Authority vs Mini-Sites, My Marketing Strategies For 2012

As you probably already know, 2011 was a real wake-up year
for my online marketing techniques. The Panda Updates by Google
dispensed total havoc on my main source of traffic and sales
- article marketing.

In article directories like Ezinearticles.com, I saw many of
my top ranked articles in Google fall from the radar, lowering
my traffic and search rankings. As a general fall-out, my main
site also took a big hit in the amount of search engine traffic
it received from Google.

However, thankfully, I did not put all my eggs in the one basket.
Over the years, I did build 9 or 10 mini-sites, mainly springing
from topics on my authority site – these sites were not affected
by Panda and some actually rose in rankings.

Keep in mind, the Panda Updates was first called the “Content Farm
Update” and was meant to lower or de-rank sites which had a variety
of topics covered within one general site. Google judged this content
to be of little or poor quality and decided to penalize these types
of pages and sites in its index.

Many webmasters and site owners have questioned Google’s reasoning
here, why should some low quality pages bring down your whole site.
Chances are extremely high, your site’s visitors will never see these
pages… it’s like saying you can’t have visitors in your home because
you have a messy attic or basement.

In addition, pages and sites which were overly SEOed or over optimized
for the search engines were hit hard in these latest series of Updates
by Google. So too, was duplicate or non-original content. In the past,
I made the mistake of placing my articles on my sites as well as in
all the article directories… this confuses a search engine such as
Google and makes it hard for them to rank the original source of the
information.

When one door closes, another one opens.

While I am still working hard at re-designing my main site and have
not abandoned 10 years of hard work… I am cleaning out the attic and
fixing the basement. But, I have long learned on the web, you have to
adjust your marketing tactics to take advantage of what’s working
at the moment.

Actually, finding an exact domain name or search term, which has around
5-10k visitors a month or less and then building a small “high quality”
mini-site around the topic is a proven marketing tactic since the web began.
These highly focused sites often get ranked on the first page of Google
within weeks, even days.

With little or no promotion on your part!

This comes from the strength of your exact keyword domain – if you have
the domain/site for “buybluewidgetsonline” – changes are extremely high
you will get listed in Google for that phrase on the first page, if not
the top spot.

Again, this all comes back to Google satisfying its customers, if a
searcher finds what he or she is looking for by clicking your link,
Google has no choice but to list it in their index. Satisfy enough
of Google’s searchers, and your site will rise to the top.

Now, we are talking about mainly “low competition” keywords because
we are talking about small amounts of traffic. (You can use Google’s
External Keyword Tool to find exact-match keyword domains.) However,
if this traffic is highly targeted and results in good conversion rates (sales)
it is definitely worth your attention and expense.

Most times, the exact keyword domain, will trump your competition’s
SEO (link building efforts) in the majority of cases. You end up with
a site listed at the top of Google for your targeted keywords.

In 2012, I will be exploring and building more mini-sites to see
how they perform over the long term when compared to my main (bigger)
authority sites. Will keep you informed of the results.


Helpful links:

Use this page to check the Authority of a site or page:

http://www.opensiteexplorer.org

Are Exact Match Domains Too Powerful? Is Their Time Limited?

Google Caffeine: Will Keyworded Domains Inherit The Web?

Helping People Succeed Online Since 2002!

Kind Regards,
+Titus Hoskins

www.bizwaremagic.com

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Image via CrunchBase

Recently, a guest speaker at the Pubcon search engine
marketing conference, stated: “SEO will be dead in around
6 months!”

Of course, that statement was supposed to shock and
draw attention to a curious question. Can the mighty
Google finally have some serious competition on its hands?

Before you start shaking your head, that speaker’s
name was Leo Laporte of “This Week In Google” or TWIG
for short. So this is someone who probably has a closer
eye on Google than you or I.

Don’t know about you, but for the most part, I am
way too busy figuring out Google’s latest Algorithm
changes, to wonder if the whole foundation is about
to crumble. But this competition is something I never
thought of as even being competition.

