Do you know what a link stalker is? A link stalker is a person that goes through your links all the time and ruins them for you. You comment somewhere, a nice meaningful comment and a few days, weeks or months later you see a certain someone’s comment there, great post and stuff. You create a nice business profile page, soon the link stalker has the same profile, you make a donation and have your banner featured on the page, soon you see the link stalkers banner there as well.
We all do competitor research and try to get quality links our competitors have, but stalking someone’s backlinks all the time for a longer period is just pathetic, but most of us have to deal with those link stalkers, so how do we make sure they cannot copy us and how we should do competitor research and backlink acquisition?
The first part is simple in theory, all we need is a backlink profile that is hard to replicate. We can achieve that through real relationships, partnerships and offline connections as well as real online relationships. These can be turned into some links that are specific to your company and your brand, links you can only have as you are partnered with a certain supplier, your competitors can’t just copy that. So these are the link we need to pay attention to if we want to make sure the link stalker won’t be able to follow us. So the basic thing about link building you should have realized by now is that quality links are born from real long lasting relationships, and not comments, paid links or general directories.
That’s it for the frustrations of link building and theory, let’s talk about some practical advice that will help you scan your competitors the right way and get some nice quality links that most link stalkers will stay away from. Why will they stay away from them? Well, the truth is, and this is something most professional SEOs know, that the competition is mostly lazy, so if they can’t get a link in 10 minutes or pay for it they will give up, most of them anyway. And the key to competitor research is getting the good links, and not just copying the easy ones.
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
Don’t be a Link Stalker, Do Competitor Research and Backlinks Acquisition the Right Way
Thursday, August 25, 2011
How to Avoid Angry Words
One of my favorite verses is from James 1 verse 19. It speaks about the defensive side of men and women especially in times of conflicts and disagreements. It speaks about the reality of differences among people of various culture, background and beliefs. But ultimately, it teaches us about humility.
This entry has been inspired by James 1:19 and the book ‘Overcoming Emotions that Destroy’ by Chip Ingram and Becca Johnson.
Be quick to listen
Do you remember a time when you did something good but you were accused of having wrong motives for it? How about a time when you went the extra mile for a friend only to find out he/she will betray you for his/her own gain? Deceived? Hurt? How about angry?
You could be feeling all of the above and with all due respect, I tell you that you have a right to feel this way. But don’t you stop there! The Bible tells us to be quick to listen. As mentioned in my previous article, when we get hurt, our emotions heighten. In this article, may I add the fact too that our memory seems to sharpen.
In my case of being a spewer (read my previous article for further details), there were times when I get upset and hurt with my mom and remember how she had done similar things in the past towards me; or know that she would’ve dealt with things differently with my other siblings. The tendency to recall records of hurts, disappointment, frustration and anger seem to play fast forward in my mind which then translates to feeling more pain, saying angry words and regretting bitter actions towards her.
Whether which type of angry person you are, being quick to listen allows us time to understand better how the other person feels. It buys us time to analyze why someone reacts the way they do. And in addition, lets us examine which type of response to give or to give any at all. For a stuffer or leaker, listening should not only include hearing the other person’s frustration over a matter but should also include acknowledging your personal feelings and hurts.
Sunday, August 21, 2011
How to Make your Blog Design Optimized for Search Engines
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There are so many different blogsites out there talking about so many different topics and wanting to rank in the big three search engines. Search engine traffic is one of the best ones in any website / blogsite. Design is one of the places to start with your SEO’s On Site optimization. Right now, you might not know it, but your design has a big impact on your website’s SEO effectivity.
So here’s the list provided by Cyrus Shepard from SEOmoz and his wife Dawn Shepard (she designed this beautiful infographic) as they describe how your blog design should be like when you want it optimized for search engine friendliness.
Note: This post is reblogged by my brother Kevin Si who is the chief designer of SEO Hacker. You can follow his rants and tweets here.
1. First Impression is Important
No matter how good your content in the site is, its design will always be the first thing the user sees. When your website looks crumpled and cheap, no matter how hard work and furnished your article is, your credibility loses by a huge amount which might increase your visitor bounce rate instead of getting quality hits to your website.
Today, there are lots of web design services around the block that can give you a good design at a very low price or, if you are using pre-made systems like WordPress, there are lots of beautiful themes that you can use on the internet that can boost up your website’s beauty and credibility – which can attract more readers.
