12 Best Free Online Resources for Learning SEO

It’s easy to forget sometimes, when you hang around the cool SEO blogs, that there are those of us who are just starting out – learning for the first time the ways your website code and inbound links effect the likelihood that your pages will rank. Like most of us I stumbled into SEO. I was working at a web development company, and the president asked me to look into this “SEO stuff.” It’s been a long and exciting (though sometimes painful) learning experience since then. One of the most important things I learned: don’t believe everything you read. But there are a few resources I’ve found over the years to be deep wells of actionable knowledge. The 12 resources below are, I feel, the best places to learn about SEO. 1. SEOmoz This was one of the first websites I frequented when I started learning SEO. The open spirit of the community combined with the consistent publication of thorough educational content makes this one of the first places I send those looking to learn more about SEO. To get the real meat and potatoes you need a PRO Membership, but via the blog and the free SEM guides there is a ton of free information for most SEO’s, beginner or otherwise. 2. Webmaster World Most SEO bloggers are guilty of writing too much theory and too little in the way of concrete examples. As a result we’re often left thinking, “sounds good, but how do I know this really works?” Webmaster World is one of the oldest and most trusted forums on topics related to web development and marketing online as a whole. These are real webmasters sharing their thoughts and issues in an environment conducive to open discussion. As a result the threads often involve specific issues, a variety of voices and, most importantly, no-holds-barred discussion of the issue at hand. Of course, you have to subscribe to Webmaster World to participate – but that’s not free. Two other forums worth checking out: Cre8asite High Rankings 3. SEO by the Sea Bill Slawski’s blog is the #1 place to learn about search engine patents. Period. Kudos to Bill for being insane determined enough to read through every search engine patent he can get his hands on and then translate them for the rest of us. Keeping up with patented search technology helps you keep abreast of what search engines are capable of – and where they may be going in the near future. 4. SEO Book Aaron Wall is widely considered one of the true papa’s of search. He’s been at it a long time. Aaron is one of the few bloggers online whose posts I never miss. Not only does he share actionable insights on SEO, but Aaron’s writing often highlights the transcendental issues that link SEO to other aspects of the online world – and understanding the big picture is crucial to surviving online competition. 5. The Anatomy of a Large-Scale Hypertextual Search Engine This the legendary paper submitted by Google founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin during their Ph D work at Stanford. It is a blueprint of sorts of the original working model for Google. While in its current form Google in many ways dwarfs the original concept, the original Google concept was truly an engineering work of art – and reading the paper above will take you a long way in understanding the processes that are at the core of the search engines we know today. 6. Search Engine Land Search Engine Land was founded by Danny Sullivan who is perhaps the most recognized face and name in SEO. Danny is frequently on the cusp of the latest developments in search – with unprecedented contacts at the search engines and a huge network of experienced SEO’s and developers. There is a constant stream of relevant and well-written posts at SearchEngineLand.com from some of the best SEO’s in the business. Subscribing to this one is a no-brainer. 7. Google’s SEO Guidelines While I wouldn’t tell anyone to do “whatever Google says” to do to get your website to rank, it’s important to know what Google’s public position is on a variety of tactics/techniques you might employ. 8. Search Engine Guide This self-billed “small business guide to search marketing” is not just for small businesses – the posts here are written by a community of experienced SEO’s who have experience getting websites to rank when there isn’t a wealth of resources at your disposal. 9. Search Engine Journal The blog you’re reading now has been around for some time. Loren Baker, who started it, is one of those other papa’s of SEO. Maybe I don’t need to tell you about this one since you’re already reading it – but in case you were thinking you need to look elsewhere, you’ve got years worth of tremendously helpful blog posts right here. 10. SEO Black Hat There’s power in the dark side. QuadsZilla doesn’t mince words when it comes to where he stands on the “White Hat vs Black Hat” issue. He’s black hat all the way – and proud. I don’t necessarily condone some of the tactics black hat SEO’s employ to boost their rankings, but there is plenty to learn about automation and how ranking algorithms can be exploited. Even if you plan to be an angel it’s worth knowing what the dark side is up to. 11. Sphinn This website was also started by Danny Sullivan. It’s essentially a social bookmarking website dedicated to Search Engine Marketing (with some laterally-related topics). Sphinn is a great place to go when you’re looking to sift through the SEO blogosphere and find those posts that are picking up steam (as well as some classics that are worth going back to read). 12. SEO Fast Start This eBook from Dan Thies, a veteran of SEO, has been around for quite a few years now. That doesn’t mean it’s outdated – Dan updates every edition with the latest in search engine updates and tactics. Dan’s writing style is straightforward, and he offers plenty of great SEO advice for beginners as well as some tips seasoned folks might not have thought of (or just need a refresher on). Bonus. Your experience. The best way to learn SEO is through hands-on experience and experimentation. There are a lot of smart people out there sharing killer content, but the best education you can get comes from seeing for yourself. Get your feet wet. This guest post written by Mike Tekula of Unstuck Digital – an Internet Marketing agency that provides SEO Consulting and other custom-tailored services. Check out the SEO Tools guide at Search Engine Journal . 12 Best Free Online Resources for Learning

