Demandez le gourou seo

As humans we all need certain things if we wish to survive. We NEED food and water. We are driven to seek heat when we are cold and shelter when the elements threaten our well being. And as far as I’m concerned, a little whoopee from time to time ranks right up there with the shelter stuff at least. All right all right, so maybe I’m not being completely open here regarding the whoopee. I should of said a LOT of whoopee from time to time. OK ? Life is good.

What we don’t need is to waste our precious time being led down one more primrose path. We don’t NEED to invest another minute into any more regurgitated drivel that exists for no other purpose than to bait one more link. And we don’t NEED to watch another attention starved glory hound Fonzi-izing his hair in the cyber mirror of self adoration. Blogging just to hear himself type. I’m not referring to you or me of course, I’m talking about those “other” guys. We both know who they are.

Outside of the basics, needs are subjective. We all make comments like, “I NEED some new shoes”, or “I NEED to check out Sphinn (http://www.sphinn.com) today,” but those are much closer to desires than needs. You don’t actually need shoes to survive but you do need them IF your objective is to walk faster or be more comfortable or to impress someone with your unique sense of fashion and style. <- mental of Rand Fishkin’s yellow loafers pops into head http://www.aimclearblog.com/2007/04/12/rand-fishkins-yellow-shoes

You don’t NEED to check out Sphinn today unless you have an interest in the SEO industry and realize that it is probably the one place to get the most news with the least effort.

If you make your living, (or would like to), from some type of online marketing, but that making a living thing greatly reduces your spendable minutes available for endeavors that don’t produce direct revenue, then you NEED to be selective in where you go and who you listen to, when it comes to increasing your chances of making more revenue. Makes sense huh?

If you’re an old hat at this online marketing thing then you already have a list of those you pay attention to and those you ignore because experience has taught you where to find the value. If that’s the case you may be questioning your own judgment even as you read this now.

But if you are struggling with your online venture and you’re here because you’re trusting the Guru to help you see the light, then today you hit the jackpot. I can’t do your digging for you but I’ve been doing this long enough, I can certainly point you to where the gold is.

If you enjoy just hangin out at seo forums, or if reading seo and marketing blogs is just a way to eat the clock until quitting time, then you don’t NEED to listen to people like Dan Theis, http://www.seoresearchlabs.com, John Andrews, http://www.johnon.com/, or Ed Purkiss, http://www.me3inc.com/.

But, if you have a desire to master your craft and actually become better tomorrow than you are today, then you very much NEED to be reading, listening to and learning from these three very smart men.

I’m by no means implying these are the only three people who are worth listening to. Nothing could be further from the truth. There are a LOT of very smart SERP(search engine result pages), jockeys who are in the trenches everyday and who could teach you a lot. Even for those who deserve little note based on merit, even they could say something that could have real value. I mean really, it could happen. Even a blind hog finds the occasional acorn.

AND, I fully intend to continue recommending the people I think you can count on for quality information, but I mention these three today because in this last week each of them have done or said something to remind me of how impressed I am with them each time I do read their stuff.

This past week I read a post by Dan debunking keyword density http://www.seofaststart.com/blog/lies-about-seo-statistics.

As I read, I was grinning from ear to ear and I realized that Dan has built a name for himself in the industry by focusing on an important niche. I say focusing on because he does a lot of things in the SEM arena but he has become an expert at keyword research by actually doing the work. He deserves the reputation he has because he is deeply involved with the topic on a daily basis and has proven himself time and time again. He knows this stuff like I know better than to stick my wet tongue on a frozen ice tray --- again.

If you are going to put anyone on your list of NEED to listen to, he belongs right there at the top.

Then there is a guy who started blowing me away with his posts two years ago at the now defunct, (sadly), Threadwatch.org. From my first read of his,  I was instantly impressed with not only his intellect and command of the written word, but more so by his unique perspective and insight into the world of search engine marketing. Very smart guy.

This past week he raised the bar on what I consider really great posts with this commentary on Google.

http://www.johnon.com/391/seo-whiners.html Understanding the Google

As I read it, it knocked me out how someone this smart could see something so obvious and yet so overlooked by an entire industry and still be willing to share his observations with anyone who would take the time to listen. In my opinion, this is the single most helpful post of 2007, (so far). If you do not read it, think about it, understand it and apply it, it is your loss and I’ve done all I can to help you.

