I think keyword research is important. A lot of it is verifying the obvious, [...]]]> Like it or not, search engine optimization still starts at the page level. Without belittling the importance of quality site architecture and design, the first thing most people will think of when you say ‘SEO’ will be keyword research and content optimization.

I think keyword research is important. A lot of it is verifying the obvious, but sometimes you can find some hidden gems to target if you take some effort and get creative.

However, creativity and effectiveness is limited by your source choice. Different tools offer different advantages. Without going into a recommendation of ‘pick THIS one,’ here are factors I tend to consider when choosing a tool:

1. What’s the data source? — some tools pull from meta search engines, some from ISP data, some from just their own source. Some have many data streams.
2. Does that data source have the potential to represent your target audience? — you can have a ton of data, but, say I’m targeting US Hispanics. A data pull from Yahoo Spain isn’t going to be representative for me, as it’ll use Castillian Spanish and represent the interests of Spaniards, not Spanish speakers from Latin America living in the US!
3. What’s it cost? — Hey, we’ve all had gigs where the budget for pretty much anything, including our own salaries and benefits, was equal to bupka. Sure, the Google and Overture tools have intense limitations, but the price is right.

I think a lot of elementary level SEOs don’t look at where the database for any given tool is sourced from, which means they’re missing an important decision factor in keyword selection. Looking at sources, and not just numbers and proportions, is one of the things an SEO can do to truly consult on content optimization. Anyone can parrot terms from a tool — a monkey who didn’t take its Ritalin can do that.

Content converts. Putting enough effort and creativity in at the front end gets you the data you need in analytics to make continued informed judgements in the long-term, and actually build traffic from a solid base.

He doesn’t mention Google Analytics, but I think GA also factors into Google’s reach for control. There’s some extent to which I [...]]]> I think Aaron Wall of SEOBook wrote a great post this week about Google and the ‘death’ of affiliate marketing. He really focuses on AdSense publishing, but I believe it goes further than that.

He doesn’t mention Google Analytics, but I think GA also factors into Google’s reach for control. There’s some extent to which I believe that the ‘free’ implementation of GA may have a greater price than many perceive.

First, it’s free up to 5 million page views/month… unless you’re displaying AdSense. Then, it’s unlimited. By doing both AdSense and GA, you’re providing Google a lot of traffic data on your site.

…the Service is provided without charge to You for up to 5 million pageviews per month per account, and if You have an active Adwords campaign in good standing, the Service is provided without charge to You without a pageview limitation.

Google may retain and use any data they collect via one’s use of the GA service:

Google and its wholly owned subsidiaries may retain and use, subject to the terms of its Privacy Policy (located at http://www.google.com/privacy.html , or such other URL as Google may provide from time to time), information collected in Your use of the Service.

Generally speaking, they cannot disclose specific, identifiable information about your site data to others without court order or consent. However, nothing within anyone’s privacy policy I’ve ever seen or written restricts a company’s ability to take the confidential data and use it internally.

I just think this opens a huge can of worms. You run a business that you want to develop qualified leads from search engines. You are handing a complete picture of all your traffic issues to one of your traffic sources — who can then learn all about where all your traffic is coming from, not just the traffic they’re sending you (or the traffic they can identify via people using Google Toolbar and Web History…).

Obviously, with some sites, this gives Google insider information to bid on other services to absorb into empire. This could lead to a better bid… or an early bid that’s lowball, but more than a lot of people ever thought to hope for. With many others, it gives them information to create speedbumps and roadblocks to search optimization.

This is why I typically tell my clients to pay for an analytics package, and why the company I work for provides an analytics package. It just seems safer and less fraught with peril.

Now, to be fair, there are ways to disable flowing [...]]]> Today’s big news:

1. Google revenue is up 60%. Google profit is up 69%
2. Google re-named Search History to Web History, and are pushing the toolbar with PR enabled to track it better.
3. Tinfoil futures are UP as I manufacture hats for myself, all my loved ones, and my cats.

Now, to be fair, there are ways to disable flowing your surf history into Google Web History. Danny Sullivan does a nice job of explaining how to ‘pause’ the feature.

I remain she who bites the hand what feeds her, and this data collection makes me queasy. I may start lining my tinfoil hat with asbestos.

Update: Look at all the privacy complaints rolling in. Kick ass.

Me: Yeah, let’s define evil, shall we?

Google is pure Web 2.0 in the sense of how they collect and [...]]]> The Wired interview with Google’s Eric Schmidt just confirms what I keep telling everyone who harps on the ‘Don’t be Evil!’ thing — ie, “But Google is GOOD! They have ‘Don’t Be Evil’ as a corporate motto!”

