As an Search Engine Optimization professional, I regularly follow SEOMoz.org. And if you work in SEO, then you should, too! Anyhow, I am particularly a fan of SEOMozer Jane Copland, who has established herself as one of the most respected SEO pros in the biz. Jane is one kool Kiwi and enthusiastically agreed to an Q&A with me. The reason I chose to ask Jane for an interview is because like so many of us, she is a relative newcomer to SEO, but she has clearly demonstrated a unique gift for the trade - hence her gig with SEOMoz.org. I think you’re going to enjoy the Q&A once it is complete, so stay tuned!
This morning, my son Nicholas, who will turn three in May, was his usual rambunctious self and running around the house. He is a very high-energy little boy and sometimes he gets so focused on going fast, he forgets about his surroundings. This morning he was running full speed ahead and realized much too late that the French doors were coming up on him fast. He tried to stop, but it was too late. BAM! Face first into the French doors and the tears flowed. But, thankfully, Nic’s at that age where a Band Aid® can make almost any boo boo feel better.
After the Backyardigans Band Aid was applied and the pain had subsided, Nic was running around again, but this time he was a little more cautious, slowed down and was more aware of his surroundings. That got me thinking (scary, I know) - learning search engine optimization (SEO) is a lot like being a toddler. To often, people first getting started with SEO learn a couple of things (title tags, alt tags, h1 tags, etc.) that build their confidence and they take off running, full speed ahead without paying much attention to their surroundings and all of the other factors that go into SEO.
Let’s be honest, SEO is not something you can part time and do consistently well. Algorithms changes, strategies evolve, keywords and phrases must be continually monitored, link building never ends, tactics that work today may not work tomorrow and if you aren’t staying on top of things, you’ll have a tough time keeping up with the Joneses.
Today, my son learned the hard way that even though he knows how to run fast, he must slow down and be aware of all of his surroundings. Learning SEO requires a similar strategy. There is a lot of information on the Web about SEO, some good, some bad. Find trusted sources, learn, test your new knowledge, learn soe more, test again and network, network, network.
And here I was thinking Friday couldn’t get any better! I have been asked to join the blogging team over at The Butter Room! The Butter Room is built to spread original, compelling, and entertaining content from a team of thirty-something tech professionals. They are comprised of a Senior Systems Analyst, a Media Strategy Director, an Operations Director, a Chief Scientist, and a Small Business Owner and a former TV Sports Anchor-turned-Web and SEO professional (that’s me).
What is the Butter Room you ask? Well, read on my friends…
From the Butter Room:
The Butter Room is an experiment in writing, teamwork, marketing, and technology. There is no mission statement, business plan, or road map. Our one goal is to produce entertaining and interesting content that is well researched and a tad opinionated. Therefore, we are committed to fight the Lazysphere as Steve Rubel puts it:
Somewhere circa 2006 the tech blogger mindset shifted - at least among the majority. People who used to work hard creating and spreading big ideas resorted to simply regurgitating the same old news over and over again, often with very little value add. It’s almost like we stopped the real work of reading, thinking and writing in favor of going all herd, all the time.
There you have it - the Butter Room in a nut shell. For my first feature article, I plan to interview an SEO colleague of mine who is, in my opinion, a rising star in the SEO world, especially on the in-house side. Check out my profile over at TBR and stay tuned Grasshoppers!
Every since I launched this site, SEO-KungFu.com, I haven’t been able to get the “Everybody was Kung Fu Fighting” song out of my head. Here’s all I know about the song: 1) it was recorded one year before I was born (1974); 2) the artist’s name is Carl Douglas; 3) it is what I call and “ear-worm” in that it gets inside your head and you just can’t get it out; and 4) This YouTube version is WAY out of sync. Regardless, enjoy!
I read a great blog comment-turned-blog post on SEOmoz.com. It was actually written by a colleague of mine who goes by the handle “Crash” over at SEOmoz. I have actually begun implementing her strategy for my company since I am an in-house SEO who is still learning the ropes. Thanks to Melanie for this writeup and congrats on getting the upgrade to an SEOmoz Blog post! Linkity link!
Hello fellow SEOers and SEMers! Welcome to SEO-KungFu.com, formerly the In-House SEO Blog (inhouseseo.wordpress.com). I chose the domain name SEO-KungFu.com because of a comment I posted on SEO-Chicks.com. In my comment I quoted an upcoming Dreamworks movie called Kung Fu Panda. Stay with me. The main character, Po the Panda (played by Jack Black), is a noodle maker that wants to become a Kung Fu master, but he’s not quite Fung Fu material … or so we’re led to believe. During his training his master asks him to demonstrate his skills, to which Po replies very hesitantly:
“Yeah, OK. I mean, I just ate, so I’m still digesting. So my Kung Fu might not be as strong as … laaaater on.”
If you haven’t seen the trailer, watch it and you’ll laugh yourself silly. Anyhow, Po’s explanation for his lack of skills kinda of reminds me of my path to becoming an SEO Kung Fu master. I am a relative newcomer to the world of SEO. I started in early 2007 and have been working hard to catch up.
I attended the Search Engine Strategies 2007 Conference in New York and will be attending the 2008 conference as well. I read most of the major SEO-related blogs like SearchEngineLand, Matt Cutts, SEOMoz, SEOBook.com, etc. I comment occasionally, but I feel I am, for the most part, out of my league with the SEOers who post regularly. That’s about to change thanks to this blog.
Hmmm, it just dawned on me that I should probably introduce myself! My name is Gary Cope and I am the De facto in-house search engine optimization and marketing professional for Luna Innovations in Roanoke, VA. I am also a member of SEMPO’s In-House Committee.
Before you get off and running through the rest of the site, and I know you’re dying to, let me throw out a couple of disclaimers before you start rummaging.
First, I think I have a pretty good grip on the SEO basics, h1 and h2 tags, title and alt tags, link building, CSS, etc. I also do a considerable amount of keyword research for my company’s four Web sites. I am an army of one, which I suspect is the case for many of you who are also in-house SEOers.
Secondly, I am not Aaron Wall, Danny Sullivan, nor do I claim to know as much about SEO and SEM as they do. My path to an SEM career is one that would make your head spin. In short I’m a former sports journalist, turned corporate communications specialist, turned Web designer, turned Web developer, turned search engine optimization professional. It’s a long story. E-mail me and I’ll tell you about it if you enjoy tearing your hair out from sheer boredom.
When Luna Innovations hired me in 2006, they did so with the idea that I would redesign their Web site and then maintain it along with their three other sites. No problem. I was a relative newcomer to the Web development world, but obviously I was doing something right because they liked my work and gave me the job. (It should be noted that Web development wasn’t my only responsibility. I do other stuff, too!)
So after the development process began, I started getting questions about SEO. S-E-What? I replied? Thus began my journey into the world of search engine optimization and search engine marketing. Now, more than a year later, I feel I can speak intelligently and authoritatively on the subjects of SEO, SEM, PPC and CSS. In fact, I am even a member of SEMPO’s In-House SEM committee. Scary, huh?
If you are an in-house SEOers at your company and would like to talk shop or bounce some ideas of a fellow SEOer, by all means, give me a call at (540) 769-8447 and I will be more than happy to talk. You can also e-mail me at gary.cope@gmail.com.
Together, we can make our SEO Kung Fun strong and fight the good in-house SEO fight!