Seeds of Online Trust-- TrustRank Algorithm
A few sources are heavily leaning toward the current TrustRank algorithm as a possible variation on PageRank. TrustRank, however, is an algorithm with basis in human derived "seed sites" chosen for trustworthiness, or reputation. From this foundation, the study assumes that reputable sites have a penchant for linking to other reputable sites. A search query based on such a webwork of "trust-based" links can potentially eliminate web spam-- besides conjure images of all other sorts of internet possibilities, as yet untapped.
Aaron Wall has about the best notes on the topic,
http://www.seobook.com/archives/000661.shtml and the actual pdf file for the study itself can be found at
http://www.vldb.org/conf/2004/RS15P3.PDF and is called
Combating Web Spam With TrustRank.
Keyword Density's Shortcomings
Like I was saying in my "evolution" post a bit ago: everything changes and there are differing opinions on what is valid for drawing search engine attention to sites. On the subject of keywords, here's a technical little article on SEOchat by Randfish (of SEOmoz),
Keyword Density - A Bogus Metric,
http://forums.seochat.com/t28007/s.htmlHe actually goes over the equations he's used to measure keyword density and posits a theory as to why the tactic might not be as effective as natural content.
Content's Link To SEO Evolution
As the Nationwide Insurance commercial says, "Life comes at you fast."
Things change.
A few months ago I was trying to figure out what all the fuss over Page Rank was about and now I'm finding out, the whole topic is a loser. PR is not top dog anymore. It's LINKS, baby!
Keywords? Nope-- the slippery slope to spam-ville.
The one thing that I cannot imagine changing, though, is content.
Where there are search engines, there is content.
Where there are directories, human or otherwise, there is content.
Where there are links, they are attached to content.
Whether internet marketers are actually marketing the content or using it as a pure tool for marketing, means we still have to make it, write it, film it, draw it, cartoon it, imagine it. Really this brings me to a useful article I was just reading from the Link Building Blog,
Building Links With Articles by Andy Hagans from a 5/16/05 posting,
http://www.linkbuildingblog.com/2005/05/building_links_.htmlThe concept of writing articles and syndicating them in order to give yourself links to your site, even design your own anchor text to go along with the link, proposes the usefulness of content in a pure market strategy. But, from my POV as more of the writer-who-cares-about-quality it's a fantastic chance to discuss CONTENT. Like this article I just cited. This is the very thing that drives the evolutionary lifecycle of SEO that seems to be taking place.
The more solid, take action content there is, the more and faster things change. Hook content to the possibility of making money and the world really turns faster. It's like a big cyber cook-out hashing out theory and opinion over a brat and a beer. By the end of the night the dosey-do has taken place and the party-goers have hooked their wagons to different dates. But that's what's exciting, the ongoing competition to market time the elusive Google algorithm.
It's just one big merry-go-round.
Card Catalogs and Search Engines
Obviously, the two concepts are deeply divided, but still pretty associated, at the same time. Clay Shirky, in his article
Ontology Is Overrated: Categories, Links and Tags,
http://shirky.com/writings/ontology_overrated.html talks a pretty impressive line (actually a lot of lines- but all very interesting) about the nature of categorization and how it relates to the current state of search engines. I have to give credit where it is due: I found this article link from Peter Da Vanzo's
Search Engine Blog site,
http://www.searchengineblog.com/ on a May 23rd note. Not sure where he found it, but really robust stuff, much more thought provoking than the usual fare.
Revisiting Link Building
I wrote about link building back in February when I was hot and heavy into reading up on the practice,
http://digitalcommunique.blogspot.com/2005_02_01_digitalcommunique_archive.html Information still runs rampant on the business of link building, both passive and active strategies. I've just finished reading a good article by Eric Ward on the subject written fairly recently,
Linking's Holy Grail: The Passively Obtained Backlink,
http://www.ericward.com/articles/backlinks.htmlSadly, taking stock of my whereabouts in the seo cyber universe--
Technorati reports I have one link to my site. Better than nothing.
Link on....
Page Headings Help SEO
I've just had a big "Omigod" moment.
I have finally swung around to the SEO side of the copywriting gig and have now become the copyeditor. In the process I have just discovered why my former copyeditor was so gung-ho on pushing us (the writers) to include paragraphs broken with appropriate headings and sub-headings, often called headlines.
Page headings are an integral part of what is called on-page search engine optimization. They are included alongside such desirables as the main meta tags-- title tags, description and keywords, not to mention at least a couple hundred words of solid content. Get a decent writer.
SEO As Long Term Investment
Is the new face of SEO and its marketing accoutrements the new long term investment for online businesses? Many sources claim the balloon in SEM that came upon the search engine world like gangbusters might be smoothing out and claiming territory for the long haul versus the quick return. Go organic.....
"SEM Growing More Complex," Jim Hedger @
Search Engine Guide, 5/19/05
www.searchengineguide.com/hedger/004493.htmlI am wondering if there is the possibility that there is a SEO market bubble at work.... a la the dot com days. ..
Blogs Teach the Value of Web Content
Boring.
Does anyone but the writers and copyeditors actually care about the marketability of content? I mean why not just throw up some blurbage to attract a couple of customers, do some fancy link strategizing (you can tell I'm totally from the writer's perspective here) and package it into an OK website and be done with it?
Well, that's not what bloggers do, for one thing.
If there is anything to be learned about the value of web content it is with the revolution of The Blog. Millions of people blog, whether it's their online diary, political views or information associated with their careers, among countless other things. People read them, respond to them, quote them, link to them, comment on them.
Businesses are now encouraging corporate blogging as a means to share and inspire new and necessary information exchange among employees.
My point is, why in an age where we are all craving quantifiable and interesting online information, would businesses fail to see the value of decent content? Not a thesis. But decent, solid, grammatically correct content about something a visitor might actually be interested in that might even spark some deeper searching.
Deeper searching leads to even more content possiblilities.
Test driving Uncover The Net's Search Directory
I do a lot of research for my copywriting articles and I am constantly looking for a better strategy of search than Google. While Google has been my search engine of choice I also am acutely aware of the reasons that sites end up in the top ranks -- content and information that's often been manipulated to the top of "the charts."
I just took a few minutes to test-drive
Uncover The Net's search directory-- as they say "powered by human, not machines"-- with a simple "writing web content" query aimed at the entire web. What was returned was their typical Sponsored Results at the top of the page and then a purported 12,000+ other finds. I scanned through the 10 results pages the directory had and came up with the same half dozen or so sites over and over from page to page. By the 10th page, the results had only managed to include no more than a dozen websites that either sold web content writing services, or offered insight and advice on the same. A pretty tiny slice of the whole enchilada.
UTN Directory
Trying out
Uncover The Net search directory for a while.
www.uncoverthenet.comLooks like it has competitive features to Google, image search, song lyrics search (everyone wants that), broken down into categories, services and provides a toolbar.
Neural Networks-- the Next Search Engines?
The concept has been posited by Chris Sherman at Search Engine Watch, in his article,
If Search Engines Could Read Your Mind, http://searchenginewatch.com/searchday/article.php/3503931Not that the concept is that off when you think about it. I recently helped one of my college professors with editing and revising his proposed dissertation which was on the topic of neural networks. When computer networks are put to a task, such as search-- literally parsing words, symbols and phrases-- they eventually learn certain things. Sherman's article is worth the read.
tulip coastline
Extinction
I've just spent the weekend lying on the deck, gardening and otherwise looking upward to the fat fractal coastline of green leaves against the sea of blue sky and decided I need to return for a moment to my natural writing instincts: brewed in my brains, turned off and on as at a steam spigot, I write like I am gulping strong, earthy coffee from Peru or Venezuela, someplace mountainous and nearly extinct by 21st century standards.
I began reading
Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance this morning. I know I have been told a dozen or so times since the age of 18 that this is the book to read. And each time I have poo-pooed the advice. So, what changed? Have I lost my own philosphy? Do I need the directon of Pirsig's insights to endure? No, I have instead acquired my own solid philosophy, my own intent direction and now feel finally unthreatened by someone else's equivalent.
