SEO for DUMMIESby Rudy Turinay for Casa do Caminho

Plan

Search Engine Optimization 1. Definition of SEO2. A complete strategy

1. Content is King1. What kind of content ?2. How to optimize our content ?

2. Backlinks1. Definition2. What is a good quality backlink ?3. How to get good quality backlinks ?

3. Ninja Linking1. Definition2. How to use the Ninja Linking ?

Search Engine Optimization Definition

Definition : Search engine optimization (SEO) is the process of improving the visibility of a website or a web page in search engines via the "natural“ or un-paid ("organic" or "algorithmic") search results. Other forms of Search engine marketing (SEM) target paid listings.

Search Engine OptimizationA complete strategy

How to get on top of the Search Engine Result Pages (SERPs)?1. Write One-of-a-Kind Content2. Add brand new content all the time3. Use keywords4. Watch out the competition on these keywords/key

phrases5. Write an accessible website6. Get good quality backlinks

Write One-of-a-Kind Content

#1 Write One-of-a-Kind Content

There are so many article directories out there on the web that it might be tempting to simply jump online and copy one of the articles and throw it on your site. Of course, as long as you publish a link to the author’s web site and give them the credit they deserve, this is usually acceptable and even encouraged.

However, there are three problems with doing this. First, the major search engines like Google, Yahoo and Ask.com generally frown upon this type of thing. They won’t ban your site or anything but they will probably drop that article from their listings. So, does it really help you?

Now you can overcome the uniqueness problem by rewriting the article but this falls into a gray area. Most authors don’t really care if you change the content to make it unique as long as you still give the author credit and link to their web site. However, some do mind because they have no control if you make the article less readable.

Third, while it gives your web site content, it doesn’t give your web site authority and can actually lead to defections. Think about it. If you come across a outstanding article, you end up trusting the author and click through to their web site.

The best solution to this problem is to just write unique content for your web site and then allow others to disperse it for you by posting it on the article directories… be the writer and not the copier.

Write One-of-a-Kind Content

#2 Add Brand New Content all the Time

Search engines love up-to-date content. So it’s pretty simple, the more up-to-date content that you post to your web site or blog, the more often the search engines will visit your site.

While it’s certainly not the only factor that they search engines look at, it is a major factor. But, even more importantly, your visitors and subscribers love up-to-date content. Give them what they want and they will return more often.

Finally, when it comes to creating up-to-date content, each time you create a up-to-date page for your web site, you have more of an opportunity to be answering a question that a search engine user is seeking to have answered.

Webmasters must create 30 content pages for their web site as fast as possible. Once they reach 30 pages, they should keep building their web site until they reach at least 100 pages by adding at least one up-to-date content page to their site each week.

Write One-of-a-Kind Content

#3 Use KeywodsThis one is pretty simple. By using your keywords in title in your title tag

and the article, both the search engines and your readers know what the page is about.

Furthermore, most search engines take the user’s search term and bold all of the search term words that show in the title and description. Bolding draws the eye’s attention. Get the user’s attention and they will most likely click on the link.

In addition, search engines can’t read an article and understand what the article is really about. They have to “run the numbers”. So, if they see your keyword phrase 2% in the body and then also see it in the title, they can determine what your article is focused on.

Backlinks

Backlinks - Definition

Backlinks are incoming links to a web page. The number of backlinks is one indication of the popularity or importance of that website or page (for

example, this is used by Google to determine the PageRank of a webpage) . Outside of SEO, the backlinks of a webpage may be of significant personal, cultural or semantic interest: they indicate who is paying attention to that page. In basic link terminology, a backlink is any link received by a web node (web page, directory, website, or top level domain) from another web node. Backlinks are also known as incoming links, inbound links, inlinks, and inward links.

Our Website

Website 1

Website 2

Website 3

Website 4

Backlinks

What are the criterias for a good quality backlink ?

Links from a Related Site

Link from an Authority Site

“Do Follow” Links

Links Anchored with Keyword

Links from High PR/GR Site

One Way Links

Backlinks

Links from a Related Site

The first topic to focus on, is the content.

You have to make sure, the website content and activities are related to yours.

For example for the Language school in Rio you have to find websites about :

Language school, How to learn english, Living in Brazil, daily life in Rio…

Backlinks

Links from an authority website

The second topic to focus on, is the credibility.

You have to make sure, readers and even other bloggers trust this website. Best would be if the blogger/webmaster was known as a leader or has influence on his pairs.

For example if it is a blogger, see if : - People retweet his blog posts- He is on top of blog rolls- Journalists interview him…

Backlinks

“Do follow” links“DoFollow links and NoFollow links are code structures embedded into the link that tellSearch Spiders (these “spiders’ crawl the internet when you type in a search and look for things such as this to pull up as related information) whether or not to count it or not in the search results. DoFollow links are counted and NoFollow links are not.” Zack, Turbo Social Media.

This means that when you make a comment on a blog, or a post on a forum and you

leave your website address, and the blog or forum uses “do follow”, spiders will follow this link to your website.  However, keep this in mind, when you make the comment on the blog :“Your comment must add value and not be spammy. NOT comments like, “good post” or “nice job” If you are looking for a do follow comment you have to work for it a little and make sure youare writing a comment that is relative to the post and actually adds something to the conversation”. Dan Keller ezine article.