The “David” in question here is Apple’s Siri Technology
which they bought in 2010 and introduced on the iPhone 4S.
Siri is part of the iOS 5 and is a natural language software
that processes and answers your questions.

Siri is like your own personal assistant who gets to
know your individual preferences and adapts over time
to truly personalize your results.

Basically, Siri will search out information for you and
personalize the results to your liking and taste. It
can use speech and text to give you the answers to all
your questions.

At its core, isn’t this something that Google is
currently doing? Answering questions and supplying
information?

The big question…

Can Apple’s Siri do a better job than Google?

At the moment probably not, but what about a few
years down the road? Apple has a massive data center
in North Carolina collecting information (sound familiar)
that can be honed and perfected to deliver precisely
what’s needed.

What if this Siri Technology is opened up for
third party applications and developments? What
if those other parties have a vested interest in
promoting and using this new language technology.

And what if Apple removes all Google search from
its countless mobile devices and replaces it with
Siri search?


Of course, Google is not some helpless little
competitor that can be easily defeated. It
has huge resources to take Apple on in an all
out war for control of the web. We already see
Google taking that battle to Apple with the
Android and other devices such as the Chromebook.

Google is also moving into speech and may even
“outdo” Apple when it comes to semantic speaking
search. Needless to say, no one is counting Google
out just yet.

However, many are saying Siri has “personality”
and is already connecting with its users in a way
that Google search hasn’t. Plus, Apple is well
known for turning technology into very usable
“must have” everyday items, but is there
enough Steve Jobs DNA left to continue this
trend?

Let’s face it-

Apple showed us how to use the Walkman.

Apple showed us how to use the Smart Phone.

Apple showed us how to use the Tablet.

Can Apple show us how to use a search engine?

Ultimately, it is those search users who will
decide how the future of the web plays out.


But getting back to the more serious question
at hand – how will all this new “spoken” search
affect online marketing and SEO? How can one
optimize their sites for Siri? How do they
make sure their product or business comes up
when a Siri user asks a question?

Forget the battle between Apple and Google, it
is this SEO question which will be the major battle
and concern for webmasters and online marketers in
the coming years, if not months.

For further information try the Forbes article
below:

Forbes – Why Siri Is A Google Killer

or here:

20 Ways Siri May Forever Change Education

Helping People Succeed Online Since 2002!

Kind Regards,
+Titus Hoskins

www.bizwaremagic.com

Did you find the above information helpful? If so, why not
help spread the word – recommend this content by using
the social bookmark sites below. The SEO Gods will Thank You!

In the past there have been a few cases when I needed to
recover deleted or lost content from the web. Now I keep
several backups of all my sites, but I can remember 2 or
3 years ago, when the server hosting my main site crashed
and everything was lost.

No big deal, I just had to upload my site again to a different
server, which I quickly did. Couple of hours of work and I
was back in business. However, this site had a WordPress
blog and database which were also deleted when the server
crashed. I did not make regular backups of this database…
something that was inexcusable but hey, we all make mistakes.


What to do?


I had a lot of unique content and postings on that blog,
it was a vital part of my overall site. Besides, having
all this content suddenly go missing would not help with
my search engine rankings. Too many “not found” links
or files is especially frowned upon by Google, where the
visitor’s experience is paramount.

That’s when I remembered hearing about the “Wayback Machine”
somewhere along the line… could they possibly have copies
of my lost blog content?

To my surprise and delight, this site had numerous full
captures of my site going back many years, including the
WordPress blog. All I had to do was retrieve this content
and re-post it on the new server. Now, because of the coding,
you won’t be able to directly download the HTML files for
this content – but all your text, links and content is there.

For me, this site was and is a true lifesaver. It really is
another backup of your web content that you may not even be
aware of, especially if you’re new to the webmaster field.

The URL for the WayBack Machine is:


web.archive.org

Later, I learned some savvy online marketers even use this
site and service to find online opportunities which are worth
pursuing. This marketing strategy goes along the following lines.

These marketers research expired domains for something that
they believe can be viable and profitable. They then use the
WayBack Machine to see if this extinct domain and site has plenty
of original content that can be used. These domains may even have
plenty of existing backlinks and PageRank. If everything looks
enticing, they buy the domain and contact the previous owner to
buy the old content and/or site.

