SEO Talk: The Link Building that Works! (Part 2)
Search engine optimization is about consistency. To be successful in this field, you need to stay patient and constantly network with people by building links. It’s also a need to study your manual day-in and day-out.
With the emergence of Google Panda and Google Penguin, SEO has evolved in many ways. Niche blogs are not allowing to input URL. The forums are getting stricter with its rules. It’s unacceptable to submit multiple versions of a spun article to article directories.
On a good note, SEO becomes a fair marketing playground for everyone due to these new algorithm updates. These updates are protecting the search engine from spamming links.
Have a time to thoroughly read the Google Guidelines for a number of times and you’ll realize the rules are not complicated. It simply reminds you to “judge, link and write like a human.”
In real life, performing those black hat techniques in SEO is synonymous to corruption. Those spammers are politicians who choose to play dirty just to get rich (the use of illegal techniques to rank higher in search engine).
White Hat SEO for Long-Term Success
There are hundreds of techniques in off-page optimization are published online. For many, it gets confusing what to use, what to follow and when to use it. But don’t worry a thing. Simply choose the techniques that have high link value.
Consider hiring a professional link builder should you need assistance. The link builder studies your niche. He or she will create a detailed plan to improve the placement of your keywords, the circulation of links and what contents are to be published. To reach the top of Google, Yahoo! and Bing, expect your link builder to use the following techniques to your benefit:
1) Active Participation in Q&A Sites: The Q&A sites such as Yahoo! Answers, Quora, WikiAnswers and Answer.com make use of the question-and-answer format as a type of socialization. I regularly participate in Quora and I am completely satisfied with my experience there. The website contains loads of smart questions in any topic and in some ways, it also reminds me of Facebook. You can vote-up and write a comment to an answer.
Once you’re a member of Quora, it’s also your goal to create friends. Your friends are your followers. The link you insert in your answer can get enough clicks should you have more followers.
The one great thing about Yahoo Answers is its leveling-up feature. The feature awards you two points for every answer. This type of format encourages you to give answers that are a stand-out and well-researched. If the answer is well-researched, it will be voted as “the best” and you’ll be awarded with more points. The more points you receive, the more popular you are in the community.
Another feature of Yahoo Answers that I like is its rectangular box in which you’re going to input your sources and references.
2) Active Participation in Forums: Be patient with online forums. The administrators are stricter due to the widespread use of profile linking, which is a black-hat-technique. Spammers create profiles in various forums even it’s not related to their niche. Their attempt is for the search engines to crawl on the profile that contains the URL of their home page.
Again, this is nonsense SEO! It might bring success on your niche but it’s only for short-term. In time, your website can either be penalized or banned. Profile linking, in real life, is a form of coercion. It’s a perfect picture of a corrupt politician who bribes people just to get votes for the coming election.
It takes patience and time to achieve success in forums. You will have no problems in your stay once the policies are strictly followed after registration. That’s why; it’s suggested to browse around. Provide quality answers to the threads. The forum administrators prefer to see quality answers that are filled with helpful information and are thoroughly explained with the use of proper grammar. A number of forums also don’t allow spammy-like responses such as “This is great!”
3) Blog Commenting: Commenting is one of the easiest techniques to boost online reputation. Should you regularly comment on niche-related blogs, the owner recognizes your presence. However, the primary goal of giving comments is not only to get recognized. You need to show them that your anchor text is worth-clicking – by asking a smart question, by reacting positively and by giving additional inputs. This is a common task done by link builders.
4) Social Networking: Three of the most popular networking sites nowadays are Facebook, Twitter and Google Pus. These sites rank high in Alexa and millions of people are talking about them every day. Ask any SEO expert and no one will say that using these sites are not useful. The sites offer off-page optimization techniques that can bring massive traffic back to your site.
In Facebook, make use of the various features to get attention. Post worth-reading updates, post inspiring quotes, upload photos, create professional and attractive pages, share informational notes, share worth-clicking links, comment on other profiles and create polls. A smart way of gaining friends is to play games and try to lure people by offering freebies.
Twitter is not only a social networking but a micro-blogging site as well. Your primary goal is to express your thoughts in 140-characters in an attempt to gain followers. The CEO of SEOmoz, Rand Fishkin, shows you the eight effective tips on how to build links using Twitter, as featured in their Whiteboard Friday.