SEO Epic Fail: Why Sutter Health Needs Proper SEO

I got a call today from a close friend that one of our other friends had a stroke earlier today and was in the hospital. As soon as I heard, I jumped online to get the phone number for the ICU unit of the hospital where he’s at so I could coordinate visiting him. I did this because I’ve had a lot of experience visiting friends and family members in ICU units. They have strict visiting hours and visitation rules. It’s at this point I discovered a MASSIVE FAIL on the part of Sutter Health when it comes to both SEO and Telephone Support… ______________________________________ The first person in our close-knit group of friends to find out about the stroke happens to have lived in San Francisco for many years. When she started the phone notifcation process, she said to let everyone know he’s in the ICU unit at Davies Medical Center in the city. Not being a native of or truly knowledgeable about that particular hospital, I naturally went to the web for contact information. ______________________________________ My initial search for Davies Medical Center San Francisco got me the following results: Because I hadn’t been aware that “Davies” is not a medical center, but instead, a CAMPUS that’s part of the Sutter Health California Pacific Medical Center complex of campuses, the only match that made sense was the last entry above, part of the Standford University site. But that LINK is just for an Environmental Impact report on a parking structure! Worthless. So I clicked on the YELP entry. And got This: So I called. And got the main Sutter Health call center. When I asked for the ICU unit, the operator said “Which one”? Uh, there’s more than one? okay – the Davies Medical Center ICU, please. That operator put me through, and when I explained why I was calling, the nurse said – there’s nobody here by that name… ______________________________________ OMG – is he like DEAD? I thought? The nurse said – let me look him up… Okay – So she looked him up and of course said, Oh – he’s in the Davies Campus ICU… WAIT – THIS isn’t the Davies Campus? No – this is the California Campus… Okay – could you transfer me please? Hold on.. Yeah Sure. Let’s play THIS game… ______________________________________ At this point I jumped back to Google, because I knew I couldn’t rely on another phone transfer. Why should I? I mean, this is only 2009 right? And after DECADES of being shuffled by underpaid, unhappy, under-trained, unsympathetic phone reps, I knew better than to expect that the SECOND transfer would go any better than the FIRST one…. So I clicked this time on the main CPMC link shown for the local listings. Which brought me to the main Sutter Health CPMC web site. Note how the top navigation on that site has NOTHING even close to a “CONTACT US” link. Or a “LOCATIONS” link. Or a “CAMPUSES” link. But just below that, on the right side, they DO have this: Now, even though it says “View Map”, and not “Visit Campus Page” or something, I took a wild guess and when I went to that page, it was, in fact, a more complete page than just a map. It included the actual address of the campus, a campus schematic showing where buildings are, and written directions from various points. As well as a Google Map. The problem with that page though, is there’s NO phone number anywhere on the page. NONE. Except in the Google Map Bubble, it shows the MAIN NUMBER for CPMC again. You know – the one I called first, which only got me transferred to the WRONG campus… By now, I had been transferred a second time. But guess where to? ANOTHER WRONG CAMPUS. ______________________________________ Fortunately, the woman who answered THAT phone, was kind enough to dig. At first she said “I’m sorry – there’s no number for…” “Excuse me? My friend just had a STROKE and he’s in the ICU, and you’re telling…” “Wait – let me check… Okay – here’s the number to the Davies Campus – but it’s the main number, we can’t give out the ICU number. 415-600-5274″… (side note – the reason hospitals don’t give out the number to an Intensive Care Unit, is they don’t want just anyone calling, intentionally or not, directly into the unit. The need for quiet, and to allow ICU staff to provide the most important care to critically ill patients is far greater than allowing a direct number out. But of course, that’s no excuse for not publishing the main number to the correct campus!) Well it turns out that was in fact, the right number. And when I called, I learned that my friend is doing okay for now, and resting. The nurse explained their strict visiting hours policies, and said at this point today, it would be best to allow him to just rest, but to check in tomorrow and come after calling… ______________________________________ So – Back to SEO, Epic Fails and the Human