2. Seek and you will find
Don’t rely much on Google to find your articles for you. Your website itself should be self-sustaining in making your readers look through more into your pages. A search feature on your website not only helps your users find things that are more relevant to their interest but also helps you in gaining more traffic for your site. Remember User experience is very important in having a good relationship with your readers.
Another good feature of a search in the website is that you can find which keywords are effective and are being searched for in your website. This might give you ideas on what articles you can write and/or tidbits you can improve on. I believe this is called keyword discovery and user behavior as stated by SEOmoz
3. RSS
RSS is something that has been always overlooked by most blog type website. Not only does this feature help you to earn you avid readers but it also helps the reader themselves get updated as they have found your website to be informative. Tick this feature on, the little effort you give can go a long way.
4. Crumbs, crumbs
It may sound as a little insignificant but breadcrumbs hold a good part in making your website have a better experience rank both to your readers and to Google’s search algorithm. Not only does it help your readers know where they are in your vast internet space, it also helps any search engine to sort your pages in the right category.
Thursday, August 18, 2011
The Myth of Heaven - Why it sounds so Boring and why it Isn't
We have always wondered what heaven would be like. Will heaven be boring? Would it be just a series of praise and worship? Would it be an eternity of singing and harps and trumpets? Let’s face it, the heaven we picture in our minds seems a lot boring than what we have here on earth.
There were times when I would wonder what heaven is like. And from what I hear and from what I watch, it pretty much seems boring and uneventful. Yes people tell me that we can ask God anything we want (which would seem like it would take an eternity to accomplish), people also tell me that heaven would be a happy and joyful place (but how happy is happy? And how happy would it be when it seems so boring?), people also tell me that it would be wonderful and different. Still, life here on earth seems pretty much more exciting, wouldn’t you think so?
This entry is inspired by the book ‘The Journey of Desire’ by John Eldredge. Most of the words that I have used in this entry has been derived from his own words in his book – this is because I cannot describe heaven better than how he wonderfully he paints it.
When we think of heaven, we can’t even begin to imagine how it would be like. And if we try, it would seem bleak and boring. Churches don’t really describe heaven in much detail so we try to use our imagination. Unfortunately, our imagination is as tainted as our world – and we take our ideas from the media.
“I think the fear of being bored is an unspoken fear of many people about the life that is coming. After-all, the never-ending singalong in the sky isn’t exactly breathtaking.” - John Eldredge
Our Misery
“During a long layover at O’Hare, I studied the man who sells popcorn from a little stand in one of the terminal hallways. He sat silently on a stool as thousands of people rushed by. Occasionally, every fifteen minutes or so, someone would stop and buy a bag. He would scoop the popcorn from the bin, take the money and make change – all without a word being spoken between them. When the brief encounter was over, he would resume his place on the stool, staring blankly, his shoulders hunched over. I wondered at his age; he seemed well past fifty. How long had that been his profession? Could he possibly make a living at it? His face wore a weary expression of resignation winged with shame. Adam, I thought, what happened?” - John Eldredge
All our miseries prove our greatness: “They are the miseries of a dethroned monarch.” - Pascal
In our world today, only a very few people are blessed enough to make a living doing what they love. We yearn to do something of meaning and value that flows naturally out of the gifts and capacities of our souls. We were meant to be the kings and queens of the earth.
Alas, we have come a long way from the Fall.
The Kingdom of God
We usually hear of the Kingdom of God and that it is near. What does it mean?
It simply means the restoration of things to that which God said “It is good.” It means that things will be as they were meant to be – by the Creator, Designer and Maker of this universe. It means that this world will be healed.
“The wolf and the lamb will feed together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox, but dust will be the serpent’s food. They will neither harm nor destroy on all my holy mountain,” says the LORD.” - Isaiah 65:24
Pollution will be gone, global warming will be a thing of the past, and the race of man will once again be put back in their rightful place as kings and queens – rulers of the earth. Sons and daughters of the King of the universe.
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
Should you use Google Plus over Facebook?
There are lots of people asking which is better social network – Google Plus or Facebook? There are certain advantages of Facebook as it already has an established user-base, a running business model that caters to the users, great apps and ways to connect, etc. Although there is a certain hype about Google Plus that just draws people in – especially the SEO and internet marketing type of people.
I’ve asked some of the most authoritative experts on the internet which they would prefer to use. Let’s see what they have to say:
“As of right now, my answer would be that I would choose Google+ hands down. Google+ now offers the kind of personal interaction we, as an online marketing community, have been craving. Now this might not last, considering that Google+ is still in Beta, but this window of opportunity to get in touch and get noticed by the bloggers that otherwise might be unreachable is priceless.