Me: Yeah, let’s define evil, shall we?

Google is pure Web 2.0 in the sense of how they collect and use data — user behavior helps to define their filtering mechanisms. What makes them scary and potentially evil is how freaking much data they can collect.

From that Wired article:

What does it take to improve the quality of ads on Google?

More computers, basically, and better algorithms. And more information about you. The more personal information you’re willing to give us – and you have to choose to give it to us – the more we can target. The standard example is: When you say “hot dog,” are you referring to the food, or is your dog hot? So the more personalized the information, the better the targeting. We also have done extensive engineering work with Google Analytics to understand why people click on ads. That way we can actually look at the purchase and go back and see what buyers did to get there. That is the holy grail in advertising, because advertisers don’t advertise just to advertise, they actually advertise to sell something.

When logged in to Google, data collection is nearly automatic. You can opt out of personalized search, but my money’s on 99.9% of people having no clue how to do so.

And being logged into Google isn’t exactly a case of ‘you must log in relative to search.’ Logged into Gmail today? Webmaster Tools? Any one of their 7 billion little services? Your search history is being ganked, even if you’re using the search box on your browser. (Unless you’ve hacked your FireFox, of course.)

I think some of the people who have traditionally defended Google’s information collection and use may back off a little bit now that they bought DoubleClick. The viva-Linux-we-love-Google crowd have traditionally despised anything that relates to DoubleClick, and would call them evil without even thinking about it. I don’t know that I know anyone in that crowd who would sing a merry song about ‘But Google will clean them up and make them good, like bunnies and kittens with little pink noses!’

And if it turns out I do, I will probably kick them very, very hard before I make them their very own tinfoil hat to match my own. I’m sure glad metallics are fashionable this season.

But if you look closely, realty companies are clearly using the Web for brand presence, rather than search presence (save for PPC).

I did some SEO/SEM for a Major Real Estate Company(tm) about, eh, 2-3 [...]]]> I’m preparing to sell my house. Everyone knows that the Interweb is playing a big role in that process these days.

But if you look closely, realty companies are clearly using the Web for brand presence, rather than search presence (save for PPC).

I did some SEO/SEM for a Major Real Estate Company(tm) about, eh, 2-3 years ago. The experience was frustrating, because the site was not built to any specification that would support strong online marketing, and a lot of the work I could do involved either PPC or rudimentary code cleanup.

Looking at other real estate sites right now, I can say them with a confidence that the issues I faced there are more universal in the vertical than client-specific.

1. The Regional MLS is a train wreck of a database. Every site pulls its listings (‘Search listings from every agent!’) from the Regional MLS. The way every site pulls is such a nightmare I can only assume it is a flaw inherent on the MLS side.
2. Beyond that, though, the amount of insane URL structures on the average big-multi-office-agency web site? Wow. And it doesn’t even look like they’re using it for login or personalization in most cases.
3. The session cookies. Ai yi yi. What with session cookies, a lot of the standard, newsletter/brochure content (much of which is pretty good once you dig down), can’t be found or easily indexed for search.

Even if we skipped over the issues surrounding the MLS, setting up pages with local offices, strong geo-targeting footers for each, agent names, and even individual pages shouldn’t be too rough to do as standard-generated pages. Yet, it doesn’t happen. The agent pages set up by most agencies use a stock content template that few agents customize. The agents who DO care set up personal sites, but they show little search savvy — again, no local search elements, geo-targeters, etc., and I see a bunch of people using frames yet. Frames!

I’m not asking real estate agencies to set up a disintermediation system — something I know they all dread. But by making offices and geotargeters indexable and findable, they could create an excellent lead-referral system.

As it is, most of them must be driving traffic on name-recognition for the agency (drive-by signs, billboards, TV/Radio ads, etc.), and via PPC. Keyword bidding for real estate PPC, by the way, is insane. Given that most of them seem to route their PPC to their home pages, I doubt it’s especially effective — and I bet conversion tracking is near-nonexistent. Expensive and unmeasurable: two adjectives I hate, used together.

It’s a pity. This whole process is giving me a headache. I just want to find someone who actually knows my neighborhood who might be able to sell my house in comparison to others in the neighborhood. Mine is one of the larger single-homes, and actually has central air, which means it’s a bit of an oddity — especially since there are no fewer than 4 repossessed homes in a 3-block radius, all on the market for cheap, and all needing twice their price in work. My house is move-in ready (or will be). So marketing this place will take some delicacy. And instead of finding some info online, I’m going to be slogging with a phone and lingering around open houses. Sigh.

Hm. I wonder if I can get an agent to take part commission, part barter on this deal. I build them a decent, locally targeted site, they cut their take focusing on the long-term benefit…