Perleche Treatment

by Bart Icles Each year, millions of people suffer from perleche but many of us are not quite familiar with this kind of skin condition. Perleche is characterized by having a series of cracks or lesions in the corners of your mouth. Sometimes, it is also referred to as angular stomatitis or cheilosis. In many cases, this skin condition can cause constant pain and great discomfort due to how the cracks or lesions are positioned. The discomfort that you will feel can be further enhanced as you attempt to open your mouth to eat, drink or carry a conversation. When left untreated, this skin condition can lead to bleeding cracks or lesions, and in worst cases, they can even develop into infected ulcers. Just like any other physical ailment, perleche is more often than not associated with poor nutrition, and there is indeed much truth into this. In many cases, this skin condition is caused by having minimal levels of riboflavin or iron in your daily diet. It is more likely for people who do not observe a well-balanced diet to develop this kind of skin condition than those who are properly nourished. Having poor nutrition can make it even more difficult for you to recover from the said condition. In other cases, this skin condition can be an allergic reaction or a medication side effect. Sometimes, all it takes to cure this skin disease is to identify the irritant that has been causing the outbreak so that the whole process can be reversed and the corners of your mouth can be restored to their healthy condition. A simple allergy test can help determine whether or not an allergy is causing you to suffer from this kind of discomfort. If it is due to an allergy, you simply need to remove the allergen from your environment or your diet. If you have noticed that you started having lesions or cracks along the corners of your mouth after taking a certain type of medication, you can have this verified with your doctor. When your doctor has determined that the medication he or she has prescribed is indeed causing you to suffer from this uncomfortable conditioned, he or she would be able to make changes in your dosage or the medication itself. There are also home remedies available that can help relieve you of the pain that comes with perleche. You can apply moisturizing creams or compounds on the affected area. You can also use lip balms or a light coating of petroleum jelly to help keep the cracks or lesions well-moisturized. About the Author: Not many things are more frustrating than cheilitis . Click to learn more about angular chelitis .

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Perleche Treatment

Skyrocket The Ability Of Excel With Microsoft Excel VBA Training

by Lucy Mitchell Microsoft Excel VBA training is used to teach that Excel is more than just a glorified calculator, which is what many people believe it to be. It is sad but true that in the majority, people do not know or care to understand just how powerful this program can be. By undertaking this training we are able to delve more deeply into the advanced features of Excel. Within the Excel essentials training programme, you will find material prepared for beginner and advanced users. The result is that you will learn to use VBA from your own present level of expertise or non-expertise. Using a Visual Basic Application (VBA), and even without knowing anything about Excel macros, you will be able to create your own charts that will automatically calculate unfathomable amounts of numbers, and contain massive set of data. The macro code language of most Microsoft Office programs is Visual Basic. The use of macros allows you to manipulate and automate programs with VB tools. This is ideal for saving regularly used functions or calculations. Visual Basic tools are standard tools for Office programs and are an interface situated in the programming environment. Writing and running our own code for enhanced functions means that every possible task need is met. Some training assumes that you are already familiar with the powerful functions of Exel, and once you start writing your own code you won’t want to stop. If you are not familiar with the functions of Excel and the idea of having to write your own code puts you off, don’t let it. Training is designed to teach you to navigate the program and use code without having to write it. You don’t have to be a program Guru to understand how VBA functions and what use it will be to you. Just keep an open mind! Lessons discuss VBE or Visual Basic Editors and teach you why and where this code needs to be placed. The training teaches you why you should used code and where. Screen shots and icons are used in the training modules to keep things simple, and as you are using Excel while you learn, it is a hands-on experience. About the Author: The writer of this article is a developer and trainer with OnSiteTrainingCourses.Com , a UK IT training company offering Microsoft Excel training courses at their central London training centre.

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Skyrocket The Ability Of Excel With Microsoft Excel VBA Training

Looking Into Strategic Management

by Bart Icles Why do some corporate strategies succeed? And why do some of them fail? The answer is in effective strategic management. While most managers and executives are quite familiar with what strategic or institutional management is, many of them do not really have a good grasp of what this concept really means. And also, many of them fail to see that an understanding of strategic or institutional management should not only be kept within the managerial or executive level. This concept should be understood by all the people who are part of the company. Strategic management is simply the formulation, implementation, and evaluation of cross-functional decisions and strategies that are aimed to help the company or organization achieve its long-term goals or objectives. It involves developing and specifying the mission, vision, objectives, policies, and plans of the company or organization. More often than not, these are expressed in terms of projects and programs designed to achieve the goals or objectives of the company or organization. It also involves the proper allocation of resources so that the policies, plans, projects, and programs can be successfully implemented. In this manner, the mission, vision, and objectives that have been set can be fully realized. To help check whether the company or organization is on track, a balanced scorecard is often used. Through this balanced scorecard, the overall performance of the company or organization can be evaluated to check its progress towards the achievement of its goals or objectives. While strategic management is meant to be a level of managerial activity, it also involves everyone in the company or organization. It involves the formulation of goals by thinking about doing more than just tactics. It helps give an overall direction to the company or organization. And more than just having a strategic alignment within the company, it also seeks to have a strategic alignment between the company or organization and its environment. Simply put, strategic management is an ongoing process that seeks to evaluate and put control on the different businesses and industries that a company or organization might be involved in. It also helps evaluate competitors to help set specific goals and strategies so that existing and potential competition can be met or addressed. More importantly, it re-evaluates the each of the different corporate or organizational strategies regularly to help determine how it has been implemented, and whether the strategies have succeeded or they need to be replaced with new ones to better address different corporate or organizational and environmental changes. About the Author: CMOE has been helping companies with leadership development and team building since 1978. Through a leadership development course and other innovative business techniques CMOE has established themselves a leader in the business world. Visit www.cmoe.com for more information.

