The Seventh Commandment – Thou Shalt Use Signatures in Forums with Do-Follow

Another tip from the “SEO MASTER”:
Focus your signature around the main keyword string for your home page. Try to be the first response to new posts and participate on long discussion threads that will consistently be pushed to the top of the main discussion page.

Here is a list of major forums with Do-Follow signatures:

http://www.sitepoint.com/forums/- SEO
http://acapella.harmony-central.com/forums/ – music
http://forums.seroundtable.com/ – seo
http://www.submitexpress.com/bbs/
http://www.startups.co.uk/ – business
http://www.v7n.com/forums/ – seo, webmaster
http://www.webmaster-talk.com/ – webmaster
http://www.webicy.com/ – Webmaster, seo
http://forums.comicbookresources.com/ – comic books
http://bzimage.org/ – photo
http://www.earnersforum.com/forumsindex.php – ecommerce, advertising
http://www.acorndomains.co.uk/ – domains
http://forums.onlinebookclub.org/ – books

For the complete list of Do-Follow Forums go here.

Check out the other “commandments” shared in previous blogs and let me know what YOU think of the information he boasts. Agree. Disagree. Not so sure. COMMENTS WELCOMED!!!

With four commandments already under our belts, we embark upon “The Master of SEO’s” fifth command today…and it is one for the books (bookMARKS, that is!).  I like the fact that he shares FREE sites for this…Free is ALWAYS good.

The Fifth Commandment – Though Shalt Have Links from Directories

Identify the keyword string that you want your index page to rank for and use it in the title of your submissions. Also, only do a couple of submissions each day.

Here is a list of PR4+ directories that have free submission. The $299 Yahoo directory submission is also a good move.

For the complete list of Free Directories go here.

MY TAKE ON THIS: TRUTH…but I don’t know about the $299 recommendation from “The Master of SEO”…

To get started, take advantage of the free tools shared above, and check out the link he has included for a complete list, too, after all, it is FREE!!!

The link takes you to a page with “361 FREE Directories…with PR” (as in Public Relations). Look at the numbers included AFTER each website – this indicates the site’s page ranking. The higher the number the better – that will help determine WHERE to start, right?!?

As one comment indicates, “It is not about quantity but quality.”

Take time to do your research and be sure you are posting your information to the correct directories under the appropriate category. This will make a huge difference in the results of your efforts and you sure don’t want to have to redo, rework, or rethink it all after you sbumit to them. Take time to learn what works and doesn’t, and then tweak as needed.

If you want to pay someone big bucks to assist you, have at it!

You might first consider looking into http://oDesk.com and outsourcing this. Conduct interviews with local businesses whom you are already networking with. See what you can learn, who fits your budget and will meet your needs, and NEVER forget to ask for recommendations and references!!!

A new company I have enjoyed networking with is representatives of LocalAdLink. My all-time FAVORITE guru to help with SEO (and who I use as a reference for my clients, is Mike with CoolBubba.com – when you email him for information, be sure to say I sent you. He helps with this blog and is a ROCKSTAR with SEO. ..you won’t be disappointed, that is for sure!!!

As we move to the “final five” commandments, get ready for more links…”The Master of SEO” from sta.rtup.biz has another round of FAB information to share with you…just tackle this as you would eat an elephant – one bite at a time. LOL!

Let’s go SITE-SEEING!!!

For the next commandment, The Master of SEO has us taking a little tour, if you will.

Once you have read through today’s blog, be sure to comment and include your website. This is a great (and free) way to ask for feedback and ideas. You might even learn information others would like to see included on your Blog!

It could be that you want to ask for feedback on a recent post. THEN ASK…

Are you new to blogging and want ideas before your site “goes live”? Then share it here with your online (and offline) network as I know many are willing and interested in assisting. I want to see YOU and your business MORE SUCCESSFUL!!!

Take advantage of the comments section on this blog.
It is another way you can GROW YOUR NETWORK…and, it affords you the opportunity to connect with others.

Have fun reviewing each other’s websites, blogs, site names, and stories. I can’t wait to see what you have to share!!!

The Fourth Commandment – Thou Shalt Use the Site Name in the Title

The Google gods want you to be true to yourself and not try to trick your fellow man.

