Yearly Archives: 2010
Ian Lurie8 Sep, 2010
Google pooped
A lone bird (apparently bomber-sized) gives its opinion of Google Street View:
Ian Lurie7 Sep, 2010
10 (almost) ironclad arguments for SEO
SEO. What’s the deal? Why do marketing VPs, IT teams and CFO’s flee, screaming, at the mere mention of search engine optimization? I have no answers. However, I do have a few points – data-driven or otherwise – that I’ve used to sell SEO in the past. I’ve tested extensively, and I can tell you… Read More
Ian Lurie3 Sep, 2010
Defensive design cost-benefit analysis, courtesy of Wells Fargo
The short version: Learn to use the TRIM() command in whatever programming language you’re using, so you remove spaces that some poor soul accidentally includes in a data they enter via web form. The TRIM() command Every programming language has some version of the TRIM() command. TRIM() removes leading and trailing spaces from any alphanumeric… Read More
Random Ian Lurie1 Sep, 2010
5 reasons to go to the SEOMOZ Pro Seminar next year
I presented yesterday at the SEOMOZ Pro Seminar. I had the incredible misfortune of going right after Rand Fishkin, aka SEO Rockstar, aka He of the Fashionable Wardrobe. But it was still a blast. It was one of a bunch of great moments at my first Mozinar. I heartily recommend it to anyone looking to… Read More
Ian Lurie1 Sep, 2010
Video sitemaps can cleanse your soul
This post expands on one of the ten blogging tips I presented at the SEOMOZ pro seminar yesterday. I’ll be writing about the others over the next few weeks, and will tie them all together when they’re done. I’m not a video guy. I know I use screencasts a lot, but the idea of having… Read More
Ian Lurie31 Aug, 2010
Fixing broken links using Levenshtein Distance: A PHP tool
One easy way to recover lost link authority is to 301 redirect broken external links to relevant pages. But, if you’ve got a site with hundreds or thousands of URLs, and dozens of broken external links, doing that correction can be a real headache. Enter Levenshtein Distance. That’s a fancy name for a simple concept:… Read More
Ian Lurie27 Aug, 2010
Monday, I could be dead: Marked for speedy deletion
It’s true. As egos go, mine is a bit small, damp and non-resilient. So, when I search for my own name on the web, it’s mostly to see who’s writing mean things about me and making ready to defend myself. Years ago, I set up a page on Wikipedia, so that someone I knew in… Read More
Ian Lurie26 Aug, 2010
Internet marketing due diligence: Checking the plan
I’ve heard it sooo many times: “But I didn’t know!!!!” That comes shrieking forth shortly after this chain of events: CEO hires a Guru to develop their web marketing plan. Guru comes in, collects check and nods sagely while saying stuff “Engage your audience”. Guru writes down a plan with steps like “Get good links”.… Read More
Ian Lurie24 Aug, 2010
Great marketing is honest. Not fair.
Lisa Barone’s post today about a tax on business bloggers, and the squawking and flapping that ensued thereafter, got me thinking about ‘fair’ versus ‘honest’. Especially in the world of marketing. In marketing, ‘fair’ doesn’t exist I find that when folks start talking about ‘fair’, what they mean is ‘fair for me and mine.’ Or… Read More
Ian Lurie20 Aug, 2010
Google algorithm change – big brand bias?
Google just announced a change to their algorithm: They’re now going to show more pages from a single domain for certain queries. You’re tempted to run out into the street, strip naked with sheer joy and yell OMG all our troubles are over reputation management now a cinch!!! Wrooooong. Stay inside. Keep yer clothes on.… Read More
Elizabeth Marsten20 Aug, 2010
Applying to Portent
As I get deeper and deeper into the roles of director and get more involved with the personnel decisions and training, it occurs to me how very little people actually utilize the resources available to them when scoping out a company like Portent. And how those little things are actually applicable to any job or… Read More
Ian Lurie20 Aug, 2010
SEO Copywriting Training Coming to Seattle
Heather Lloyd-Martin knows SEO copywriting like I know sarcasm. She’s coming to Seattle September 15, 2010 to teach her SEO Copywriting Training course – if you’ve already read my SEO copywriting e-book and want a full day of hands-on, in-depth training, you need to go to this seminar. The specifics: When: September 15, 2010, 9-4… Read More
Ian Lurie19 Aug, 2010
Link building techniques: Risk vs. reward
Link building is all about risk management. There are lots of ways to build links. But search engines do not like to be manipulated. They work constantly, with lots of really smart people, to find ways to filter out links secured purely for SEO purposes. That makes many forms of link building risky, because: Search… Read More
Ian Lurie17 Aug, 2010
SEO worst practices: The content duplication toilet bowl of death
50% of SEO (search engine optimization, in case you live under a big rock, or you’ve never been to this blog before) is staying out of the way, staying out of trouble, and letting search engines find everything on your web site. It should be easy, but people seem to constantly create new ways to… Read More
Tom Schmitz17 Aug, 2010
Changing a Blog’s Location
Changing the location of your blog can be cause for a deep breath, but it may be the right move for you. How can you know?