Keep in mind, there are virtual versions of “house flippers”
on the web. They find/buy old websites and fix them up to keep
in their own portfolio or to sell. Sometimes it is just a matter
of framing the lost content in a different light or angle to make
it shine.

Regardless, the next time you’re scratching your hair out because
you have lost or accidently deleted content from the web – don’t
panic. And before you put your head in that gas oven, try the
WayBack Machine.


It can really be a lifesaver.

…

Here’s a great free site for checking to see if webpages
are unique and original. You can also check to see if anyone
is using your own content…

http://www.copyscape.com

Helping People Succeed Online Since 2002!

Kind Regards,
+Titus Hoskins

www.bizwaremagic.com

Did you find the above information helpful? If so, why not
help spread the word – recommend this content by using
the social bookmark sites below. The SEO Gods will Thank You!

Almost everyone has heard of Google Bombing… where
enough people plant countless links to get a keyword
phrase to rank in the top spot in Google for some
silly phrase, like getting George Bush to show up for
“miserable failure”… usually this is done in a
light-hearted matter.

Google Bombing has been around for a long time and
Wikipedia even has a whole section on it:


http://wikipedia.org/wiki/Google_bomb

But there is another nasty practice called Google Bowling
and this one is much more sinister in nature and is not
much fun for its unfortunate victims.

What is Google Bowling?

Google Bowling is planting or creating low quality (spammy)
links pointing to a site in order to lower its rankings in
Google. This practice is usually done by your competitors
to undermine your site in the “eyes” of Google.

While Google has maintained in the Past that “inbound links”
don’t negatively affect your rankings… since you obviously
have no control over these links. However, many webmasters have
seen the negative side of getting spammy links and how these have
lowered their rankings in Google.

Why would someone do this?

If you’re in a very competitive and lucrative niche, just a
movement up or down a few ranking spaces – can result in a loss
or gain of thousands of dollars in sales. Business is war and
some people will do everything they can to beat the competition.
Including spending money to buy spammy links for their competing
sites!

Now, there is a whole discussion on the web about whether or not
Google Bowling even works? Google maintains they can counter this
practice within their algorithm or even manually, but I believe
it does work and after the Panda Update which is all about
“site quality”… this nasty practice is even more effective
for undermining your competition.

And I am not alone in this belief, Neil Shearing has been following
this issue for some time. He covers it in a very good blog post
located here:


http://www.neilshearing.com/2011/08/26/google-bowling-update-all-sites-at-risk/

Basically, all sites could be at risk, even yours. So the more
you know about this nasty BlackHat SEO practice the better you
will be able to protect yourself and your site. To learn more
about Google Bowling just click the link above.

Stay connected with this site:

Helping People Succeed Online Since 2002!

Kind Regards,
+Titus Hoskins

P.S. These are the Actual web marketing tools which
I use daily to earn a full-time online living:

http://goo.gl/0CBr

Did you find the above information helpful? If so, why not
help spread the word – recommend this content by using
the social bookmark sites below. The SEO Gods will Thank You!

Lately, where SEO is concerned, I believe there has been two major
shifts.

1. Whole Site Ranking – After Panda, Google is judging and ranking
your whole site, rather than just one page or one piece of content.
Having a site filled with excellent content is no longer good enough,
this content must be quick to load, easy to read and have all the
right navigation and layout. You must be careful to have most, if
not all of your site, filled with original content. In addition,
you should also note that some webmasters or websites who were hit
hard by the Panda Update, have found creating subdomains for their
different sections of their sites have brought their Google traffic
numbers back up, especially any sections which may be different from
your general content.

2. Social Networks/Bookmarks – Google with the introduction of Google+
and the Google +1 button is starting to create its own social ranking
program and system. These social backlinks and rankings will play a bigger
role in how Google ranks pages and your site. Your site and content should
contain all these buttons and bookmarks – so that your visitors can
follow you and bookmark your content. I also believe in very near future,
if it’s not already happening, how MANY followers, fans, subscribers you or
your site have in Twitter, Facebook, Youtube, Google+… will make a big
difference in how Google ranks your site and content.

