Friday, June 17, 2016

Quick SEO Tactics to Push Higher in SERPs

Nearly every SEO tactic today falls into one of three categories; white hat, black hat, or the nebulous gray. White hat tactics are those recommended by Google and other search engines which take a straightforward approach to reaching the top of the SERPs. Black hat tricks, on the other hand, are methods that are considered unethical in the world of SEO. Yet no matter how you slice it, there are plenty of strategies that fall into the gray.

The SEO cheats presented here are neither black nor white; they just are. Some may consider them to fall on the black hat side of things, but that’s only a misconception. Keep reading and you’ll see.

If you are seeking genuine SEO tactics to give you a rise in the SERPs, look no further. Here are three SEO “cheats” that will deliver impressive results.

1. Targeted Outreach with Google Keyword Planner

Most leverage the Google Keyword Planner simply for AdWords purposes and keyword research. This tool, however, is far more powerful than its implied uses. The Keyword Planner is a stellar tool for identifying outreach opportunities for your site to benefit from.

When conducting an outreach campaign, it is vital to focus your efforts on those who are already discussing similar products or services. Anything broader and you are likely to waste massive amounts of time getting turned down. To find the most relevant sources, focus on those who are already incorporating your long-tail keywords into their mix. You can locate these bloggers by simply loading your keywords into the Keyword Planner and filtering the results for low search volume keywords. Once you have your list, export it.

From here, begin plugging your long-tail words into Google individually while actively searching for blogs or articles that cater to these topics. With this list in hand, you can begin reaching out; you will likely have far more success with your campaign as these folks are already engaging in your industry’s conversation and will be far more apt to respond.

2. Building Links through Building Connections

This method involves persistence and patience, but it will pay off if you remain steadfast in your efforts.
The typical route for many SEOs is to employ tools that will automate and scale their efforts for maximum efficiency and effectiveness. The rationale here is fairly solid, granted that the right elements are scaled. For this approach, however, we are going to take a seemingly counterintuitive path and refrain from scaling.

Much of the online world revolves around relationships, and this is exactly what you are aiming to build. This is the sweet spot on how you will earn your links. When reaching out to potential partners, you may have to contact them a half dozen times before making your pitch. Cold pitches are rarely received well so playing the long game is essential for this to work.

Additionally, with this tactic you have to be willing to go the extra mile and do something that 95 percent of SEOs won’t do; pick up the phone and call people.

It may sound absurd calling someone to ask for a link, but the power of human-to-human connection is something that should not be underestimated. Next time you find yourself inspired by someone’s post, locate their contact information and give them a call to thank them for the information and share your feedback with them. As this is an uncommon practice, you are going to stick out in their memory. And in many cases, that will pay off big.

By connecting to various voices, authorities and influencers in your niche in this manner, sharing and interacting with their materials will feel natural and they are more likely to take notice. This amps up the possibility of them linking to you exponentially because they know who you are.

3. Comment on Blogs – A Lot

Commenting on blogs is one of many tactics that is perceived to be black hat. This is simply not true. Google’s Matt Cutts has been a proponent of this strategy for a long time and has even gone on record stating that he does this as well. In reality, blog commenting is a fantastic way to acquire more traffic, gain visibility and even drive revenue. Since very few people leverage this strategy, it becomes all the more powerful.

The key to gaining the benefits of blog comments lies in ensuring your statements feel natural; automating this process will ultimately backfire. Your comments need to be organic and useful to the overall conversation.

Approach this by compiling a list of reputable, high-quality blogs within your industry. Then narrow things down by entering the URLs into the Moz Domain Authority tool; only keep sites that have a comparable domain authority to your own. Once you have your list, start engaging and driving people to your site. Just bear in mind that most sites have an approval filter for comments. To ensure that yours passes, make sure that it looks natural and adds to the conversation in a valuable way. If it doesn’t achieve these two aspects, you are just spamming someone else’s blog. While this strategy is no quick fix, it is quite effective.

If you are trying to reach the top of the SERPs, you can’t just follow the same practices and tactics that everyone else is. You have to think outside the box and employ strategies that others won’t. By breaking away from the herd and forging your own path to SEO prosperity, you gain a much more solid foundation to your ranking status.

