While waiting to speak at a regional science fiction and fantasy convention this past weekend, I sat in on the…

These days a potential client coming to your door wants to know two things: 1) Can you put my website at the top of search for my relevant keywords, and 2) How soon can you make it happen? While we all would like to have the crystal ball that tells us when to expect the fruits of our SEO labors to bloom, answering either of these questions can’t occur without some heavy explanation into how search engine optimization works. As you win the confidence of clients and take on the tasks, you might find utlizing social media is a good way to expedite some goals, but what happens when you take on too much work?

Good to use on the go if you Twitter constantly, but are shortened URLs good for your site’s SEO? In observing recent trends in Twitter, it isn’t difficult to see spam accounts are on the rise, and the inclusion of such a URL, however innocuous the preceding text may appear, could lead to a phishing link. It stands to reason one should look on shortened links carefully, clicking through only if you are certain the source can be trusted.

Is another major search engine necessary now? True, the competition gives users more options, but one who knows his Internet history understands that the Microsoft Network hasn’t been able to knock the two big dogs off the porch. Will Kumo make a dent in Google’s usership?

Is it worth the time and effort to post your site and blog links to a multitude of bookmarking sites, given the chance the links will simply languish under the weight of more popular entertainment and news blogs? If you choose the bookmarking route, which sites do you use? To look at the names of these sites: Digg, Diigo, Reddit, Sphinn, Yigg, Mixx, and so forth, one might think he’s stepped into a bizarre spelling bee. What can these sites do to help your SEO progress?

In creating a website for the purpose of selling products or services, content is the key to high search rankings. Your text must be concise and precise as far as keywords and phrases go, and with clear links to supplemental information and a working contact form. When using social media to promote your site and encourage click-through traffic, you are allowed to be more verbose, as you must create searchable content that encourages third-party sites to use your content – and in turn display the obligatory links to your main site. The rise of social media as a means of promotion can help establish relevance for your website.

Why are Facebook, YouTube and Twitter featured on the SES New York agenda? Isn’t this a natural as finding lions,…

While browsing my Twitter feed recently I came upon a link by an author known as much for her expertise in online marketing than for her actual books. The article in question discussed social media as a tool for book marketing, and whether or not employing social media fads (Twitter, in particular) works in the long run when you’re trying to sell books. The point brought up concerned the limited audience of a Twitter user: why expend so much energy in this one place where you may have less than a hundred followers, when there are other ways to market and reach a potentially larger audience?

With the nation’s economic health in question, it stands to reason businesses will advertise more in order to stay afloat. In a time where print media is experiencing cutbacks and layoffs, it is no surprise that people are turning to online marketing alternatives to reach their target customers.

This post starts off with a brief history of recent algorithm updates, and shows the enormous weight Google is placing…