Having said all that, like many webmasters, I am still pretty much
operating by the old SEO rules and practices. Creatures of habit.
For what it’s worth, here’s how you can simplify your whole SEO
process:

1. Try to create a short domain with your targeted keyword
in the domain name, go with a .com domain if you can get it and if
you have to use a multi-worded domain, try to get your keyword at
the beginning.

2. Create an “easy to navigate” unique content rich site which
is optimized for the search engines, but directed solidly at solving
your visitor’s needs. If you’re on a budget, one of the easiest ways
to do this is to use the free Wordpress software/platform to create
a keyword optimized site. Make sure this site is totally intertwined
with all the latest social networking programs such as Twitter, Facebook,
MySpace, Linkedin, YouTube… make sure you have profiles/accounts
in all of these platforms to compliment your main site.

3. Link to main interior pages from your home or index page.
These interior pages should have your targeted keywords in the “Title”,
“URL”, “Meta Tags”, “H1 Headings”, “First Paragraph”, “Last Paragraph”
and use keyword variations throughout the content. Place a few in bold
print and italics. Don’t be afraid to create large pages and link out
to other authority sites in your niche. Don’t worry about keyword
density unless it goes over 4%… this should not happen if you write
naturally for your visitor and not for the search engines.

4. Build quality one-way links by creating articles, press releases,
blog posts, videos, viral reports… and submit these to the major places
on the web such as free article directories (my favorites are still
ezinearticles, goarticles, buzzle, ideamarketers, isnare and article
alley). The real trick here is to consistently produce fresh content,
which steadily builds your backlinks month after month, year after year,
decade after decade!

5. Do whatever you can do to enrich your visitor’s experience.
Add valuable free content, free ebooks or ecourses, offer a comprehensive
guide or guides to your visitors. Connect all this free content to your
autoresponder opt-in list or newsletter and build repeat targeted traffic
to your site. In addition, make it extremely easy for these visitors to
bookmark/follow your content in all the social media sites: Twitter,
Facebook, MySpace, Google +1, and so on.

6. Rinse and Repeat. One of the little known tactics about achieving
top rankings in the search engines, especially Google, is to create not one
site but two or more sites in your niche market. (If you’re on a budget or
time is short, try creating two pages on your domain related to the
same targeted keywords.) Instead of trying to rank for one site in Google,
create two complimentary sites on the same related keywords, and you will
find it much easier to get to the top spots. Interlink these sites and you
can even promote them together, just make sure they each have unique content
and adds more detail and/or information for the visitor.

Over the years, I have come to believe strongly, achieving high rankings
is not some complex process but just a matter of persistence. Consistently
promoting your content by building quality backlinks will get you to the
top and keep you there. But the whole trick is persistence, keeping at it,
day after day… building those links back to your content. I also believe
it is the number of backlinks which is the key and this has been proven to
me many times over the years. Many SEO experts will now argue that links
have taken a back seat to other factors such as site authority and structure,
but I am not convinced this has happened. At least not yet, but data from
the 160+ million Google Chrome users, the new Google +1 Button and Google+
social networking platform, may eventually lower the importance of backlinks
and PageRank.

However, at the present time, if I stop promoting a page or competitive
keyword, it usually drops from the first page of Google. To get it back
on the first page, all I have to do is promote it with a few articles,
blog posts, press releases, videos… and it jumps back into the top spots,
even Post Panda. I mention all this because many times, SEO firms and experts
will try to complicate things with convoluted explanations and complex processes.
While in actual fact, achieving high rankings can be simplified down to nothing
more than persistence and adding a few quality backlinks.

Stay connected with this site:

Helping People Succeed Online Since 2002!

Kind Regards,
Titus

http://www.bizwaremagic.com

P.S. These are the Actual web marketing tools which
I use daily to earn a full-time online living:

http://goo.gl/0CBr

Did you find the above information helpful? If so, why not
help spread the word – recommend this content by using
the social bookmark sites below. The SEO Gods will Thank You!