I have been looking closely at the relation between new blog posts along side my primary targeted keywords, even if they are not directly related. It’s safe to say that if you right about a subject i.e. “Page Rank” then for a week or two you might see some temporary search engine position increase for that keyword.

What I have seen over the last few weeks is that if you write a popular blog piece then non direct related keyword phrases can also achieve a boost. On the 4th of February I wrote a successful piece of link bait – 25 websites all SEO’s should know. I received plenty of additional backlinks and got around 8k unique visitors as a result.

The week that followed I naturally saw an increase of organic traffic as a result of the post, but surprisingly I found myself at position 6 on Google for the phrase “SEM blog”. Since that discovery the position has since moved down a bit (to the second or third page). In that time frame I received around 600 unique visitors for that term alone. That phrase is not mentioned at all in the original post and the backlinks I received did not use the phrase as an anchor – so why an increase in a keyword phrase that has not been targeted?

As well as an increase in backlinks and blog posts the post was heavily visible on social networks, bookmarking sites, which lead to an overall increase in my blog traffic. By writing a post on a related (although not directly associated) topic can lead to your blog/website achieving an overall increase in search positions. My total organic traffic increased by around 30% for a period of 2 weeks.

To me this just adds to my argument that websites in 2008 should use the blog platform more than ever to help with organic listings.

Social media and social engagement is becoming more widely known to search marketers. Terms like “Power Users” and “Whales” are also part of the new age “lingo”. But what makes these top users any different from you and me? How much time is invested to get this status? An angle I don’t think many have explored for social activity is the amount benefits being at this level can bring you. Such as links to sites that are associated with you and interviews conducted by webmasters.

I have interviewed some of the most powerful users across the board, especially Stumbleupon, Digg, Mixx and Sphinn. I have asked:

Jansie SilentJay74 TheNanny612 Jeff Quipp Spostareduro

The 5 I have asked are top users in one or more of the four social sites I have listed, lets hear what they have to say:

Question 1 - How many hours a day do you spend on each social bookmarking website?

Jansie - Mixx.com, all day, as time permits, with breaks in-between work, as the mails come in, or if I find something interesting to post.
SilentJay74 - I would say I only spend in total about 3 hours a day off and on. I usually haunt Mixx.com. That is where I am most well known.
TheNanny612 - Well, I don’t have an allotted time I spend on each social bookmarking site. But, I do keep windows open constantly of my favorite social bookmarking websites that I frequent. And, since I spend around 19-20 hours online a day…. I guess I could be spending that much time on them.
Jeff Quipp- a) Digg (2 hours)
b) Stumbleupon (2 hours)
c) Sphinn (1.5 hours)
d) Reddit (10 minutes)
e) Mixx (1/2 hour)
Spostareduro – This is a funny question. Can I actually boil it down to a set amount of hours out of 24? Hmm..I’d have to say 23.59. It’s likely I’ll divorce before marriage.

Question 2 -Which is your most visited social bookmarking website?

Jansie - Mixx
SilentJay74 - I usually haunt Mixx.com. That is where I am most well known. I have been Social Bookmarking for over a year or so. I am also the co-host of Social Blend. It is a podcast about Social Media and Social Bookmarking. We also talk about Mixx.com a lot on the podcast.
TheNanny612 - My favorite Social Bookmarking website is Stumble Upon. It is the one I spend the most time on.
Jeff Quipp- No question, Stumbleupon. It holds the most potential for the vast majority of Clients, large or small. I also use Stumbleupon to help me keep track of everything my friends think is important in the industry that day. Lastly, I’ve reduced my TV time, and now dedicate that time to following my interests on Stumble.
Spostareduro – Oh, this is simple. Stumbleupon. I love the variation of personalities and interests there. Which can be found everywhere, but SU makes others seem more tangible, not just virtual. A home away from home (I’m a real nerd) If Sphinn were considered a bookmarking site, I’d say Sphinn because it’s there that I’ve gotten most of my niche education.

Question 3 - How long have you been using social bookmarking?

