Attempting to get back into SEO

[floridadesigns]

I owned a web design / SEO company about 4-5 years ago, and I had some problems with a partner and it went down hill. Every thing was perfect with the original site, top rankings for MANY keywords, bunch of traffic, dozens of quality leads a week, adsense revenue, etc...

But when I try to implement the same strategies I used a few years ago, it doesn't seem to work. Now I've been reading the forums again for awhile now, and I just wanted to get the advice of someone who's been around for awhile as to the major things that have changed, and that deserve my attention in getting a new site back on track.

PS. I'm so glad this site is still here and thriving no less :)

[pageoneresults]

But when I try to implement the same strategies I used a few years ago, it doesn't seem to work.

What type of strategies would you be referring to?

[floridadesigns]

For one, generating lots of incoming (some reciprocal links) with anchor text of my keywords (same as the content of the page, and URL). Not sure if Google is penalizing all recips now.

[agerhart]

I'd stay away from reciprocal links if you can...especially for a non-authoritative site.

What other strategies are you referring to?

To be honest I don't think the foundations of SEO have changed all that much in the past few years.

[martinibuster]

>>>generating lots of incoming

That sounds interesting. What method are you using to generate the inbounds?

[pageoneresults]

For one, generating lots of incoming (some reciprocal links) with anchor text of my keywords.

Hmmm, there is only one method I know of to generate "lots" of incoming links and that is usually through an automated process.

Do you have a links directory attached to your site?

[floridadesigns]

Yes, I have a links page (I hate it, and usually prune it every chance I get). Strategies are nothing fancy, I don't spam people or use automated systems. I simply talk to some of the people I know with similar sites, then for the rest I'll just shoot off an email offering the exchange (old school I guess).

I just figured I missed a bunch with the switch to dynamic pages, and all this "web 2.0" crap. I always tried to make my pages static, as it was the best way to assure being indexed properly (not sure if that has changed). Is it worth it to build a big flat HTML content rich site still?

[Philosopher]

A quick point to keep in mind. If this is a new site.

While most general seo strategies have remained about the same ( a few changes, i.e. recips not what they used to be), one thing that has changed is the timeframe.

Where it used to take a month or two to get a new site cranking with the right link work, it now will generally take 6+ months in G to start getting some traction.

Yahoo and MSN can still yield some more immediate results, but G likes to see the domain AND the links age a bit before awarding the site with full "credit".

There are always exceptions, but for the most part, you can expect any promotion of a new site to take a good bit longer than it did 4-5 years ago to see the same results.

A good rule of thumb these days. If you have a project you are thinking about. Get the domain now, put up a page or two and point a couple of links at it and let it start aging.

[edited by: Philosopher at 4:01 pm (utc) on Jan. 30, 2008]

[floridadesigns]

Thanks for the the tips Philosopher, very good to know.

Another weird question. Lets say you wanted to target three keywords: 'blue', 'widgets', and 'blue widgets'. If all three were 'obtainable' in terms of rankings, would it be better to target the individual keywords 'blue' 'widgets', or the entire phrase if you wanted to rank higher in all three.

[elainec]

Lets say you wanted to target three keywords: 'blue', 'widgets', and 'blue widgets'. If all three were 'obtainable' in terms of rankings, would it be better to target the individual keywords 'blue' 'widgets', or the entire phrase if you wanted to rank higher in all three.

Personally I'd optimise for 'blue widgets' - as the complete phrase contains all the 3 keyword varients that you want to target.

[VestRite]

Google may have penalized you for quick link building. Plus generating tons of links won't really increase your PR as much as getting one way links from trusted websites.

A few tips for you.

One, to tap into the Web 2.0 world, I suggest getting a blog. WordPress and Blogger are pretty good. eBay blogs get quite a bit of traffic.

Sincerely,
Devin T.

[edited by: tedster at 8:31 am (utc) on Feb. 11, 2008]

[ponyboy96]

x2 on the new site penalty. You can expect to see that for about a year in G unless you already own some trusted domains and this new domain is listed with those.

[stuartc1]

I think the niche can make a huge difference on which methods to use and which methods are effective. For example it is very possible to get a site to number one in a few weeks for non-competitive markets..... but using these techniques on a more competitive market could take years to even reach page one. I suggest studying your competition closely.