I would love to see Facebook remain a “family” social network, and Google + gear more towards business professionals, sort of like LinkedIn, just with more dialogue. From SEO perspective, Google+ is priceless and we can’t afford to ignore that. All the initial signals indicate that G+ actions, like shares, +1, etc. might become an active ranking factor in the near future.
Let’s face it: Google runs the search engine ranking show and if we want their attention, we’d better dance when they say we need to. I know I will.”
- Ana Hoffman
Self-made Internet Marketing, blogging and SEO Specialist (Check out her Google Plus Social Network Tutorial)
“I DO use Google+ over Facebook. I got rid of Facebook over a year ago for several reasons. First, I was just tired of the platform. Second, the stuff showing up in my newsfeed wasn’t relevant to me. Third, I’ve grown quite annoyed over Facebooks practices with privacy and member relations. Fourth, I was even more annoyed by all the apps and friend requests I would constantly have to delete.
Those are the reasons why I left Facebook, and I replaced it with Twitter. Twitter allowed me to follow and connect with industry peers in a way that Facebook didn’t. I’ve been quite happy with Twitter, and it’s the core of my personal brand development strategy.
When Google+ launched, I had mixed feelings. I didn’t like the fact that it was yet another social network that I needed to monitor and build friends on again. However, they did do a great job with importing contacts from your Gmail accounts, and using Circles couldn’t be a more enjoyable to create those relationship connections needed for a social network to form.
I also realized how important social signals are to search results. It’s not hard to see that Google is going to rely quite heavily on Google+ for it’s profile information and social signal mining. If you want Google to recognize you as influential on a topic, you had better build your home on Google+. If at very least you want to understand how Google’s social graph will impact the SEO industry, it would be wise to have a working understanding of Google+. Clients are going to need a strategist who understands how Google+ can help their brand, and if you aren’t using it yourself, your Social SEO strategies are going to be weak at best.”
- Daniel Cristo
Seasoned SEO professional and founder of Fluttrs
Friday, August 12, 2011
The 3 Types of Anger: Which One are You? | God and you
Today, we live in a world full of expectations and demands. Our parents, teachers, boss, friends, colleagues and even strangers expect something from us; said or unsaid. Many times we meet them but inevitably sometimes we fail (or the other way around). And what happens when we do? Our emotions heighten. These could be sadness, shame, guilt, disappointment, anger, frustration.
Whatever it is, what you most probably will feel are negative emotions. Question is, how do you handle them? Are you proud of it? Could your loved ones testify that you handle your emotions well?
This article is inspired by reading, “Overcoming Emotions that Could Destroy” by Chip Ingram and Dr. Becca Johnson. This book has given me a lot of insight about handling my personal emotions that I believe can help you in handling yours.
Based from the book, there are 3 kinds of angry people: the Spewers, the Stuffers and the Leakers. But before we talk about each of these, let me share some of the tips that I found useful to avoid anger.
First and foremost
You have to know what others expect of you. It has to be clearly stated. And you have to ask yourself, “Is this in line with reality? Can I do this?” If yes, then go, be excellent and happy. If not, then there are 2 options: Either you quit or you try harder. But it is important that you remember the choice you made and that you stand by it because this will be tested when the going gets tough.
In the same manner, you have to make it clear what you expect of others. Don’t assume that it’s common sense. Don’t expect that the person should already know because chances are he or she is being consumed with fear or panic and could not read your mind especially when you’re already irritated.
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
Link Baiting Techniques
Linkbaiting is more an art than work. There are lots of linkbuilding techniques out there and people have asked me over and over again about which is the best one. Personally I’d say linkbaiting would be one of your best shots – if you have the knowledge and talent to make it work.
It’s more than just blogging
Creating a link bait is creating a compelling movement that will stir your readers to think and link back to you for reference, sourcing or good-will. It is more than just writing. It is more than just giving out information. It is more than just wit. It is the ability to tap into the emotional source of your readers and use that leverage to draw them to link to you.
Usually knowledge works great in the field of linkbaiting. If you know some things that a lot of other people do not, you can write about it and publish it and attract a crowd. But that’s just a part of it. How you lay it out and how you artistically put words to your knowledge needs talent. You need both to make a good linkbait.
Some linkbaiting techniques that work well:
Guest posting
Or known also as guest blogging – this method has been a good way to get inbound links. Making your website open to guest bloggers means that you get new content (make sure that it’s relevant and well-written) and on top of that, those bloggers would love to promote the article they wrote for you. Which means that you save up time on writing an article and you save up double the time promoting it.
