview in track pants and a t-shirt - in a perfect world, appearances wouldn’t matter, but in the real world, they definitely do.

2.  Make sure that your post is tagged properly and assigned to the correct categories.  You want to make it as simple as possible for others to find your blog and use your content, so careful tagging and categorizing are essential and easy things to do.

3.  Link to any other blogs or outside sources you mention.  It helps your readers find out more on a particular topic if they are so inclined, and giving some link love to fellow bloggers is generally a good thing.  Besides, citing your sources lends your blog credibility (well, this may depend on what the sources are, but in general citing can’t hurt).

3.5.  The one thing bloggers should do after they hit publish is to check how their post looks in the context of the rest of the site - is the layout okay?  If there are images, are they are sized and placed properly?  Are any of the links broken?  Did you forget to mention anything really important?  Go back and edit anything that’s not right - one of the many, many excellent aspects of blogging is how easy it is to edit and fix errors. 

*An aside: blogging round-ups, contests, and carnivals are excellent way to get the word out about your blog to other bloggers and new readers, so keep an eye out for similar goings-on in your niche.  The Daily Blog Tips Project 3 contest is very open-ended (as long as you post about something involving the number 3, you can participate).

So we’ve established the search engines love sites with tons of incoming links, and we’ve talked about a few different ways to earn them. However, I have yet to mention a major source of traffic - the social media sites. Granted, using the social media networks as a source of links isn’t typically considered part of SEO, but they can be very useful when used properly.

How to Play the Social Media Game:

Social media can be defined as the online technologies and practices people use to share opinions, insights, experiences, and perspectives (thanks wikipedia!).  Although social media is generally used as an umbrella term that encompasses everything from YouTube to Second Life, bloggers can utilize content-sharing sites like Digg, Del.icio.us, Reddit, and Stumble Upon and social networking sites such as Facebook, Myspace, and Linked In.*

First of all, syndicate your blog content on all the social media networks that you have profiles on, as well as any directories that index content related to your niche. You don’t have to reprint entire posts, rather, just copy the first few sentences - use it like a teaser or preview, and then be sure to link to it with “read more” or “continue”. After all, if someone is comes across your profile on any social media site, they’d probably be interested in your blog too. Be sure to get some of your keywords in the in the “teaser” part, however, so you’re playing to the search engines as well as the readers.

Second, become an active participant in social content sites like Digg, along with popular forums in your niche. You have to give some to get some, after all, and by reading and interacting on these, you’ll learn what kind of content is well received. Over all, however, it pays to be bold, to show off your passions, and to create content that has value for your users. This is where link baiting (in the altruistic “creating compelling content” sense) can really pay off.

Note: when you’re submitting posts to the social media networks, aim for “scannable” content - easily digestible article with bulleted or numbered lists, headings and subheadings, and charts and graphs. Reading on the web is not the same as reading a book - most people tend to just scan over things and pick up the main ideas.

Viral Ideas and Blogging

Viral marketing and viral content are major buzzwords these days, and for good reason. An idea, a post, a website, or an application can go viral and get thousands of links and millions of hits in a matter of hours. Of course, these can be shallow hits and non-targeted traffic, but the viral marketers do have a point - people spread ideas and share content that’s easily understandable, benefits the user in some way (even if it’s only to make them smile - look at how quickly things like lolcats get around), and neatly packaged (perhaps in the form of a concise, well-written blog post).

*This is by no means an exhaustive list, and it may take some research and trial and error to figure what communities are best suited to your purposes.

Link baiting is a term that comes up a lot in SEO discussions, and it can be a very powerful component of your SEO strategy.  Link bait is used to describe any sort of linkable content - a blog post, an image, a special feature - within a site that’s meant to catch attention and invite others to link to it.   At the most basic level, link bait is something bloggers and webmasters deem interesting enough to share with their own readers.  Successful link baiting can be an extremely potent form of viral marketing.

Despite the fact that link baiting is sometimes referred to in a negative manner (i.e. you’re “tricking” people into linking to you and coming to your site), it’s really about establishing yourself in your niche, creating useful and compelling content, and getting your ideas out there by reaching people who might be able to use them.

There are six basic types of link bait, or hooks

1. Breaking News - Be the first to break a major story or to share a unique piece of news, or just write up it in the clearest, most compelling manner.

2. Humour - People like to laugh, plain and simple.  If you can make them smile, they’ll reward you in the form of links and clicks.

3. Inspiration - Uplifting quotes, stories, and personal triumphs can all inspire people to link to your site.

4. Controversy and Attacks - Stand out from the crowd by being contrary or negative, by being the only one in your niche to dislike something, or by straight up slamming someone or something.  This is difficult to do well without reflecting poorly upon you and your brand, so it’s probably best left to the non-business or anonymous bloggers.

5. Flattery - Will get you everywhere. Write positive and genuine posts praising other bloggers, new products, and services, and anything else you really like.  Be sure to link to whatever it is you are writing about, and they’ll probably return the favor.  You can also create a comprehensive list of websites, blogs, and other online resources for your niche (this technique combines #5 and #6).

6. Resources and How-tos - Teach your readers how to do something, give them something valuable, make your blog benefit them in some way, shape, or form. This is probably the best form of link bait for a business blog to employ - you’ll get to show off your expertise to a whole bunch of potential new clients and customers.

Remember, the more incoming links you have, the higher your blog will rank in the search engine listings, so be sure to include a little link baiting in your overall SEO plan.

Search engine optimization is not all about keywords and optimized site design, although those are certainly essential. However, the number of incoming links your site has also matters. I’ve touched on the matter of incoming links before, but I didn’t mention how important they were to your blog’s rank.

Link Building and Link Popularity

Link Popularity is a score based on the number of incoming links pointed at your blog.  Clearly, the more incoming links you have the better, but link reputation and page importance play a role as well.

You’re nobody until somebody links to you - link building is the single most important part of achieving a high ranking website in modern search algorithms.  I repeat, link building is the single most important part of achieving a high ranking website in modern search algorithms.

So how do you get other bloggers and webmasters to link to your blog? First of all, create compelling content that others will be interesting in linking to - content is still king.    Secondly, participate in the blogging community.  Be active in relevant discussions, leave substantive comments on other blogs, post on related forums (as always, be sure to place a link to your blog in your signature), and trade links with topical hubs and related sites.

Third, link to other blogs in your niche - you can trade links, or just reward other bloggers with links and it’s likely they’ll return the favor.  Fourth, write glowing testimonials and reviews of services and products related to your blogging topics - chances are they will link back to you when they post them on their own sites.

The Role of Keywords in Link Building

Think of each post and page on your blog as a building block - each is its own unit and has it’s own ranking potential and relevant keywords. Use some of your keywords in each post’s title (search engines index posts by title) and resist the urge to write cutesy or attention grabbing headlines that have little to do with the actual content.  You may be successful at gaining some traffic, but it might not be the valuable kind that’s targeted to your blog.

Writing keyword rich titles and headings that are also crisp and concise can do wonders for your blog’s rankings.  Not only will descriptive titles let search engine readers know they’re in the right place - they’ve found what they’ve been searching for - it will also help you out when others link to your site, even if they use the whole URL to cite your blog. Basically, you want people to know what they are clicking on, so you want your keywords to be part of the links that point at your blog.

The next post in my SEO For Bloggers series will cover link baiting and how to use your content as bait to lure in the linkers and readers.