It is better to build relationships with bloggers rather than jumping blog to blog spamming whoever you can… not good social media…

Backlinks

“DoFollow” links (not “NoFollow” links)

How to know if a blog / forum / website has a “do follow” or “no follow” strategy ?

1. Go to the webpage where you want to get the backlink (blog posts, forums….)

2. Check out the script by hitting “ctrl” + “u”3. Then hold “ctrl” + “f” to search4. Write “nofollow”5. See if “nofollow” is highlighted green

If means that there is a result, leaving a comment is useless for the SEO.But can be usefull to build a relationship with the webmaster

Backlinks

“DoFollow” links (not “NoFollow” links)

How to know if a blog / forum / website has a “do follow” or “no follow” strategy ?

1. Go to the webpage where you want to get the backlink (blog posts, forums….)

Backlinks

“DoFollow” links (not “NoFollow” links)

How to know if a blog / forum / website has a “do follow” or “no follow” strategy ?

2. Check out the script by hitting “ctrl” + “u”

A window, like this one, will open.

Backlinks

“DoFollow” links (not “NoFollow” links)

How to know if a blog / forum / website has a “do follow” or “no follow” strategy ?

3. Then hold “ctrl” + “f” to search

At the bottom of the window, you will see something like this (Search/Rechercher/Localizar…)

Backlinks

“DoFollow” links (not “NoFollow” links)

How to know if a blog / forum / website has a “do follow” or “no follow” strategy ?

4. Write “nofollow”

= Search / Localizar

Backlinks

“DoFollow” links (not “NoFollow” links)

How to know if a blog / forum / website has a “do follow” or “no follow” strategy ?

5. See if “nofollow” is highlighted green

Leaving a comment is useless for the SEO.

Backlinks

“DoFollow” links (not “NoFollow” links)

How to know if a blog / forum / website has a “do follow” or “no follow” strategy ?

If it turns « redish »

Then leave a comment.

Ninja Linking

Definition : Ninja linking is a strategy that is between SEO and community management. You create backlinks as you build relationships with bloggers, people on forums…

Ninja link, do NOT spam !

Ninja Linking on Forums

Keep in mind, the idea is to HELP the community.

So the first thing is that you need to answer the question an efficient way.

Second, be honnest. Say who you are : you are a volunteer and work for an orphanage, people forum users should not be disturbed by that.

Third do not spam !

Ninja Linking on Forums

How to find an answer about a country you don’t know ?

FORUMS ! People ask questions on famous forums.

Ninja Linking on Forums

Casa do Caminho knows that, here is an answer of Bart

Automatic internlink generated by LonelyPlanet

This is a non clickable link

Ninja Linking on Forums

How to make a better answer ?

Automatic internlink generated by LonelyPlanet

Create a backlink with keywords in the anchor

Add a real picture of you

Be honnest

Ninja Linking on Forums

List of Dollow travel forums

Travel Do-Follow Forumshttp://forums.travel.com/ – PR4http://www.thetravelforum.com/http://www.myspace.com/forums/home#!/forums/s/1016http://www.tourismzone.com/http://leavingonajetplane.co.uk/forum/. Everything-everywhere.com – @ http://forums.everything-everywhere.com/forum.php2. Aardvark Travel – @ http://www.aardvarktravel.net/chat/3. Slow Travel – @ http://slowtalk.com/groupee/forums4. Flyer Talk – @ http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/ (only allowed signature after 90 posts and 90 days!)5. Travel.com – @ http://forums.travel.com/6. Destination 360 – @ http://www.destination360.com/forum/7. Travel Blog – @ http://www.travelblog.org/Forum/1-1/8. Travellerspoint – @ http://www.travellerspoint.com/forum.cfm9. Asia Rooms – @ http://community.asiarooms.com/index.html10. Travel Forum – @ http://www.travelforum.org/11. Tourist Click – @ http://forums.touristclick.com/Travel Blog | Free Travel Journal | Online Travel Diary -PR 6, easy to registerTravel Forums - Travellerspoint -PR6

Ninja Linking on Blogs

Ninja Linking on Blogs

Ninja Linking means getting « backlinks » yourself, the only way to get a backlink yourself on a blog is to leave a comment.(for information about social bookmarking and backlinks in blog posts, please read the guide about Social Media Optimization)

1.Find a blog related to your activities

2.Read the blog post

3.Leave a good quality comment

4.Don’t forget to add your name and your website in signature

Ninja Linking on Blogs

1.Tip to find Blogs using dofollow

This search query will show you dofollow blogs related to your activities

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=keyword+%22Enter+YourName%40YourKeywords+in+the+Name+field+to+take+advantage.%22&btnG=Search

Change "keyword" in the search query to the keyword you want to rank high on “Rio de Janeiro” / “Ipanema” / “Language school”…

Ninja Linking on Blogs

2. Read the blog post

Ninja Linking on Blogs

2. Leave a good quality comment

Ninja Linking on Blogs

2. Don’t forget to add your name and your website

Dofollow backlink to http://casadocaminho-languagecentre

Ninja Linking on Blogs

More travel dofollow blogs here :http://followlist.com/linkpage.php?cat=Travel

Ninja Linking on Blogs

You should be able to generate thousands of good quality backlinks

For even better quality backlinks, please read the presentations about Social Media Optimization

Thank you for reading

Rudy Turinay