Jansie - My addiction started in 2007. I’m seeing someone about it though…
SilentJay74 – No Answer
TheNanny612 - Since July of 2007
Jeff Quipp- I set up my first account on Digg almost 2 years ago, but really only got into it seriously in the last 8 months. In the last 8 months though, its been a full-time job!
Spostareduro – I’ve been actively involved with social bookmarking for probably a solid 2 months now. (give or take a week or 2) I opened a few profiles a few months back, but didn’t pursue them at that time.
Question 4 - Do you have a preferred choice of content to submit?

Jansie - Yup, SEO stuff, totally off the wall comic stuff, self-submissions, for shameless link-building.
SilentJay74 - My preferred choice of content is tech news and crazy videos.
TheNanny612 - Depends on the social bookmarking site I am on at the time. They all have different content that works well on them. Any niche will do well on StumbleUpon as long as long as the content is good. Sphinn, another of my favorite social bookmarking site, is a social bookmarking site for SEO, Marketing and Social Media….. so of course that is the content I submit there. The community members of Sphinn are major players in SEO and marketing, so the content you submit there has to be excellent otherwise it won’t do well.
Jeff Quipp - I’m a science and technology junkie, so I love to read and submit about that stuff. These topics also have a relatively large following on social media sites, and really good potential to go `hot’.
Spostareduro – At first I began submitting mostly SEO/M articles. Because I was trying to keep up with SEO education for my site. (Learning SEO Basics) Then as I hung out in Sphinn which has a vast amount of SEO/M as well as Social Media news, I began obsessing over SM. Now I’ve expanded into allowing it to be more of a multipurpose zone. A place where I can express my human side..laughter, art, love of music, poetry, fellow bloggers, environmental concerns and sometimes even pain.

Question 5 - Are there any social bookmarking sites you don’t like and why?

Jansie - Not really. Not like is too strong.
SilentJay74 - . Right now I would have to say my least preferred Social Bookmarking site is Digg.com. A ton of things have been happening at Digg and they have been banning well known users who also happen to be friends of mine. What some Social Bookmarking sites don’t realize is that there is a sense of community, and you don’t want to hurt your community or make changes without consulting them and getting community feedback. Mixx however understands this and is extremely involved with their community. I guess that is why I appreciate Mixx so much.
TheNanny612 - Not really. I don’t participate in all of them…. I just can’t. I don’t have the time in the day to enjoy them all. I have a few favorites and stick with them. I can’t say that I don’t like one or the other. I seem to stick with my favorites because I don’t have the time for others at this point.
Jeff Quipp - Reddit … the user interface seems juvenile and uninspiring. Its not designed for ease of use. While I like the people there … its designed for machines, not people.
Spostareduro – I have a difficult time finding enjoyment in Reddit.

Question 6- Have you ever been banned from any social bookmarking sites and why?

Jansie - Well, there was this one time when I got flamed. It’s almost as bad as a ban. I promise!
SilentJay74 – No Answer
TheNanny612 - Nope.
Jeff Quipp - Yes … not necessarily because we were engaging in anything blackhat, but we wanted to test the constraints. IT WAS INTENTIONAL! People learn in two ways; (1) by failing, or (2) vicariously by watching others. We didn’t have the time to watch and learn.
Spostareduro – Why would someone wan to risk that?

Thanks for all who took part, some interesting answers there.

Gone are the days of directory submissions, article submissions and reciprocal links. It’s now 2000 and great (2008) and the way websites generate natural links is more important than ever.

Link builders have to evolve with the times; they should have a strategic and creative mindset behind them now. If you work for an agency or website design company you have to let the higher management know this. Links can not be bought by the number any more, this will not work effectively.

So what of the old link building methods, why don’t they work anymore?

Firstly I’m not saying stop any of your on-going link building methods, for example submitting links to directories will not harm a websites performance in the slightest. However if you want to achieve the same kind of SERP movement as was available through 06 and the beginning of 07 then a new link building strategy must be created, this should be your social media strategy.

There has been an on going debate between seo gurus discussing if social media work is technically classified as seo. I have previously blogged about the subject does seo include social media if you’re interested to know my opinion. What I’m implying here today is that link building has now morphed into social marketing.

So how do I build links in 2008?

The graph below is a basic description on how quality links are generated through link bait and social marketing.