It’s a debate that Google Plus is in tight competition with Facebook. The two sites have a number of similar features. Google + allows you to categorize your circle of friends, create album, create pages, share photos and play games such as Angry Birds, Army Attack, Flood-it!, Crime City, A Google For A Day, etc. The Hangout is their most useful feature (an ideal tool for face-to-face webinars) in which you can facilitate a video chat that consists of ten people.
SEO Talk: The Link Building that Works! (Part 1)
Technique #1: Blogging
A blog is your personal space. It becomes your haven of ideas and longings.
It was in September 2007 when I created this blog. Back then, it was a complete mess. I didn’t know what to write and I got no idea how to make it inviting for readers. It even took me two years before figuring out the design and the contents.
I decided to name it Survivor Insights because it gives definition to who I am in real life. The posts here are about me. Some posts might not be the exact me but it’s still what I want to be.
Importance of Blogging
I describe myself as an intovert. I enjoy expressing my ideas through writing than speaking. Truth is – blogging becomes my therapy. A new realization comes to me each time I blog. It’s not entirely about myself, rather, it’s about the life in general.
With blogging, I’ve learned to explore the inner walls of my curiosity. Most of my questions are provided with clear answers by reading others’ blogs.
Also, I’ve realized blogging is not only a personal hobby but it’s a tool for marketing. It becomes an important tool for various entrepreneurs who want to promote their products and services. Blogs give these marketers the opportunity to air their ideas, their thoughts and their experiences.
However, blogging for business is not that easy. There are number of guidelines to follow and the rules go beyond the walls of personal interest.
Business blogging is about competition. It requires an entrepreneur to look for specific keywords to rank higher in Google, Yahoo, Bing and other search engines. Blogs are given more value by these search engines. The search engine spiders regularly crawl on them, especially if it’s updated with daily contents and is receiving non-spammy comments.
Effective Blogging Tips
A blog must look professional whether it’s used for personal reasons or for marketing. For those first-time bloggers, it helps to study the design of other blogs. Study the colors, the fonts, the font sizes and how the contents are created. These days, most professional blogs have white backgrounds. White is considered a professional color that is easy to the eyes. It doesn’t give the readers to feel uneasy.
The ideal look of a blog has two columns. On the left column are the posts such as articles, podcasts, videos and photos – while on the right are the blogging elements such as top posts, archives, blog stats, widgets and news feeds.
In terms of style, a lot of readers can relate to informal style of writing. The readers can easily connect to the message when a second-person-perspective (The use of “You” rather than I or He or They) is used in all contents.
Hiring A Blogger
There are plenty of reasons why entrepreneurs must consider hiring a blogger. First, a blogger is your ideal online assistant primarily because he or she shoulders the content creation load. Without these things in mind, an entrepreneur can focus on other branches of marketing such as conducting seminars.
However, it’s still important to supervise the blogger. Never fail to give him or her a list of topics that are relevant to the niche.
Second, a business blog (also called as niche blog) is all about search engine optimization. Blogging is a type of on-page optimization. Should it be difficult to write an article filled with keywords, an experience blogger does not. He or she knows the right techniques to use. It’s the responsibility of bloggers to give balance between primary and secondary keywords without sounding tight.
Third, blogging is a basic but effective type of link building. A blog, even it’s updated with fresh contents, is useless without the use of off-page link building. Off-page link building is a technique a blogger does when he’s not signed-in to the blogsite. That’s why; to save time and money, consider hiring a smart blogger who doesn’t only write but also knows how to circulate the pages of a blog.
Truth is, when a blogger knows nothing about search engine optimization, it’s not too difficult to train him or her. Free e-books and instructional videos are available online.
Fourth, quality bloggers are everywhere. Any entrepreneur can outsource bloggers. Agents of Value is an outsourcing company based in Philippines that offers services in content writing and link building. Entrepreneurs can either choose to hire a link builder or web writer as these people are expected to be knowledgeable about search engine optimization. A web writer is an excellent blogger but is trainable to become a professional link builder. A link builder is an expert in SEO and is a blogger at the same time.
