Links are crucial to the Web economy today, conducting traffic, visibility, and trust to sites and pages. On today’s show, Bruce, Susan and Virginia start by considering link marketing, not only as it contributes to SEO, but also as it fits into overarching marketing goals. Bruce looks at what makes a quality link, with converting traffic being key, and explains the need to look at links from a holistic point of view rather than an SEO-minded one. Links are just one factor for Universalized, personalized search engine rankings, and balance and synergy are effective underlying marketing strategies.


Eric Ward, a link marketing specialist with a reputation as Link Moses, joins Virginia to talk about link building in 2010. Eric explains his recommended approach for link marketing this year. He talks about the effect of personalization and whether or not that changes the link marketing approach. He also contributes his two cents to the results of a recent survey collected on the Bruce Clay, Inc. blog. Survey participants felt that link buying was not very important while creating link magnet content was important. Tune in to the show to find out what Eric thought about the results.

Then Susan, Virginia and SEO analyst Maryann Robbins talks about the SEO community’s priorities, based on the results of the informal survey on the blog. Optimized site architecture, new audience targeting and link buying were at the bottom of the list, while optimizing for local search, link building through strong content, and on-site optimization led the pack in SEO priorities.

In April 2009, search engine optimization professionals learned that a common tactic for directing link equity on a site had been more-or-less ineffective for more than a year. The technique, known as PageRank sculpting, relied on the rel=”nofollow” link element to keep PageRank value on pages targeted for SERP ranking. At SMX Advanced in Seattle, it became clear that the nofollow element had changed, no longer preserving PageRank on a page, but instead, causing PageRank to disappear.

There has been no shortage of coverage following Matt Cutts’s recommendations for nofollow use. At Bruce Clay, Inc., we have talked about it on the blog, in the newsletter, and now, on this week’s episode of SEM Synergy. Bruce sits down with Susan and Virginia for the whole show to give his input on what the new nofollow behavior means for SEO, siloing and search optimization practitioners. They discuss why SEOs and site managers should avoid overreacting, the remaining uses of the nofollow element, and alternate ways of directing PageRank flow.

Considering how vital link building is to an Internet marketing campaign, it sure comes wrapped in a lot of mystery. The hosts look at link building on today’s show, starting with a discussion of tactics and best practices. Bruce, Susan and Virginia give their thoughts on link solicitation requests, link bait creation and the real value of inbound links. Most link building tactics can be used in appropriate and inappropriate ways, such as reciprocal linking vs. site partners and paid links vs. advertising links. A good test for whether a link is appropriate is the usefulness of the link for a user.

Link building expert Todd Malicoat, aka Stuntdubl, talks to Virginia about his recommendations for link development. At Stuntdubl.com, Todd publishes, among other topics, link-related posts on training, link bait, social media, link quality indicators and more. In a recent post, Link Development Training: How Link Building for SEO is Like Picking Up a Girl, the list of recommended tasks and things to look for is a good reminder for link developers of any level. He also offers his opinion on why link building is still considered a black box of SEO.

Then Bradley, Susan and Virginia try to uncover the truth behind link building secrets. Link development expert Debra Mastaler wrote a revealing post called The Only Link Building Secrets Out There Are The Ones You Don’t Listen To. Rather than looking for a magically easy solution to the challenge of link building, devote the strategy, planning, time and resources necessary to develop quality links. Save the time you’d spend searching for secrets and use it on careful, strategic link building instead.

At PubCon last month, Bruce was interviewed by Mike McDonald of WebProNews. The topics Bruce talked about covered the importance of personalization, the devaluation of ranking as the prime metric for SEO, and the role of engagement objects on rankings going forward. There were a lot of people talking about Bruce’s comments, so Bruce, Susan and Virginia address the interview subjects on the show.

Then Virginia talks to Matt Inman, a Web designer and marketer who specializes in creating engaging Web content. Matt gives listeners a window into his work process for developing ideas, illustrations and quizzes. He says that quizzes are the most requested form of content that clients ask him for. He also explains how he gets his projects buzz on social media platforms like Twitter and Digg, as well as his strategy of giving designs away for free.

Susan, Michael, Maryann and Virginia then talk about engagement objects and how they play into people’s desire to see visual and interactive content. Images in search results have been found to draw more attention, and having images, videos and other non-text content on a site will improve the chances of showing up in blended search. Also, videos, games and widgets, which give users something to do on your site, may attract users to come back. Content is king, and content is more than just text.

Bruce, Robert and Susan start off the show discussing link building best practices. With marketers clamoring to gain inbound links, it is important to keep in mind proper decorum when searching for linking opportunities. Basics — like being courteous, developing a relationship, and keeping messages short and sweet with proper spelling and grammar — can go a long way when requesting links from other sites.

Later, Virginia talks to two members of Bruce Clay Japan, Inc. about the Asian demand for SEO and SEM services. Harry Miyamachi, CEO, and Yoshi Akari, Strategic Planner, discuss the trade between and online transactions within Asian countries including China, Japan, Korea and India. The office, opened in May, primarily serves Japan-based global companies and international companies targeting Japan.

Then Susan and Virginia look at some of the things to keep in mind when launching an international SEO or SEM campaign. The first topic to consider is whether or not global search is a worthwhile investment, considering the extensive resources required for success, and whether your campaign will focus on SEM or SEO. They also discuss some of the technical elements of how a search engine determines the relevance of regional search results.