SEO

[Tim W]

You used to 'register' a site with search engines in the distant past
last time I did any of this, so that yahoo and altavista would take a
look. Is this not necessary any more?

Backlinks - is there really any point spamming newsgroups? What about
registering with internet forums and making a few posts? Are there good
free business directories that I should try to get a link on? opening a
free blog and putting a little bit of content on it to support a link
back to your site? Stealing a photo from Flickr and then putting a
message on Flickr with a link back to your site saying " I stole your
photo, you don't mind do you?"
- all these thigs seem a bit shitty and cynical somehow and wouldn't
come naturally to me but do they actually work? will they be valid and
valuable backlinks?

Tim W

 

[Brian Cryer]

You used to 'register' a site with search engines in the distant past last
time I did any of this, so that yahoo and altavista would take a look. Is
this not necessary any more?

Some search engines do still require this - but only the small ones. All the
big search engines don't require it because they expect to be able to find
your site by following links. So, do ensure that you have a link to your
site somewhere!

Backlinks - is there really any point spamming newsgroups? What about
registering with internet forums and making a few posts? Are there good
free business directories that I should try to get a link on? opening a
free blog and putting a little bit of content on it to support a link back
to your site? Stealing a photo from Flickr and then putting a message on
Flickr with a link back to your site saying " I stole your photo, you
don't mind do you?"
- all these thigs seem a bit shitty and cynical somehow and wouldn't come
naturally to me but do they actually work? will they be valid and valuable
backlinks?

Back links are still useful, but google certainly has mechanisms for
identifying whether or not it thinks the back link is real or not. It
wouldn't surprise me if links from newsgroups aren't worth very much -
however, I would suggest that you include a link in your signature as a
minimum.

No, its definitly not worth spamming newsgroups. Google and others are aware
of spammers and have mechanisms to detect link spam. How good those
mechanisms are I don't know, but its really not worth it. You are more
likely to annoy people. Likewise I suspect that most directories have gone
the same way - that doesn't mean don't find them and get yourself listed
just be aware that they are of minimal value seo wise. There probably are
some "black-hat" tricks which still work, but as soon as google (and others)
cotten on you will loose any benefit and probably be penalised as well.

I've found that the right links on the likes of stumbleupon can generate a
lot of traffic, but only the right links. I'm sure there is more which could
be said, but I'm still trying to find the right combination of things.

I wrote some notes up a while back about getting links, it might be useful:
http://www.cryer.co.uk/resources/seo/seo_tip_8.htm

Hope this helps.

 

[ian.rastall]

You used to 'register' a site with search engines in the distant past
last time I did any of this, so that yahoo and altavista would take a
look. Is this not necessary any more?

I've found that sites just pop up on the web naturally these days. You don't have to do anything. This is especially true of SEO-friendly platforms like WordPress or Joomla.

- all these thigs seem a bit shitty and cynical somehow and wouldn't
come naturally to me but do they actually work?

Time and a competitive edge are what you need. It's easy to do both. Time just moves forward, and your site gets established. The competitive edge is just about doing a better job, and that's still easy to achieve, considering that a lot of webmasters can't read their own code.

Spamming is something that one should never stoop to. It's like trying to run Amway out of your home. Eventually all your friends stop coming by, because every time they do, you try to push some health powder on them.

Hope you're well.

 

[Tim W]

I've found that sites just pop up on the web naturally these days. You don't have to do anything. This is especially true of SEO-friendly platforms like WordPress or Joomla.

Time and a competitive edge are what you need. It's easy to do both. Time just moves forward, and your site gets established. The competitive edge is just about doing a better job, and that's still easy to achieve, considering that a lot of webmasters can't read their own code.

Spamming is something that one should never stoop to. It's like trying to run Amway out of your home. Eventually all your friends stop coming by, because every time they do, you try to push some health powder on them.

Hope you're well.

I am very well Ian, thanks for asking and I hope you are too. Ta for the
help and advice as well.

Tim w

 

[Tim W]

Some search engines do still require this - but only the small ones.
All the big search engines don't require it because they expect to be
able to find your site by following links. So, do ensure that you have
a link to your site somewhere!


Back links are still useful, but google certainly has mechanisms for
identifying whether or not it thinks the back link is real or not. It
wouldn't surprise me if links from newsgroups aren't worth very much -
however, I would suggest that you include a link in your signature as
a minimum.

No, its definitly not worth spamming newsgroups. Google and others are
aware of spammers and have mechanisms to detect link spam. How good
those mechanisms are I don't know, but its really not worth it. You
are more likely to annoy people. Likewise I suspect that most
directories have gone the same way - that doesn't mean don't find them
and get yourself listed just be aware that they are of minimal value
seo wise. There probably are some "black-hat" tricks which still work,
but as soon as google (and others) cotten on you will loose any
benefit and probably be penalised as well.

I've found that the right links on the likes of stumbleupon can
generate a lot of traffic, but only the right links. I'm sure there is
more which could be said, but I'm still trying to find the right
combination of things.

I wrote some notes up a while back about getting links, it might be
useful: http://www.cryer.co.uk/resources/seo/seo_tip_8.htm

Hope this helps.

 

[Tim W]

Some search engines do still require this - but only the small ones.
All the big search engines don't require it because they expect to be
able to find your site by following links. So, do ensure that you have
a link to your site somewhere!


Back links are still useful, but google certainly has mechanisms for
identifying whether or not it thinks the back link is real or not. It
wouldn't surprise me if links from newsgroups aren't worth very much -
however, I would suggest that you include a link in your signature as
a minimum.

No, its definitly not worth spamming newsgroups. Google and others are
aware of spammers and have mechanisms to detect link spam. How good
those mechanisms are I don't know, but its really not worth it. You
are more likely to annoy people. Likewise I suspect that most
directories have gone the same way - that doesn't mean don't find them
and get yourself listed just be aware that they are of minimal value
seo wise. There probably are some "black-hat" tricks which still work,
but as soon as google (and others) cotten on you will loose any
benefit and probably be penalised as well.

I've found that the right links on the likes of stumbleupon can
generate a lot of traffic, but only the right links. I'm sure there is
more which could be said, but I'm still trying to find the right
combination of things.

I wrote some notes up a while back about getting links, it might be
useful: http://www.cryer.co.uk/resources/seo/seo_tip_8.htm

Hope this helps.

It helps a lot. I am reading your site with interest.

I might be being stupid but I cant see how you put a link on stumbleupon.

tim ~W

 

[Brian Cryer]

It helps a lot. I am reading your site with interest.

I might be being stupid but I cant see how you put a link on stumbleupon.

Its been a while since I did it, but I *think* that with stumbleupon you
need to sign up and use their toolbar, then you can add links.