THE GOOD: Kim won! This simply means I now have four first-impression bets who was named as sole survivors since the show started to air in May 2000. The first on my list was Aras in Panama Exile Island – it’s followed by Parvati and JT in Fans vs. Favorites and Survivor Tocantins, respectively. Kim is also my first sole survivor who has competed for the title against two castaways instead of one. In my previous posts, I’ve already given enough reasons as to why Kim deserves the title.
She’s undeniably a complete player. She’s the type of player who excel in every department of the game (physical, social, psychological). Like Parvati in HvH, Kim showed a different level of competition in challenges. In fact, if Alicia did not win the necklace in Episode 13, Kim could have won five immunity challenges in a row. Her chances of winning would have easier should she brought Alicia and Christina in the finals. However, Kim chose to be loyal with her original alliance and gave herself a fair chance for jury’s votes.
“…I realized that I would rather just stick with Chelsea and Sabrina who both shared in the responsibility of voting people out with me. It just seemed better to own the decisions and to sit with the people who also blind-sided every one.” Kim’s interview with Tom Santilli.
THE BAD & THE UNLUCKIEST: It’s surprising Chelsea did not even receive a vote. I thought this could be the second finale in which the third player receives a credit for surviving the 39 Days of stress, hunger and boredom. All in all, Chelsea played a good game. It was not memorable but a good one. She’s riding Kim’s coattails all the time yet she still managed to emerge as one of the potential threats in the game. She won an immunity in Episode 10 and finished second the following episode. Maybe, her biggest downfall was when she started to face the jury. Instead of having them in her side, Chelsea convinced them to look for the other side.
Chelsea officially joins the group of the “unwanted castaways” or the Team No Votes as Stephen puts it along with Becky (Season 13) , Cassandra, Dreamz (Season 14), Sugar (Season 17), Stephen (Season 18), Mick (Season 19), Russel in HvH (Season 20), Sash (Season 21), Natalie (Season 22) and Albert (Season 23).
THE STANDOUT: Kudos for the nine jurors for acting maturely. The seven of them voted for the deserving player of the season. It confuses me, however, why Troyzan voted for Sabrina when his game was as strong as Kim’s should he has the alliance. Was this related with his short-term alliance with Kim and Chelsea? On the other hand, Kat decided to forgive and forget. It looked like she realized there’s more better things in real life than holding grudge with someone who was only playing a better game than hers.
EPISODE RATING: This is a memorable and unforgettable finale, especially for those who rooted for Kim since Day 1. Apart from Kim’s overall strategic game that is flawless (but never predictable), the final two immunity challenges were a joy to watch. The Final 5 Immunity Challenge was pretty a repeat from the past seasons but the intensity it brought to me was different. It was a big comeback by Kim after two major errors in the maze. I’ve really enjoyed the Final 4 Immunity Challenge. It’s clearly one of the bests (the hardest too) of all time. It primary requires light hands and huge amount of control in movement. Kim showed some vulnerability in that challenge. Without the cooperation of the wind, she’ll be going back from the start for sure. 10 of 10 stars!
Photo courtesy of: CBS
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Something to look forward: The location for the next season is in the Caramoan Islands, Camarines Sur Philippines – my beloved country. THE COOLEST!
For the first time in history, five women made it to the final five. Three of them were in tight but breakable alliance while the other two played a zigzag social game to last longer. The five of them joined hands to eliminate the last and oldest member of Manono (Tarzan) and anyone could say it’s clearly the easiest vote yet. Now, one question is left unanswered, who will be the new sole survivor in two days?
