How can you get a good domain?

Posted by Jeremy L. Knauff | January 12th, 2010

If you’ve visited GoDaddy to search for a new domain over the last few years, you’ve probably noticed that most of the good ones have already been taken. So what options do you have when the perfect domain just isn’t available? You could choose the .net version, as many people have, but even good .net domains are becoming more difficult to find these days. The .org version may or may not be an option, depending on your needs. There’s always .us, but like .org, that’s really not a fit for a lot of people. One option that many people never even consider is buying an existing domain. Aside from the opportunity to get the perfect domain for your needs, you may even be lucky enough to buy a domain that has been used for a live website…

Link building ideas you’ve probably never thought of

Posted by Jeremy L. Knauff | November 22nd, 2009

We all know how important links are to produce organic search traffic. Unfortunately, the easiest way to acquire quality links, by purchasing them, has become too risky for many people because of Google’s stance on paid links. This doesn’t mean that you are stuck just waiting for someone to link to your content on their own. There are tons of ways to build links; a little creativity can go a long way. Here are a few ideas to get you going:

1. There are countless worthwhile charities and non-profit organizations out there, and many of them list and link to their donors on their website. This is a great way to build quality links while contributing to society.
2. Anytime someone receives a confirmation email from your company, such as after they make a purchase or when they sign up for your newsletter, ask them to review

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Go where the people are

Posted by Jeremy L. Knauff | November 2nd, 2009

Do you ever feel like you’ve done everything right with your website but you can’t seem to get the traction you’re looking for? Do you wonder why you don’t have more visitors for the countless hours that you’ve put into developing original and informative content?

You’re not alone. This is a challenge most people go through, but most give up before they realize their mistake. They are talking to an empty room.

For years, we’ve been fed the lie that “content is king.” From a search engine’s point of view, fresh content is great, but search engines are not your customers. People are, and if you want to get them to your website, you’ll have to connect with them first. Just as giving a sales pitch in an empty room will not produce any revenue, neither will posting content to a website that has no traffic. So…

Is social media killing your SEO campaign?

Posted by Jeremy L. Knauff | October 8th, 2009

As social media continues to grow, it’s taking an increasing toll on your SEO efforts. The days of bloggers happily linking to relevant or interesting content are quickly disappearing, replaced instead by a snippet of text (lately, in 140 character increments) and a shortened, nofollowed link that’s all but worthless from a search engine optimization perspective.

But is it really the rise of social media, as some “so-called” SEO experts claim, that’s making it tougher to build quality links that corrolate to organic ranking, or is it something else?

The truth is, it’s a bit of both. Most social media channels, such as Facebook or Twitter, use a link shortening service and/or add the nofollow attribute to external links. This negates most, if not all of the potential SEO benefits of that link. But most people are using social media poorly anyway – you should be using…

FTC moves to control how you blog

Posted by Wildfire Marketing Group | October 6th, 2009

U.S. bloggers must now disclose if they have been paid to review a product or service, or be fined by the Federal Trade Commission.

On October 5th, the regulatory agency announced that for the first time since 1980, it has updated its Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.

The FTC’s press release states:

The revised Guides also add new examples to illustrate the long standing principle that “material connections” (sometimes payments or free products) between advertisers and endorsers – connections that consumers would not expect – must be disclosed. These examples address what constitutes an endorsement when the message is conveyed by bloggers or other “word-of-mouth” marketers. The revised Guides specify that while decisions will be reached on a case-by-case basis, the post of a blogger who receives cash or in-kind payment to review a product is

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