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White Hat & Black Hat SEO
Oct 27, 2009 02:58 PM
There’s a lot of talk out there about white hat and black hat Search Engine Optimization. What you can and can not do. What is considered fair and what is considered cheating. The real problem is that it is all old hat.
Not long ago, your website, and your site’s structure, was of major importance. How your site was designed could make or break your popularity in the search engines. But, with the ever increasing popularity of social networks and social media, it is no longer about your site and what it portrays to the world. It is about how the world perceives your site.
These days, a poorly built website with cool content will overtake a boring yet professionally designed site in rankings every time. It’s still all about the content. Content is king. It’s just that you can no longer win the popularity contest with good content, good site structure, and a set of authority links.
True, links are where it’s at but, it’s not the old authority link approach you read about all over the web. Search for “Best SEO Practices” and what you find will be about site structure (meta tags, alt tags, etc.), quality content and authority links. It’s still good to know and it’s good to practice. White hat SEO is definitely good practice. Yet, without a social angle, you’re just running in place. You need buzz. Social buzz.
Cool content generates buzz as long as people know about it. That’s good news because, if you have incredible content, it may be all you need. However, if you have good content that needs the right audience, you may want to prime the pump so the right people can find you. Get out there and participate in relevant online social groups and begin to talk about what you’re site is about. If you’re a great resource, the buzz will grow beyond your own posts and people will begin to talk.
A few twitters a day, a few blog posts, some relevant blog comments and you’re on your way. Build your friends as you develop relationships. Find a social group you can become an expert on helping out people that need it. Reach out to the online community and people will begin to respond.
It’s not an overnight thing for most people. It takes time and persistence. Most give up in less than a month. Give it three to six months. Become prolific in your posting online. Do as much as you enjoy. If you have a viable website, within six months, you will develop significant traffic to your site.
Here are ten social sites to explore:
1. Twitter
http://twitter.com
2. Facebook
http://www.facebook.com
3. LinkedIn
http://www.linkedin.com
4. Etsy
http://www.etsy.com
5. BoingBoing
http://boingboing.net
6. Stumbleupon
http://www.stumbleupon.com
7. Technorati
http://technorati.com
8. YouTube
http://www.youtube.com
9. Flickr
http://www.flickr.com
10. 43 Things
http://www.43things.com
This can be intimidating and confusing. The real “trick” is to find what you enjoy. There are thousands of alternatives to these ten. Begin here and explore. You’ll find your own list of great sites to become a valuable part of.
Create buzz around your site and people will come to see what it’s all about.
Not long ago, your website, and your site’s structure, was of major importance. How your site was designed could make or break your popularity in the search engines. But, with the ever increasing popularity of social networks and social media, it is no longer about your site and what it portrays to the world. It is about how the world perceives your site.
These days, a poorly built website with cool content will overtake a boring yet professionally designed site in rankings every time. It’s still all about the content. Content is king. It’s just that you can no longer win the popularity contest with good content, good site structure, and a set of authority links.
True, links are where it’s at but, it’s not the old authority link approach you read about all over the web. Search for “Best SEO Practices” and what you find will be about site structure (meta tags, alt tags, etc.), quality content and authority links. It’s still good to know and it’s good to practice. White hat SEO is definitely good practice. Yet, without a social angle, you’re just running in place. You need buzz. Social buzz.
Cool content generates buzz as long as people know about it. That’s good news because, if you have incredible content, it may be all you need. However, if you have good content that needs the right audience, you may want to prime the pump so the right people can find you. Get out there and participate in relevant online social groups and begin to talk about what you’re site is about. If you’re a great resource, the buzz will grow beyond your own posts and people will begin to talk.
A few twitters a day, a few blog posts, some relevant blog comments and you’re on your way. Build your friends as you develop relationships. Find a social group you can become an expert on helping out people that need it. Reach out to the online community and people will begin to respond.
It’s not an overnight thing for most people. It takes time and persistence. Most give up in less than a month. Give it three to six months. Become prolific in your posting online. Do as much as you enjoy. If you have a viable website, within six months, you will develop significant traffic to your site.
Here are ten social sites to explore:
1. Twitter
http://twitter.com
2. Facebook
http://www.facebook.com
3. LinkedIn
http://www.linkedin.com
4. Etsy
http://www.etsy.com
5. BoingBoing
http://boingboing.net
6. Stumbleupon
http://www.stumbleupon.com
7. Technorati
http://technorati.com
8. YouTube
http://www.youtube.com
9. Flickr
http://www.flickr.com
10. 43 Things
http://www.43things.com
This can be intimidating and confusing. The real “trick” is to find what you enjoy. There are thousands of alternatives to these ten. Begin here and explore. You’ll find your own list of great sites to become a valuable part of.
Create buzz around your site and people will come to see what it’s all about.
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