Will it be Alicia? Alicia has said it. She believed she’s the queen of social game. Her strategy relies on finding numbers and there’s no denying it, Alicia got it right. In pilot, Alicia was the one who started a women alliance of five. She got separated from them in a short while – but it didn’t destroyed her game at all. Alicia is still standing tall and by winning this week’s Immunity Challenge, Alicia must have realized Survivor is not entirely a social game. Should she make the final three, she needs more than a social game to earn jury’s trust and respect. It won’t be an easy task. WINNING CHANCES: 43 -67
Will it be Kim? I’m rooting for her no matter what – so, I’ll keep this short. There are only two reasons why Kim can’t win. One, if she gets blindsided. Two, if the jury remains bitter (assuming she’s in the final three). WINNING CHANCES: 51 – 49
Will it be Sabrina? The strategic side of Sabrina is declining the merge. I don’t see her as a power player but more of loyal follower. However, Sabrina might be Kim’s biggest competition. She can probably give the jury loads of “good” reasons why Kim shouldn’t win. WINNING CHANCES: 45 – 55
Will it be Chelsea? Chelsea is too likeable and should Kim ignored the possibility of getting rid of her, she’s an easy choice for the title (assuming she’s in the final three and the jury remains bitter towards Kim). WINNING CHANCES: 55 – 45
Will it be Christina? Christina is the luckiest of the five. She’s not a part of their alliance and she’s voting on her own. However, no one attempted to vote against her. Can her luck continues until the final three? WINNING CHANCES: 40 – 60
Photo courtesy of: CBS
Episode 11
Francis Bacon said “Knowledge is Power” – but for Troyzan, this was not the case. At the start of the merge until the previous episode, Troyzan transformed himself into a threat – the biggest threat as a matter of fact. There’s too much power in him (being smart, being analytical, being physically competitive in challenges) and in order for Kim (pictured above) to smoothly execute her plans, he must be gone first. At last, the right moment came for Kim. Troy could not win an immunity in a row and in an instant, Kim was seven steps closer to success.
Troyzan was not the “Terry of Survivor Panama Exile Island” that I was expecting him to be. He looked distracted all throughout and like a wink, Tarzan convincingly outplayed him. That’s why; as expected, it’s time for him to go. The women-alliance was not naive to keep him. Should Cristina was voted-out instead of Troy, it could have been more memorable.
Though, the stand-out character here was not Troyzan. It was not Kim either. It’s the pig. It’s hard to imagine that it’s only a pig who would give them a real workout. If given more airtime, the pig could certainly outwit, outplay and outlast them whoever is sitting beside him, right?
Alright, I’m kidding but seriously, in one or two years from now, I could remember this episode because of the pig. Rating: 7 of 10 stars!
Episode 12
THE GOOD & THE BAD: With Troyzan out the loop, the women-alliance began to break. Kim and Chelsea were still solid but Kim was gunning against Sabrina, which I found a little confusing. I couldn’t understand why Kim was feared of Sabrina when her biggest competitor for the title is Chelsea. Sabrina can seem to convince the jurors to vote for her but for what reasons. Does she deserve the title? Did she play a very risky game similar to Kim? The answer is either no or I’ll have to watch it yet. Sabrina started this game strong. She was with an alliance that’s unbreakable but after the switch, I could only a Sabrina who was a follower than a leader.
Perhaps, in the next episode, it would be crystal clear to me why Kim considered her a threat more than anyone else.
WHO STANDS OUT: Alicia was neither a physical or social threat. Still, she was playing a superb game. If Kim was the ring leader and the most competitive in challenges, Alicia was “quietly” sitting closer to her. Alicia was in a safe position at the moment. She’s waiting for something before digging deep. If the time comes and if she wanted it, she could easily tear the bond between Kim and Chelsea. Though, I still can’t see how she’s going to convince the jury to let her win the title.
Of course, without a doubt, Kim is always a stand-out. Not only that her flat and sculptured abs looks hot, she’s also hot in challenges. By winning last week and this week Immunity Challenges, I realize Kim does not only play an intellectual strategic game, she’s also an achiever. The situation tells me Kim is aiming for more – and in a not so similar way, I am also waiting for more HOTNESS.
THE UNLUCKIEST: To be young doesn’t mean you’re bad at creating better decisions. Age is simply a number and it’s not a perfect excuse for failures in life. This was Kat’s big mistake. She regularly thought she’s too young for the game. She’s using her age as an excuse when the reality reveals otherwise. Kat was a young adult at 22 and if she wants to get things right, she has to behave like a grown-up.
EPISODE RATING: 8 of 10 stars!
Photo courtesy of: CBS
THE GOOD: This episode was mainly about Troyzan vs. Kim. Troyzan got the brawn and the smarts of an “ideal” sole survivor. He could also plan a strategy and he’s undeniably competitive in challenges. Although everyone wanted to him out, he still won an Immunity Challenge when he needed the most. On the other hand, there’s Kim – who also got the intelligence of a “deserving” sole survivor. She’s also competitive in challenges. The only big advantage that Kim has and that Troyzan couldn’t have was the numbers. The original all-women alliance in Salani stayed loyal with Kim. The bond was unbreakable and from the very first episode, the execution of all their plans was faultless. Only one question is left in the open, for how long will it lasts?
The answers to that question might be provided in the next episode. For now, simply answer the poll.
WHO STANDS OUT?: It’s between Troyzan and Kim. If Toyzan dominated the Immunity Challenge, Kim emerged as the biggest and the luckiest winner in Reward Auction Challenge. For only $280 of $500, Kim won the shower with shampoo, soap and toothbrush ($40), chocolate and peanut butter ($240) and a hand-full share of cake that Kat won.
THE UNLUCKIEST: It’s a given fact Leif is the ever-first midget to join a very competitive social game like SURVIVOR. Leif was immediately a stand-out the first few minutes the pilot was aired. However, on a strategic point-of-view, Leif played a passive game. There were a number of episodes that I quite forgot his presence. The way I see it, what’s lacking in Leif’s game was his tendency to quickly submit himself with what others were saying against him than be assertive with what he really thought and felt.
Before exiting the game however, Leif’s biggest moment was when he was competing against Chelsea in last week‘s immunity challenge. Chelsea only outsmarted him; that’s why she won. Should Leif didn’t give in to her negotiation, he could have won the challenge.
THE BAD: Leif was sacrificed. It was not neither a blindside nor an unexpected vote. For Leif, it was his bad night for the reason that things were not in his control. The all-women-alliance was only left with no choice but to let him or Tarzan go.
EPISODE RATING: 7 out of 10 stars!
Photos courtesy of: CBS
Survivor Insights 125: Kim Rules One World!
Episode 8: Reasons why I dislike this episode (on a strategic point of view)
1) I could not understand why Kim needed to create a story to oust Michael (similar to what Sandra did to Coach in Heroes vs. Villains) when she could use him to blindside Troyzan and Jay. She could have reread the situation and could have realized that in any type of challenges, Troyzan and Jay were the bigger threats – not Michael.
2) Strategically, eliminating Michael simply means Kim did a mistake that she could regret later. It seemed she took the risks but it was still unclear if it’s still worth it or not.
3) Michael was a clear pick. He has no solid alliance with anyone. It means Kim’s alliance could either use him to their advantage or let him go. Not a lucky night for Michael, Kim’s alliance chose the latter for they chose to stick with Jay and Troyzan, or probably, just a guess – they thought Michael could put himself in a safer position should he stayed longer.
Episode Rating: 6 of 10 stars!
Episode 9: Reasons why this episode was a non-forgettable one
1) “I hate to be that person but I love money,” For the first time in nine episodes, I saw the strategic side of Chelsea. She was starting to go outside her comfort zone and be the next sole survivor. First, she made a smart negotiation with Leif only to win the Immunity Challenge. Second, she also voted against Troyzan sending a message that you’re now on your own.
What will she do next? Blindside one of her girls?
2) Alicia was playing smart too. The moment the two tribes were switched, I hated Alicia for completely submitting herself to Colton. She could do better than siding with someone only to save her skin. Luckily, for this episode, she was back on board. It looked like she’s playing the game the way I wanted her to play. If Alicia could not be competitive in challenges, she could still play mind games. I like what she told Chelsea, reminding her, “This is the part of the game where you need to take your heart out of the game and put your brain in the game. (Examiner.com – Tom Santilli)”
With that said, Alicia did not only prepare herself for the “bloody” back-stabbing later on but she also changed the way Chelsea should approach the game.
3) Kim was nearly blindsided by Troyzan. The only reason why she survived the vote was her ability to remain calm even when things went shaky. Jay was also helpful of her survival. If not for Jay, Kim was already in Ponderosa and was the third jury member. But because of Jay’s wrong decision, Kim was still in control of her game and only received a vote against her.
Episode Rating: This episode showed how vulnerable Kim can be without her alliance. Even with a hidden immunity, her alliance was still the big reason why she was saved. The hidden immunity can be played once – it’s only an extra protection. With a solid alliance behind your back, anyone can cross bridges of demise. 10 of 10 stars!
Photo courtesy of: CBS