Wednesday, June 8, 2016

Tips for Organizing your Digital Life Using Awesome Digital Tools

Organizing clutter is an ongoing battle for most people.

Accumulating stuff seems to be the default mode, and over the years it can get out of hand. Back in the day, that meant the closet or the desk, but nowadays, it also means your computer and any other gadget you use regularly. Digital technology has made life easier, no doubt, but it has also made it a lot messier.

If you have been remiss about organizing your digital life, then you have a big problem. You will have to deal with it sooner or later, and sooner is better. Here are 10 tips for organizing your digital life using digital tools to make it more manageable.
 

Upgrade your software

Does your computer crash often or your apps stop working all of a sudden?
This might mean you have not updated your software. In most cases, software developers provide updates on their software for a reason: the old ones don’t work so well. Ignoring prompts or deferring updates to some other time merely means you are working with programs that may be costing you time and resources.

You may also be vulnerable to security breaches without knowing it. You can become more productive and secure if you take the time to update all your regular programs and apps whenever available, instead of waiting until you have to.

You can use the FileHippo App Manager for Windows or MacUpdate Desktop for Mac. There are tons of apps that perform this function that are suitable for all kinds of gadgets, including mobile.


Clean up your inbox

Yes, it has to be done. An overstuffed inbox not only causes stress, but you might even miss important e-mails.

You can easily cut down on your inbox clutter by using apps that filter incoming e-mails, such as Google Inbox for Gmail users. To unsubscribe in bulk try a tool such as Unroll.Me.
Of course, you still have to set the parameters, but it sure beats clicking a box for the 3,000th unread messages in your inbox.


Clean up your desk(top)

The only things that should be on your desktop are your recycle bin and shortcuts to your most frequently used apps. If you can hardly see your desktop through the mess of icons, you definitely need to check out Fences for Windows or Synchronize! Pro for Mac.


Clean up the system cache

Everything you do leaves a footprint in your system cache, so you want to wipe it clean. You can use Disk Cleaner, which is built into Windows 10, or find an app like Dr. Cleaner for Mac.


Clean up temp files

Most people ignore temp files because they are out of sight, but a lot of them can slow you down. You usually get rid most of these every time you reboot your computer, but not all, and over time it can accumulate.  Use CCleaner regularly to find and remove temp files your computer creates every time you open a website, create or modify a file, or download stuff.


Find duplicates

Free up some space by finding duplicate photos using a tool such as Duplicate Cleaner for iPhoto for Mac and simply Duplicate Cleaner for Windows.


Remove old files

Remove documents, images, videos, downloads, and contacts you have not used in months or years. You can back them up in an external hard drive or the cloud (you can use Bittorent Sync for this, which is free for personal use, and has no size limit) if you feel anxious about losing something before deleting  them permanently from your system. Yes, that includes your photos. Your computer should have a built-in app for making backups. Do this at least once a year to keep your computers and smart phones working at peak levels.


Uninstall old software

Maybe you had a printer that died a couple of months back, and you have a new one now. You will not need the old software, obviously, so go ahead and uninstall it. In Windows, go to Control Panel, click on Program and Features, and uninstall that and anything else you see that you never use. In Mac, head on over to Home, click on Library then Application Support, and drag and drop all the apps you don’t want.


Organize your files

Now that you have removed all the stuff you don’t need, you still have to organize whatever’s left. You can do it the old-fashioned way, creating folders and putting stuff in, or you can use FreeCommander  for Windows or FastCommander for Mac.


Organize as you go

Now that everything is in place, and there is a place for everything, make sure you don’t start making problems for yourself again. New files need to be put in the right folders as they come in. Delete old files as you receive updated versions, archive photos and back them up to the cloud, and clean up your inbox on a daily basis. This is the only way you can keep up and be productive.


There is no reason to become overwhelmed with a cluttered digital life. You can use a plethora of digital tools, many of which are free, to help you become and stay organized. It might be painful at the start, but you have to do it. Once you do, you will be much more relaxed and productive.