If you get a really coherent domain name, chances are it’s been used before. Now, sometimes you’ll be fine. [...]]]> If you’re out registering a dot-com domain, and an available domain seems too good to be true here in 2007, go see if it has any residual inbound links (use Yahoo!) or a history over at archive.org.

If you get a really coherent domain name, chances are it’s been used before. Now, sometimes you’ll be fine. Other times, just slam up a dummy page, get it verified via Yahoo and Google, and see if it indexes.

…and be ready to file a reconsideration request.

Most domains that are really coherent and dot-com and available in 2007? Probably banned at least once already, or used for a porn-squatter spam site. You’ll end up having to do some housecleaning.

Unfortunately, many of our clients, let alone non-clients who think they can’t afford SEO advice, don’t have the well-honed sense of smell. Nor should they be expected to — one of the advantages for a [...]]]> I think any reasonably competent SEO has the good sense on how to tell if a directory is ‘good’ or ‘eh.’

Unfortunately, many of our clients, let alone non-clients who think they can’t afford SEO advice, don’t have the well-honed sense of smell. Nor should they be expected to — one of the advantages for a business owner in working with a full-time search engine marketer is that the SEO spends their professional life being a search geek. Most ‘normal’ business owners need to spend their time knowing the ins and outs of their business.

Here are a few warning signs about if that ‘directory’ is crap:

• Are they indexed? I had someone ask me about submitting to a ‘directory’ that I was quickly able to determine wasn’t even indexed in Yahoo or Google. This is not the sign of hot traffic referral waiting to happen! The site: command is a good one for people wanting to get involved with their web site to learn.
• Age of domain. Now, I know that a lot of normal people don’t know how to use whois, but it’s really quite simple. If the domain is fairly new and the directory isn’t associated with someone you’ve heard of, caveat emptor.
• Request for reciprocal link. I recommend all suspicion of any reciprocal link request, but if this directory is prominent enough to drive traffic to you, why do they need you to link to them? In general, they’re going to have hundreds of outbound links, you probably have fewer. This means your link to them is likely more valuable than their link to you. So why bother?
• Have you heard of them? If you haven’t heard of them, will your clients have heard of them? It won’t be a good source of traffic if no one uses them.

Being an SEO means being self-conscious about your own actions and the actions of others on the Internet. At least it does for me, possibly because it’s semi-universal, or possibly because I am a freak with [...]]]> …or, “Just use the internet to do illegal downloads and porn like the rest of us,” says my pal Jawa.

Being an SEO means being self-conscious about your own actions and the actions of others on the Internet. At least it does for me, possibly because it’s semi-universal, or possibly because I am a freak with a degree in literature and in navel-gazing fiction writing.

A friend posts to their personal blog about the ‘worst online shopping experience ever’ and links the offending retailer? I comment and explain how to no-follow — because even if you go for negative anchor text, there’s still some link equity to it for the site targeted.

I like a book, or a restaurant, or buy a shiny new bike part? Well, I can post about it and no-follow, or post about it and not link it because I like it, but not in THAT way, kind of like being in junior high and liking my square dance partner but not like boyfriend-like, just in that ok-as-a-square-dance-partner and this-phys-ed-unit-is-stupid way.

My mom reads an online review? I do a text analysis to determine if it’s real or totally bogus, written by the owner, and then I tell her about inherent bias in user-supplied reviews.

A friend posts a picture of their cat? I suggest taking it to a LOLCat generator, or using the video feature on their camera phone to help further pollute the electrons of the universe with more grainy video/image of pets.

My bike club has web site hosting problems? I look at the domain headers and sigh a lot.

Life would sure be simpler if I did something sane for a living, like garbage collection.

Question #2 prompted a snort of derision from [...]]]> While traveling to Sea-Tac Airport today with the wonderful Ms. Christy Arneson-Jones, I started reading my free copy of Website Magazine. In their feature, “Five Steps to Outsourcing Search Marketing,” they recommend educating oneself. They included a handy quick quiz to determine what one might know right now.

Question #2 prompted a snort of derision from yours truly. Here it is:

2) Describe the word canonical.

Now, that ought to be easy. Google’s Webmaster Help Center describes it as a ‘preferred domain.’ Matt Cutts did a blog post where he defines it.

Apparently, not easy enough for Website Magazine. Their answer?

2) Refers to the non-www version of a domain (website) indexed as a duplicate of the www version.

Well, no. No it doesn’t. If you haven’t set your preferred domain through your sitemap or via a webmaster toolset, that can in fact happen. But that’s not a description of the word canonical. That’s a symptom of a failure to understand the concept of canonical.

Some webmasters prefer using their non-www as the canonical domain. And that’s just fine with a search engine.

It’s a good thing I got the magazine free. If I’d paid, I’d want a refund for just this one item. I haven’t been able to bring myself to read any more.

This is a really brief list, relative to what’s in my head: