What's your best hidden SEO secret?

[petrakraft]

Lol - that's a different approach ...

[HiveDigitalInc]

1. Create a bunch of blackhat, auto-genned spammy sites in your space...

2. See what they automatically get long-tail traffic on...

3. Write content on your site targeting those keywords...

[seospain]

Not so much a secret but for me it's build a quality site for users and not for engines, don't rely solely on Google and other organic search traffic (use multiple channels like newsletters, blog commenting, link bailt, blogging, social etc) so that if you organic rankings are hit, it doesn't take out your business completely. Work hard on converting the visitors you do get by making good use of Google Analytics, usability testing and conversion optimisation. Ok, so that was more than one but I couldn't help myself.

[petrakraft]

Hi Kaashif - thank you for sharing your "secret".

[kaashifk]

My best SEO strategi is to get moving and to stop consuimng infomation..in the begining i used to buy way to much SEO stuff, an dofun dmyself suffering from infomation overload.. Till one day i just formulated a plan and got cracking..

My plan..

effective keyword research

identifty top 3 competitors and opensite explore them

cheack,check and double chek ALL your onsite meta data

recheck all onsite meta data

proceed to offsite

first and foremost submit to directory sites

then spend and hr each day to build backlinks, aiming to build 1 extra link than the day before BUT also take a gap day on a random day each week inbetween, use this day for admin tasks like checking analytics,rank checks,check if any of your links have been indexed etc but above all, use this day to go back to your 1st day of the weeks links you tried to build and check up on them etc etc

Also try and get a guest blog op for yourself on a blog in your niche.

Finally,stay far away from anything remotely dodgy!

hopes this helps and good luck!

[seoforward]

SEOMOZ and the web in general teaches me so much everyday, and I know it's basic but to write for the audience not the engines

[Dan-Petrovic]

Agreed, community is something that can not only educate but get you going and inspire to do more and better. It does get a bit lonely if you are hiding under a rock for too long.

[LuminConsutling]

As I read through these down the page, this is by far the best answer yet IMHO

[MozMan2]

I wish I knew what you were talking about, it sounds interesting but not very clearly explained.

[ChrisMacNaughton]

I suppose that my biggest thing is good analytics and figuring out what your specific KPIs will be for a specific site.  After figuring out the best KPIs, work on those, don't get distracted by keyword rankigns, those can change all to easily when Google decides to chagne the ranking algorithm.

Focus on why we want rankings: to get converting traffic.  If you're spending hours or days working on something, it had better effect the bottom line for the company or it isn't woth doing.

[Kozmo]

Love your reply!  And the "Zone".  It is a great place to be.  I guess you can't be in the "Zone" everyday.  Then it really would not be the "Zone".   Just another day

I think being a part of this community and others is really the best SEO secret.  Learning from others, making mistakes and networking is the key and the secret to success.

[dennis.globalsign]

I find the secret to getting there is to find the smallest possible task related to the work need to do. Start small and build up momentum - the key to having one of those magic hours.

[LauraThomas]

very true! and I'll add...keep focused.

[Blargh123]

Your correct our jobs would not exist if SEO was easy and automated!  the "easy" button only helps you defeat those who dont know how to press it!  once your past that your normallty competeing head to head with other skilled SEO's for the top spots often one link can be indexed and change me from 1 to spot 3, because the link profiles have grown so similarly between competitors.

[Blargh123]

Niche SEO marketing is how alot of us got into the field! building portfolios much like the one you discuss   What kind of conversions are you seeing from your portfolio?

[Blargh123]

SEO jobs in general put you into positions with business people, and profesionals from all varieties.  Great networking profession! one of my favorite job perks!

[AlanMosley]

The Microsoft IIS SEO Tool Kit
I am yet to find a site that does not have a pile of errors, I get all my sites free from violations, this gives me a head start (how big that head start is is debatable)

If your technical side is not perfect all your SEM is discounted. Its like fishing with holes in your net.

[AlanMosley]

good to hear that i am not alone.
I can avoid a job day after day after day. but once im on my way, the sun comming up tells me its time to quit

[Thos003]

In order:

Secret #1 - Work + Time = Awesome SEO

Secret #2 - Core Group of SEOs to work and share with.

Secret #3 - Keeping secrets secret.  ... Sorry had to add that one.

Actually I should probably add that I don't believe there are many true secrets to SEO. Time and work will get you the best long term results.

[Wayne76]

One of the best SEO secrets I've learned (which took a while) is how to implement what works best and leave the rest alone. Trying to read and stay abreast of everything regarding SEO is a futile venture--it's as much art as it is science, and few 'secrets' exist.

There are large components of SEO that are open to grand interpretation and it's often hard to separate good information from mis-information from out-dated information from just plain flase information. (If you ever get the opportunity to attend PubCon or an SES conference and listen to the bevy of conversation and opinion happening all about you, the quickl realization is that there are few fast and hard rules.)

There are several camps that will advise you a bit differently in all aspects of SEO: some will claim that their methods are proven, others will be more humble and offer a "best-practices" approach sans the 'guarantee'. I often believe I'm only as good at SEO as the success I had yesterday.

Try to find what works for you inside your vertical and then cherry-pick tips from the rest of the SEO community as you see fit. Translation: there is no magic bullet!

Here's to future success!

[AtoZion]

A marker board schedule.

I am not allowed to do anything (self imposed) that is not on my marker board for a specific time period. That makes me focus and get done what I need done.

Personal Facebook time takes a backburner when I need to do SEO.

[danbocain]

This is another great one. I've built plenty of professional relationships with previous clients (we refer business back and forth), as well as with a few graphic designers who work mostly in the SEM side of things (banner creation, tracking, tweaking to increase conversions).

[Blargh123]

Gotta love this!!! Most of my days are alot of information gathering then that one day of execution!! very grattifying!

[eric_since1910.com]

This is a great question!  My best hidden SEO secret is developing relationships with resources of particular specialties so you can get specific help in the area you are focusing on.  Similiary how a Dr. will refer you to a specialist, in SEO, there are plenty of general SEO's out there, but there are a few stand outs in particular specialties.

[spnet]

My best experience to track the competitors, review their strategy and then choose best point from each of competitors and make a strong strategy for project.  I use to analysis strategy on weekly basis. Also used some tools for competitor tracking.

Your competitor give you a lot of new ideas........

[tclendaniel]

Almost identical to Francis, with a twist.  I make almost all my revenue from AdSense (weird, I know).  It took me a while to learn to do things in keyword research- 1) focus on high revenue per 1000 visitors stats for sellecting priority keywords by linking AdSense and Googgle Analytics, and 2) looking for the highest CPC keywords in the GoogleExternal Keyword Tool and then sorting on difficulty- oddly, in my space, a few lower-competition terms have extremely high CPC,making them prime targets for new pages onmy site andSEO efforts behind them.

[semvibe]

My hidden secret is - a) build the website for the visitor b) be honest on your keyword choices c) follow the Google Webmaster Guidelines and Search comes your way.

[NicoleMunoz]

I agree... great answer and very helpful!

[BlooFusion38]

SEO Metrics: Focus on juicy analytics instead of shallow ranking reports. And get your company (or your clients) to follow you down that path.

[UPform5]

Paid tools... you really have to invest in order for you to conquer, I can share some but I personally think SEOmoz has all of them but you can still find good ones outside which SEOmoz also mentions hehehe

[RedScooter]

I have a whole list. Patience and consistency. SEO is easy, but you have to constantly keep learning and trying new things. It often takes awhile to see results. Keep working and don't give up. As long as you create quality content and links that are relevant, eventually your hard work will pay off. Constantly learning is another key. Search engines change their algorithms over time, and your competitors are always changing, so you'll never be done. I like to set my homepage to an rss feed reader, where I've subscribed to about 10 blogs ranging from SEO to marketing to copywriting. That way new information is always the first thing I see, and I'm less likely to waste time on games or random browsing. Finally, having a network of people to help and encourage you can make the difference between giving up and sticking with it. You can learn from each other and provide sympathy and sometimes a little healthy competition.

[danbocain]

Guest blogging. It's nothing new, it's nothing that requires a lot of talent, but my god! It does the trick for most clients I manage. Helps me acquires custom anchor text dofollow links from themed sites and the long term relationship with these blog owners are worth their "weight" in gold!  You get a great link, you get some referral traffic, and you expand your network. Triple win!

[TheARKlady]

@Mark Hodson bought to mind something we do as a B2B service. We structured a questionaire that asks for industry terms and customer terms along with geotargeting information for local search. In many cases, the terms that the company or staff think are appropriate actually are very far from it. In addition certifications and awards often come in handy as well as professional memberships because they help us identify terms and other opportunities for SEO.

[petrakraft]

Great suggestions - thank's

[MarkHodson]

My best tip: get to know the sales team. I think a lot of SEOs fail to look up from their screens and recognise they are working for a real business - and that it's the sales team that have first-hand, all-day access to your paying customers.

I've just started working for a small travel business with a sales team of three who answer phones all day from clients. I spent a session with them, explained briefly what I'm doing and asked them a slew of questions such as:

• How do people describe the products? How do they categorise types of product. This feeds directly into KW research.

• What do people ask for that isn't on the site? Great for content development ideas / usability.

• What questions do people ask about the company? For instance, if lots of people seem unsure about whether this is a real company or just a website, create a prominent "about us" section.

• At which points in the booking funnel do customers call to say they are stuck ? This is a great way of identifying usability issues. Users don't call the UX guys, they call the sales team.

It's important to remember that sales people don't give a stuff about SEO, so your first task is to explain to them that your job is to send them more leads. At this point you'll see their indifference slowly turn to interest.

Give it a try, it's incredibly valuable. Perhaps a subject for a future YouMoz post?

[petrakraft]

Thank's for the reply

[TheARKlady]

Hmm, secrets? First, I do seo writing so I tend to look at things from that angle but have gotten into more seo itself as I work with more businesses and web designers. I agree that working and then taking a break is a great idea because sometimes the research can blind you. LOL

But I think making sure you get the best info from the client or on the project prior to starting is essential and can help cut down the time spent in further research or is critical in targeting terms within a highly competitive category.

I also use research tools to help condense the process while I ponder competition and their optimization prior to starting.

[DanDeceuster]

The secret to good SEO is to stop wasting time with automation tools. SEO simply cannot be automated and left to a robot. If it could, none of us would have jobs

If it automates directory submissions, bookmarks, articles, blog comments or anything else, it's useless and should be left alone. Far too many SEO folks waste far too much time tinkering around with them...only to figure out they are useless and that they wasted a lot of time. The Onion comically gives us another great way to stop wasting time:

http://www.theonion.com/articles/openminded-man-grimly-realizes-how-much-life-hes-w,19273/

[MarcinKowalik-195750]

Before creating costly, but usefull content - doing heavy topic research within the target group...

[rmteamseo]

I think one of the most overlooked aspects of good SEO is semantic markup and good onpage optimisation, and no it is not just getting those h1s and h2s sorted.

And i totally agree with Dejan Petrovic, that one hour of "getting in the zone" makes all the difference!

[KrisRoadruck]

Oh man this is me to a T. Its hard to explain to others that the rest of the time spent farting around online is really a primer for this. If I just tried to come in for an hour and leave It would never be an in the zone hour.

[petrakraft]

Thank you for your response - great suggestion!

[WillyF]

I run a site with a daily e-mail list. Every day I get a few out of office replies from people who subscribe to the list.These are typically college employees, and their auto-response gives me their name, e-mail address, and job title. Since I know they already use my site and I now know who they are, I can target people to make link requests with a much more personal approach. It's probably unique to my specific niche, but it actually works really well.

[Francisco_Meza]

To optimze a webpage for my number one converting keyword in Google Adwords instead of purely going off Google Keyword Tool.

[Ken_Jansen]

Chunking the big goals into smaller ones which I can achieve a little bit each day. Keeping an eye on my top competitors to see from crawl to crawl or week to week, how fast am I gaining on them.

[petrakraft]

Hi Casey - I can't click any more "Helpful" answer - but I like this one most! That is definetifely true!!

[caseyhen]

Biggest secret that I have is to make great connections to people in the business.  I can't count the number of times I've run into a strange issue and it's great to be able to email someone you've meet with your question and get some expert feedback.  Not to mention sometimes they share their super secret SEO tricks and tips.

[DonnieCooper]

I to use the free $75 of adwords (in the SEOmoz discount store) for every new customer to test their keywords. I think it's an over looked opprotunity by a ton of SEO's.

As a by product, customers love that you're running paid ads for free, and it gives you a chance to up sell them (if you can prove a return for them).

[ThomasHgenhaven]

One more thing: building a community and optimizing their contributions. That is the very future of SEO in my opinion.

[ThomasHgenhaven]

I do that too! Only little problem with that is it often creates some significant bumps in link acquisition rates.