Quick post for friday afternoon, an update to a post I did on sphinn that never got sphunn because I have no friends :). Over the next little while I may repurpose some of my ideas I’ve posted elsewhere and rebuild and update them here.
1) Sugarrae - Sugarrae’s blog. She doesn’t post as often anymore, but you’ll want to cling to every word. Go back and read all of her previous posts. She did a small paid consulting job for me when I first started doing SEO. To date it’s the best money I’ve ever spent. As an SEO, she skyrocketed me right to the top with ‘what works’. In any regard, read her blog.
2) Jim Boykin - Again he doesn’t post as much as he used to, but go back and read all of the old posts on his blog -go back a few years. Jim is free with his advice to everyone, and he’s another very, very sharp person. I ran into Jim at a pubcon years ago, long before I knew he was far more than a scruffy bearded hoodied geek. In an hour, over a beer, he imparted more guidance than I’ve read in years online. Probably 5-6 years later I still use what he told me in that conversation as foundation guidance on how to build links. He was talking trustrank concepts years before anyone was discussing the idea publicly. I don’t just want to be LIKE Jim, I want to BE Jim :). Maybe I should get a ‘I want to be like Jim’ hoodie….?
3) Andrew Goodman - Best Google adwords book available. Support your independent bookstore and go buy a copy if you’re doing PPC at all. You should probably also buy Perry Marshall’s book.
4) WebMasterWorld - The internet’s premier SEO forum. It has ebbs and flows of good posts, but there’s lots of good advice there still. If you’re serious about SEO, it pays the $100 or so to become a site supporter, or it gets the hose again.
5) Digitalpoint forums - In all seriousness, I don’t read the SEO forums there. Too much low end garbage to wade through, full of folks who’s life is automated directory submissions. But still, if you’re getting started, it’s an alternate view on the industry. I like it for the buy-sell forums. It’s a great place to get a banner graphic or template done cheap. And there’s a whack of sites being sold - every once in a while you’ll find a gem. For design stuff, you can hold a ‘contest’ which means you post your payment, everyone does their design, you pick the one you like and pay them. Weird, but true.
6) Sphinn - Really, this shouldn’t be in a top 10 list. It’s full of low end garbage posts and self promotion. But the self promoters in the industry seem to like it, so let’s say I bowed to peer pressure. It’s not in my top 10 list, but it’s a widely read site so it gets a mention. FWIW, Sphinn is Danny Sullivan’s new gig. Danny is the original force behind the SES conferences, he was and is a powerhouse in the industry - but not the sphinn site :).
7) SlightlyShadySEO - As it’s name suggests, it’s not really as blackhat as you might think. More of a grey hat. But well worth the read, it’ll give you good insight into some of the edgier stuff in the business. Not all of it - but enough for you to kind of get a feel for the type of thing going on. And you do need to have a bit of a feel for that side of the business, even if you’re whitehat. My goal for the coming year is to meet this guy and have a beer with him. That’s assuming he’s old enough to consume alcohol :).
Pubcon - The conference run by the folks at webmasterworld. Everyone who’s anyone goes. White hat, black hat, search engines, everyone. If you’re newish, the sessions are fabulous. If you’re more experienced, it’s where you go to network. Some of my very best ideas came out of having dinner with someone at pubcon. Meet the folks you’re going to message SEO ideas back and forth with for the coming year. Seriously - this is a must attend. I was a bit reluctant to go the first time, after that it’s a big deal to me if I don’t go.
9) Search Engine Strategies - This is the grandaddy of SEO conferences. Huge. The conference in Toronto is a dud though - I only ever get an exhibit hall pass, do a 20 minute drive by of the 8 booths they have, then go home. The conference in New York, I think the sessions are still a bit weak (meant for the lowest common denominator) but the exhibit hall is freakishly large. Can you say 3 stories of booths? The exhibit hall alone is a day or two to get through. For sure worth going. The other one is the SES in San Jose. I have not been but I’m told it’s outstanding - I’m dying to go. It’s where they have the famous ‘Google Dance’. Apparently all the search engines put on parties.
Funny story at SES NY. Last time I went, they were drawing for a new Jeep. I laughingly folded a corner on my ticket and told the guy to pick that one. Ha. Ha. So they drew a ticket. Not me, but the winner had to be present to win….so they waited. And waited. And no show. So they drew another ticket. And again waited. And waited. Another no show. So they drew a third ticket AND THE CORNER WAS FOLDED! Yes, I remained cool, but I was pretty excited :). No, it wasn’t me. But it was fun for 3 seconds while I thought ‘maybe’!
But back to building links. Tony Spencer had a great idea if he won a jeep for free. Drive it off a cliff and video tape it. Post the video, and you’re going to get links and hits. A waste of a jeep, but hey, it’s a jeep right?
10) You’re already here! Remember, I’m speaking in Toronto this month, see you there!
And have a great weekend!