SEO is dead? Judging by the number of high-quality articles and blog posts still devoted to the topic (so many I had to split this category into two posts), SEO remains a critical component of online marketing success. It has certainly evolved; SEO is no longer about using clever "tricks" to manipulate search engine results, but rather about crafting relevant and compelling content, writing for searchers, and using best-practice techniques in content emphasis and meta tagging to help search engines find your content. Balderdash! Here are (part one of) some of the best posts

But sometimes, a catchy headline and eloquent phrasing may fall short of helping your client from a marketing and search engine optimization (SEO) perspective. I realized that my company's press releases was an ideal opportunity for SEO.  MarketingSherpa Keywords: Collaborate with your client to understand what their key terms are for SEO. The Press releases are an important component of PR. Typically, I focus on writing the right headline to catch a reporter's attention, while crafting intelligent quotes for my spokesperson.

Utilize SEO best practices , and use free online tools to track and improve your results. Two tools that automate this process are: Search Engine Rankings from Mike's Marketing Tools Search Engine Keyword Position from SEO Tools To optimize your rankings, your most important keywords should have a density in the range of 3-5%. To check keyword density, use this tool: Keyword Cloud from SEO Tools Page content is the single most important determinant of your search engine rank, Optimizing your website for organic search is a matter of doing the right things, and doing those things right.

Welcome to the first in a series of posts on the best blog posts, articles and websites from 2007 covering various marketing topics. To start off, here is a list of the best tools for analyzing and optimizing SEO efforts. Free SEO Tools Search Engine Spider Simulator from the Webconfs SEO Toolset Spiders and people don't see things the same way. For example, Flash content, Javascript and images are invisible to search engines. See your site through the eyes of a (search engine) spider with this free tool.

may have to start doing these monthly or something, but for now, here are some of the best pieces written about the art and science of SEO so far in 2008. SEO Best Practices: Essential To Do's for A New Website by Search Engine People Dev Basu outlines five areas that form a foundation for SEO efforts, including proper internal linking, sitemaps and developing a blog. This was actually from December 2007, but There have been so many excellent blog posts and articles written already in 2008 that it's just not practical to wait until January of next year to recognize them.

These best practices include: Use free online tools such as Google Suggest and Overture's Keyword Selector Tool to help select the most popular search terms relevant to your campaign. Write compelling, carefully targeted ad copy. Track, analyze, optimize and test everything: ad copy, landing pages, keyword bids and response incentives. Design and implement effective lead follow-up programs; without proper follow up, you're wasting money. Circle back and use search marketing data to improve your natural SEO by optimizing for the most valuable terms (combination of impressions

Tactics may include: Trade shows Conferences Company-sponsored events Print advertising Analyst relations Media outreach Blogger outreach Blogging Webcasts Podcasts Banner ads White paper syndication Search engine marketing Newsletter advertising Newsletter promotion Press releases Website redesign SEO Direct mail Telemarketing Outdoor TV Radio Social media Lead nurturing programs Seminars Analyst relations Co-op marketing programs Marketing & PR Tools The third key section of the plan details the tools needed to implement the tactics that support the strategy.

My last post listed several of the best news articles from 2007 on how to effectively use social networking sites for marketing. SEO vs. This early success with social media can have long-lasting effects on search engine rankings as well." From 0 To PageRank 4 In 1 Month: Interview With Local Seo Andrew Shotland by Convert Offline This blog interview demonstrates how to quickly build blog traffic by combining quality traffic with social networking. Here are some of the best blog posts on social networking and social media marketing strategies and tactics. 7 Reasons Why

Although Alexa is notorious for its lack of precision, as documented by GigaOM , SEO Book , BloggingStocks and others, it's still useful as a rough guide to website popularity. Here are the rankings for 42 Web 2.0 social tagging sites, according to Alexa. A

sites added 1% to 3% to total traffic—but had larger indirect benefits on traffic, such as through blog exposure and SEO). Based on two months of testing across a half-dozen B2B websites and blogs, these Web 2.0 social bookmarking sites produced the best results, in terms of driving direct traffic and having active, engaged discussion communities. Overall, Web 2.0