Using social media platforms to link build is a clear and effective method to achieve more search engine visibility for the content on your site. Making the content on your site more visible will open up new opportunities in terms of link building. In stead of the search engine seeing directory links and duplicate articles etc, they will see users bookmarks of your URL with a possible review. Webmasters and bloggers will usually get their information or news for their own blogs from social sites. It’s these links that are valuable, because they are usually high quality and will help with traffic and SEO positions. (Providing you have planned which keywords to use in your content title).

The root to success of this strategy should be the content that is promoted (link bait), this must be high quality and “link able” – this is where a cost might incur on your clients side.

Metrics and Deliverables will change

Previously keeping a note of submissions as well as new purchases of links may well have been included in your metrics. Your agreement with a client could have previously been based on a number (100 new links per month). All this should change! Show the following metrics:

1. Traffic per link bait
2. Social bookmarks per bait
3. Links gained (site/link analysis required)
4. Search traffic gained as a result of bait
5. SERPS analysis and benchmarking for keywords targeted

Your deliverables will obviously be unknown to start with but you should measure the overall link increase per bait and per month, this will give you some averages.

Of course this method of link building is not cheap and it does require a lot of time and effort, the results however are better than any other link building strategy on the table.

P.S – In regard to one of my posts (25 websites every seo should know) as to why I included so many social sites, link building is part of seo, without it you would not be able to achieve good search positions. Link building will eventually be based around social marketing – hence my inclusion of so many social sites.

Many times have I been browsing through forums and freelance websites and seen – “Need to be on fist page”, “Will pay $$$ for first page of Google”, “Will sell my soul for page 1 of Google” – maybe not the last one but you get the idea.

I work with over 40 websites including client and personal projects. For some of these sites, obtaining a page 1 positioning is just not possible, well without spending tens of thousands of pounds anyway (which clients are reluctant to do on seo). Reason being the competitiveness for some keywords are just too high, the first page will be populated with international known brands with 12 year old domains and a trillion backlinks.

Obviously for less competitive keywords anything is possible when you put your mind to it. However a question that has been playing on my mind is – do we even need to be on page one of Google?

Well the answer is yes and no. For extremely popular keywords, being as far down as page 3 or page 4 can still provide more than enough traffic to keep 3 holiday villas in the Caribbean ticking over.

Don’t believe me? Well here is a screen shot of one client’s site I work on:

You may not think it’s a great deal of visits but this is one keyword of about 15 returning similar results. In fact the total visit count for the year positioned around page 3-4 was a total of 400K in 2007 just from SE’s. I can’t possibly image what being on the first page would yield for popular keywords but let me get back to my point.

If there are any website owners that have demanded a “page 1” position in the past, be sure that you understand sometimes it’s not needed, and sometimes it is near impossible, lower pages can produce the results you are after.

I have comprised a list of sites that should be well known to anyone working in seo / web design for 2008

1. www.seomoz.org/blog - Great blog, great seo tools
2. www.searchengineland.com – Up-to-date search news
3. www.sphinn.com – social bookmarking for internet marketing
4. www.mixx.com – a friendly alternative to Digg
5. www.stumbleupon.com – One of the best social bookmarking sites
6. http://forums.digitalpoint.com - Webmasters forum
7. www.sitepoint.com – Another great webmasters forum
8. www.technorati.com - Promote your blog
9. www.mybloglog.com – A must have for blog communities
10. www.twitter.com – A great way to communicate with your audience
11. www.linkdiagnosis.com - A great link analysis tool
12. www.google.com/trends - See how trends in Google look
13. http://answers.yahoo.com - Great for providing traffic
14. www.sitemaps.org/protocol.php - Learn about sitemaps
15. www.ventio.se/seo-tools/google-position - Still in beta but good SE tool
16. www.wordtracker.com - Great keyword performance tool
17. www.seologic.com/webmaster-tools - Another source of good seo tools
18. www.backlinkwatch.com – Backlink analysis breakdown
19. www.avivadirectory.com/strongest-directories - Quality directories
20. www.internetmarketingninjas.com – Expert seo advise
21. www.wikia.com/wiki/Wikia - A wiki alternative
22. www.miniajax.com – Some great free Ajax scripts
23. www.sxc.hu/index.phtml - Free royalty free images
24. www.cssbeauty.com – CSS community
25. www.seounique.com/blog - Well I had to put my site in here!