Then there is Ed Purkiss. http://www.me3inc.com

I’m going to do a top 10 reasons why I’m not a blackhat soon and one of those reasons is that I’m not technically competent enough. I have never had any desire, ( or aptitude),  to learn any type of coding. I’m a salesman and I’m comfortable in that skin. I’ve worked hard at learning to apply my skills to the web but only to the extent of enabling myself to hit my numbers, which luckily, was without me having to actually learn much of anything tech related.

However, I’ve always had respect for those who were into that stuff and I also can see that maybe it won’t be the meek but rather the geeks that shall inherit the earth.

Ed reigns supreme over any one else of any technical skill level that I have ever read, spoken to or even heard about. AND he constantly blows me away with how much of his exceptional knowledge and insight he is willing to share with anyone who will ask.

Whether you are a budding script kiddie or a senior developer wanting to learn to use your skills to make more money online, you do NOT want to miss the opportunity to interact and learn form this guy. http://www.perkiset.org/forum/

I have no deal with any of these people. I have not made any prior arrangements with them and they don’t have any idea I’m even mentioning them. I don’t even have any ulterior motives other than to point out how smart these men are because it makes me look smarter just by mentioning them and as always, I’m trying to use this medium to teach you how to do more with less effort without shoving anything down your throat or talking down to you. 

So, if you are satisfied with your present income and satisfied with your online marketing skills, then you don’t NEED to listen to people like Dan Thies, John Andrews or Ed Purkiss.

But, if your time is precious and you are wanting to earn more with less effort, wanting to service your clients better and wanting to learn from real experts, then you NEED to pay close attention to these people and seek out people like them that can teach you, guide you and inspire you with no more effort on your part than sitting in a comfortable chair and paying attention.

These men definitely understand the concept of the internet Golden Rule. The more you give, the more you get. They give a LOT.

If you have someone you would like to see mentioned as worthy of the time, feel free to list them in the comments as long as it’s not yourself.

 

Peace

The SEO Guru

 

 

Boy, you name a blog “Ask the SEO Guru” and people start asking for SEO help. Crazy world huh?

I’d like to tell you a little story. 

If you’ve become an avid reader of the the Guru in this past two weeks you already know that  I’m in India for a few months setting up a BPO (business process outsourcing), company and my wife had to remain in Oklahoma. It’s summer there and this past couple of weeks the temperature got up into the triple digits and Murphy’s law being applicable in all things, the air conditioner went out.

We have a service that we’ve used for years for our building heat and air but this past year the owner passed away and left the business to his nephew and son. One of them, my wife remarked on how cute he was. One is very business minded and the other ------ not so much.

My wife called to request service and was told they were really behind and couldn’t get there until the next day. She waited and no one showed. She called and got the one who’s not so good on the phone and complained by telling him how hot she was and what good customers we have been and how she was worried her plants would die and so forth only to be told some cock-n-bull story about having to service people first who’s life might be in danger due to the heat and he didn’t know when he could get to hers.

When I spoke to my wife on skype that evening she relayed her tale of woe. I told her to call back the next morning and ask for the other one, which she did. I told her what to tell him, which she did.

After getting the other one on the phone, she said she was glad it was him and if that if he couldn’t make it that day she understood but she hoped it would be him to make the call because even though she was old enough to be his mother, she enjoyed watching him bend over to get his tools much more than his cousin.    

The air conditioning was working fine within the hour. :)

****************************

I bet you’re a little frustrated sometimes from reading blogs and forums until your eyes glaze over and yet you’re still not in the top. You’ve listened carefully to one SEO after another and the ones who SOUNDED like they knew what they were talking about, you followed their advice to the letter only to feel like more of a failure when their advice didn’t pay off in top slots for your website. It leaves you feeling like there’s just a little more they’re not telling you and if you just knew the secrets they had, if you just knew the rest of the story, the last little piece, then untold riches would be yours for the taking.

So how are you going to get those secrets? Hey, why not just ask? The worst that could happen is they say no and maybe they won’t say no. Maybe they’ll tell you, I mean they seem like they want to help. They seem nice enough on their blog.