The best way to accomplish this is to use it in the second half of the title. Ex: The Ten Commandments of Search: Sta.rtUp.biz

MY TAKE ON THIS: HALF TRUTH…

I have looked at a number of blogs since I saw this commandment. More times than NOT there are posts which do not include the website.

Hmmm…could it be that they don’t know this trick?

Is it possible the commandment is optional?

Would there be another solution available?

Here’s some of the feedback “The Master of SEO” has received and some additional points I think should be included:
I rarely will use the business or website name in a page title. The only exception is if the name is also a keyword. A better use of the website or business name is in the page description Meta Tag. Page Titles are for keywords only! Most businesses and websites are not going to be searched by name, and those that are will get picked up from the page description.

Here’s an example of what I would have as a blog title:  The Ten Commandments of Offline Networking: The Networking Queen speaks out!

Do you think this would suffice?

Let me know by posting in the comments section below. I want to know your thoughts…and how you have seen and/or used this “commandment.”

POST AWAY!!!

Up next, our half-way point!  Commandment #5 from “The Master of SEO” on Sta.rtup.biz…wonder what if it will include more links for us to bookmark – LOL!!!

I came across this great little “list” months ago and want to share some of what was posted because I know it will help you, your business, and your networking efforts.  As you grow your business, online and/or offline, your website is VITAL to the success of your ongoing networking attempts – successes and failures. So, if you want to have a stellar site, but don’t have the funds to pay STEALTH prices, then these little tips for “The Ten Commandments of SEO” (Search Engine Optimization) will help you.

We will breakdown each tip so you have food to chew on and ideas to mull over before a new idea is presented. AND AND AND there will be a pause between each post so you have time to go to work on the ideas shared in these “pearls of wisdom by the Master” (his words, not mine)…

The First Commandment – Thou Shalt Have Fresh Content

The easiest way to accomplish this is with a daily blog. One to three paragraphs of original content related to your site.

MY TAKE ON THIS: TRUE!!!
Blogging daily is NOT the easiest thing in the world…I thought I could hack it but my schedule proved otherwise.

Maybe you are like me and have often wondered, “HOW do they do that?” and until I inquired I didn’t know the answer, either…. Now, I will share this little secret with YOU!
THEY DON’T BLOG DAILY…SURPRISE!!!

In WordPress, you have the option of typing lots of content and then SCHEDULING when it will appear on your site. TAH DAH! So, as you read this, and any other blog, in reality, the content could have been created during a “mini-blast” day (spending 3-4 hours focused on only creating blog posts, newsletters, etc., but it is ONLY on this one sole purpose – YOU get to decide WHAT that purpose is and WHEN you will do the work).  HOW COOL IS THAT?

For some, they prefer to sit down each day and spend 30 minutes to an hour or more “blogging” about what is transpiring in their life. For others, it works to create massive content in chunks at a time. The key is to determine what works best for you…DAILY creating the content or CHUNK content creation in one day that is scheduled to “publish” at different intervals. The choice is yours…

With online sites, like Facebook, which allow for networking 24/7/365, you have an opportunity to post “mini-blogs” such as your wall posts, or notes, or even discussions on group pages. AND, did you realize There is a BLOG feature on Facebook?  Yes, it is true. Even Facebook allows you to BLOG – and it is free!!!

The point is, if your intent is to use (online) Social Networking as a way to grow your business, you need to be connecting, relating and working to refer regularly. Build your network by building their interest and Blogging is just another means for achieving that. As we’ve talked before, it is NOT about SELL SELL SELL, even with your blog. Keep your focus on sharing information YOU have or know that can benefit the reader, draw them in to a discussion, or enable them to connect with you on a different level.

Let me also include a tip from another SEO expert, “The Descriptions are important for the visitors. Even thou it does have some impact on Rankings. Describe what that page is about in the description.”  If you aren’t the one “coding” your page or don’t use a tool like WordPress to post your blog, then talk to your Web guru about this…but DO IT!!!

Next up, Commandment #2 from “The Master of SEO” (whom, by the way, is not me…I will stick with networking, thanks, but I do see the value and I do believe this will help you and your business so it is a MUST SHARE!!!). More information on this topic is available via www.sta.rtup.biz – ENJOY!!!

FYI – there are some who prefer to complete Commandment #2 BEFORE coming up with Content…so don’t rush into anything until you read tomorrow’s info on Keyword Research…