Where and Where Not to Learn About SEO and SEM
In my quest to promote this blog as well as other websites I have built, I have read what seems to be an endless supply of material on the subjects of SEO and SEM.
There are many different places you can learn about these subjects and if you are a newbie with respect to these subjects, obtaining bad information is something that is extremely easy to do.
So, where does one look for reliable information about SEO and SEM so as to be successful in their quest to market their website via search engines and/or social networks?
Simply put, there is an endless variety of resources available, but in this post, I will discuss four of the most popular ones, namely: Forums, SEO and SEM products, Official Guides, and finally, Blogs.
Let’s take a look at the first one, Forums. When I first began my quest, the first thing I did was search for communities based around my subject of interest. Forums are just such communities. The great thing about forums is that they usually allow signature links. Generally, this attracts experts on the subject because they are able to promote similar sites of interest via their sig links and drive targeted traffic. On the flip side, forum marketing via sig links is a widely know marketing technique and that brings tons of spam. It is not uncommon for moderators to have to filter hundreds of poorly informed comments and threads every day depending on the amount of forum traffic. Additionally, every Tom, Dick and Harry can sign up for an account and immediately start spewing “expertise” on any subject, right or wrong. For that reason, if you are going to learn about SEO and SEM in forums, make careful note of the reputation of the poster and always take what is said with a grain of salt.
Next, we have SEO and SEM products. We have all seen the bright, flashy landing pages that guarantee 100,000 unique monthly visitors for your website if you just buy their “one-of-a-kind” product to learn their amazing secret (see the top of right-hand column of this blog for an example). Save your money, these are internet predators that prey on “those who think they are experts in SEO and SEM”. These individuals are scammers that scam scammers. It is not uncommon for persons who buy these products, which are generally sold IN forums, to start a flame thread complaining about the quality of the product once they have received the product and realized it was little more that generalized knowledge that is the quality of forum material. I have seen many threads where persons have stated that they have spent literally thousands of dollars on this junk with nothing to show for it. Usually these threads are quickly deleted due to the fact that they have a negative impact on forum business…beware, none-the-less.
The next one is simple, Official Guides. These are great. A good example of this is the “Official Google SEO Guide” available for free via the sign-up form to the right. Official guides are a great source of moderately helpful information. Generally, their value is built around what techniques to avoid so as not to get you site blacklisted by search engines. Definitely read them and use the information they provide.
Finally, we come to blogs. Blogs, such as Start a Home Business SEO Blog, by a long shot, are the absolute best source of information for cutting edge information about SEO and SEM. Why? Several reasons. First, the information that appears on them is tightly controlled by the writer(s). Comments are filtered by the author and only comments that add to the discussion are approved. Only the blogs that are useful and informative survive, so check and see how long they have been around. It is common for their information to be based around first hand research as well as white-hat and black-hat techniques. Bloggers, especially ones that write about SEO and SEM, commonly like to write about techniques that they have tried personally and will share the success or failure of that technique. Also, bloggers will quickly link to other informative resources via their blog-roll, forming a small community. Typically, these communities are much smaller than those found in forums and membership is much more select and informed. Reputable blogs are my first choice for quality, useful information.
Hopefully, these tips help you determine where to spend your time because when it comes to learning about SEO and SEM, time is very easy to waste.
Categorised as: Marketing & Advertising