Of course, during the course of the promotion, chances are, the ones who wrote that guest post for you would most probably link to that article – simply because they wrote it and they are proud of it. Oh by the way, SEO Hacker is open to guest posting in case you didn’t know.
Having guest posters in your blog means that you somehow reach out to them too. If you want other people to guest post in your blog, you have to guest post in other blogs yourself. Of course during the course of guest posting for other blogs, you build backlinks in your guest posts and you build authority in your niche.
The most beautiful thing about guest posting is that you build your network. You build your name in all the other blogs in your niche as a good writer and contributor with knowledgeable mastery of the topic and the talents to lay it all out with spunk. Other people will recognize you. Blog owners will recognize you. And you’ll get invited to many more other websites to guest post in. Which, in turn, means that other people would be attacted to guest post in your blog soon – coz you’ve got a lot of linkjuice!
Infographics
Nothing beats good statistics – especially surprising ones summarized in an infographic. This linkbaiting technique goes a long, long way. Especially if you keep on updating your infographic or other people’s infographic of your topic or niche. Search Engine Land did an infographic of SEO Ranking Factors in 2011 using a periodic table. That’s pretty interesting. And they certainly got a lot of backlinks using that infographic. In fact, they got lots from me.
Why does infographic attract lots of links? Well, not all people like to read. Which means that most people prefer pictures or perhaps video or whatnot. In any case, a beautifully designed and outlined infographic has much more appeal than a long paragraph of words. Don’t you think so?
Saturday, August 6, 2011
Let's say Im 17 now and have been with the same person for almost the past 3 years now. Yes, not continuously. We've had our up's and down's but we're still together. Now, we both have trust issue's with each other, is the relationship still worth saving?
Is it a relationship from God? Does your parents approve of it? Do you have their blessing? Is this person someone you want to spend the rest of your life with?
Is love a result of some kind of chemical reaction in our body? I've been wondering about that for ages
No. Real love is a result of knowing Christ and following Him :) Once you know that real love, you can give it to other people.
is it honorable for a man to tell a woman what he feels about her (he likes her) but is not ready to court her yet? or should that man act like a man and wait for the right time until he is decided and committed?
I personally think that he should wait. That way, there is purpose and it can be achieved.
Why your Sex Life Disappoints You
The question is, are you doing it right? But let me elaborate that question further.
“For many people, certainly, sex is the most powerful and moving experience that life has to offer, and more overwhelmingly holy than anything that happens in church. For great masses of people, sex is the one force which can actually tip men and women completely off their accustomed centers of gravity and lift them, however briefly, right out of themselves.” – Mike Mason in ‘The Mystery of Marriage’
Sex is something that people describe as ‘amazing’, ‘wonderful’, ‘out of this world’, and the list goes on. Why then, is that so many people, after having that ‘out of this world’ experience, find themselves empty, wanting and perhaps aching as a void subtly nudges somewhere in their soul?
Am I doing it wrong?
This is the question that so often pops into mind after that aching, empty feeling. Perhaps you’ve had sex. Perhaps you’ve had one of the best ones in your life thus far. But somehow, someway, you feel that something in you is not right.
Let me tell you what you’re doing wrong.
You meet someone. You fall in love. The passion and fire burns between your romance, and then, by some compelling, fleshly urge, you have sex.
This is wrong.
So let me tell you how to do it right.
Sex is designed.
Monday, August 1, 2011
Why do you need a Facebook App? Facebook app vs Facebook page
Why do you need a Facebook App? Why not just let your Facebook page do all the work for you? You can run contests in your Facebook page too can you not?
The Old Way
Before when you wanted to run a contest, you have the freedom to easily administer it in your Facebook page – let’s take a photo contest for example.
Usually, you just need to announce in your Facebook wall that you’re going to run a contest and post the mechanics in your Facebook page Notes section for all to read. Then as you start the contest, you make it a Voting contest – the photo with the most Facebook ‘Likes’ win.
The good thing: you can get ‘n’ number of likes using this method.
Easy, simple, and most of all it’s free because you don’t need to hire a developer nor a designer. But that’s not the case now.
Having your own Facebook app is almost a necessity right now if you want to run Facebook contests and accumulate more page ‘Likes’. The reason behind it is that you cannot run contests in Facebook anymore without a Facebook app as seen in the Facebook Promotions Guidelines below (taken from Facebook Promotions Guidelines):