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Looking Into Strategic Management

Considering The Cost of Learning

by Jason Kendall The average cost of bringing up a child in the UK amounts to 193,000 pounds in total. Long term studies, which recently indicated this say it equates to approximately 26-28 pounds every day. Long suffering parents, who were almost unified in their total lack of surprise, greeted the news with a swathe of cynical retorts. The current recession and its effect on traditional educational systems is now being evaluated by many pundits. They make consistent reference to the strategies to survive adopted by parents, teachers and students alike in the recession of the 1990’s. On average, analysis suggests that up to 40 percent of the entire disposable income in a household is spent on education and schooling overall. With the tightening attitude towards bank lending and mortgage allocation, this figure could increase as youngsters stay with their parents for longer before leaving the nest and lengthen their education programs – perhaps as a by product of something to do whilst they wait for things to get better. The cost of living is increasingly monopolising the family focus. Additionally, many companies are cutting back on training and development programs. So people feel it’s pointless spending money on training when they do not know for certain that they will not be made redundant – it is little wonder that many are now re-accessing their method of personal development and the subject matter that they study in. Banking, public services and the like have historically been considered long term stable employers and attracted people in accordance with that. Over the last ten or so years this has been largely superseded by the perception of positions on offer within the IT industry. Training in the motor industry or engineering demands that key skills often have to be gained in a practical environment. By contrast, IT training can be predominantly home-based. It would be impossible to transport a complete car production line into the home, yet computer based training is easily at hand. Enhancements in the intellectual property field such as IT have grown exponentially as a result of this and the continued progression in the way the skills are learnt and taught. Remote access 24/7 to highly skilled lecturers is available due to the utilisation of new training methodologies. This adds weight to the strategy and the final results are qualifications in a field that’s widely sought after on an international level. Add to that easily quantified salary and career structures, and it’s little wonder that IT training is attracting so much attention. With many people unsure of their future, whether early on in their career or mid way through life, home based training in subjects such as IT can often be seen as a superb, low cost, easy paced development program; gaining skills that are easily accepted anywhere in the world and highly resilient in a changeable economic environment. About the Author: (C) 2009. Hop over to LearningLolly.com for smart information on Microsoft Excel Automation and Microsoft Excel Automation Training .

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Considering The Cost of Learning

The True Meaning and Significance of Team Building

by Bart Icles The term team building may not be new to us but it is not surprising that many of us still do not have a full understanding of what this term really means. More often than not, we see team building as an opportunity to get away from the humdrum of everyday work and experience a paid vacation with our colleagues. To others, it is merely a waste of corporate or organizational time and money as it does not really help build teams, but only gives employees a reason to take a long break from work. It can be quite difficult to fully define what this term really means. When used in a business context, it refers to a wide range of activities geared towards the improvement of team performance. It can be pursued through many different kinds of practices which can range from simple bonding activities or exercises to complex work and situational simulations to multiple day retreats that are all designed to help build or develop a team. The term should not be confused or interchanged with team recreation, because team recreation merely consists of different activities for teams that are purely recreational. Team building is often associated with business organizations and is generally discussed within the theory and practice of organizational behavior and development. However, it is not limited to enterprises and organizations alone – it can also be applied to school groups, civic organizations, sports teams, and many others. Many business and organizational executives, managers, leaders, and even regular employees believe that this concept plays an important role in any environment because it focuses on and specializes in bringing out the best in a team and in each of its members. With improved team performance, teams can better ensure that there are enhanced leadership skills, positive communication, and self development within the team. This can result to an improved ability to work closely together as a team to solve problems more effectively and efficiently. While there are business enterprises and organizations that focus on specific individuals and personal goals (with rewards and recognition that single out the achievements of certain individual employees), this does not mean that teams no longer have a place in the company or organization. This tendency of focusing more on individual achievements only emphasizes the growing challenge of developing effective teams within the workplace, civic group, sports club or school organization through team building activities. About the Author: CMOE has been helping companies with leading innovation and change since 1978. Through a conflict and collaboration workshop and other innovative business techniques CMOE has established themselves a leader in the business world. Visit www.cmoe.com for more information.

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The True Meaning and Significance of Team Building