So you roll up your sleeves and invest the whole two or three minutes to send them an email with your sad story of failure and disappointment only to get no reply or at best just a form letter with a link to their sales page. SHOOT, we didn’t want to pay for anything we just wanted the secret.

What went wrong? We told the seo all about how our dog was in the hospital and how we can’t afford a computer and how we have to walk through the snow to the local library 8 miles away to build our website and it’s uphill all the way, BOTH ways. Is that SEO that heartless?

The Guru has been getting these kinds of emails for years. In fact, that’s one of the reasons he stopped moderating at seo forums and writing newsletters, (for all you newbies that’s been on the net for less than a decade, that’s what they had before there were blogs). The Guru likes to help and it’s hard having to say no. Sometimes it’s hard saying no. Sometimes  ------ not so much.

 

Dear Bob I was referred by XXXXXXXXXX.

 

I know the answer will be NO, but I still wanted to ask anyway. Back in the early 90s I was able to get my little credit card applications on Page 1 of Alta Vista and several others, and as The Guru you know thats ancient history, the past.  Now days it takes thousands of dollars to achieve a page 1 ranking, or even page 2.

 

Heres my story.... I am a legally 100% DISABLED VIETNAM VET, with few resources (the govt dont care much about helping vets...ask any veteran)....I NEED WEBSITE TRAFFIC for my site, 

The Credit Shoppe  online since 1994  www.xxxxxxxxxtcardshoppe.com   I was hoping you might be a Guru hat has the attitude of helping the less fortunate, or perhaps "giving something back to the NET" ?

 

I know that credit cards terminologies for key search words and phrases is Highly Competitive! 

David vs Goliath.  But I was wondering if you might consider optimizing my site. I do not have access to the website, via FTP. Its template, server side. I could get them to change the key words and heading.

 

If this site is un-workable, here is one that gets zero traffic I started, as a novice, to which I have FTP full  access.....  www.XXXXXXXtcardstore.com  I am an affiliate marketer for credit cards, fyi.

 

Any help would be most sincerely appreciated.

 

Respectfully submitted:

XXXXXXX XXXXXX

xxxxxxxx877@earthlink.net

While I have nothing but the utmost respect for those who have fought for our country, there is nothing I can do to bring this person up, (I believe there’s a little more to the story but that’s for another post another time), he could only bring me down. (Unless he sells me his 10 year old credit card siteJ)

If you last help request resembled this letter, you likely got the same response. None. Because you are not asking the right way.

If you want anybody to do anything for you, stop before you ask and ask yourself one question. What is in it for them?

 This is actually not about getting free seo advice. This is about getting anything from anybody ESPECIALLY links to your site. When you tell someone how terrible your life is or how badly you need something, you are forgetting the 13^th law of power.

 When asking for something you want from someone else, appeal to their self-interest and never to their mercy or gratitude.

Maybe that sounds a little mercenary but the important thing is that when you tell people why YOU need help, you’re forgetting that maybe they can give you seo tips or maybe they can give you a link, but they can’t operate on your dog, they can’t fix your car, they can’t get you access to your ftp and all the other things you use to try to appeal to their merciful nature. So what you are doing is reminding them that the thing they have that you want has limitations. You are taking away the one thing that makes them want to help and share things in the first place. You’re invalidating the power they have built up due to their perceived success.

Aside from whining about needing help, the gratitude of telling them you already linked to them ain’t gonna cut it either. For the same basic reason. You’re saying 1 of two things and neither of them are any good to me if you want my help. Either you felt I needed the link, (invalidating me), or it is a thinly veiled ploy to make me feel indebted to you which is far worse. Instead of just not caring, now, I don’t really like you very much and think you are a person of low character.

So, you can get all the free SEO advice you want. You can get all the links you want from just about anybody IF, you remember to think of what you can do to validate them first. Tell them how helping you is going to increase their power and position, how it is going to bring them what they want and success will come to you much easier.

One little hitch. This is the reversal of the law. Be honest and sincere. People aren’t stupid and as much as anyone wants to be validated, the sting of insincerity is far worse than the promise of false accolades. If you can’t find something you honestly admire, respect or enjoy, (possibly even envy), then my advice to you is, don’t say it. Seek the favor you desire from another that you do respect. 

You want free seo advice?

 Tell them you like watching them bend over to get their tools.