One of the core elements of any optimization and Web site promotion campaign involves the acquisition of incoming links from third-party Web sites. Achieving page popularity on the Internet works kind of like a democracy, in that every vote counts. In this context, an incoming link is a vote, because when another Web site points a link to your Web site, they have, in effect, placed a vote for you.There is a major difference between this system of Internet “voting” and what happens when you cast a vote for your favorite political candidate. A vote in a governmental election is valued the same as every other vote. On the Internet, though, search engine algorithms take into account not just the volume of votes, but also the quality of those votes. On the Web, all votes are not created equal.

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Many good writers will tell you that innovation is the key to good copywriting, but a good writer knows that in order to connect with his or her reader, a string of familiarity needs to be woven throughout any new idea. Developing a relationship with your reader plants stock in your fresh idea, so utilizing personal anecdotes, pop culture references or political satire lays a foundation for that connection.

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Bill Slawski of SEO by the Sea recently posted a blog (Google Patent on Anchor Text and Different Crawling Rates) that looked at some of the inner workings of Google’s most recently approved patent (filed in 2003). 

Bill points out, and I agree, that since the patent application is nearly 5 years old, some of the elements may not be relevant today, but I suspect most of them still are, especially those pertaining to content categorization and logging.

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Most Webmasters, when first building their Web sites, worry about creating effective landing pages and designing eye-popping graphics in hopes that these site elements will convert into sales. While these are important aspects of creating a storefront, any long-term online business should spend a portion of its initial development time on the architecture of the Web site, including its navigation menus. One of the first things our SEO project managers do when taking on a new client is to examine a site’s main navigation areas to ensure they are search engine-friendly.

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We all like to think of ourselves as innovators. And, in one way or another, we all are. From the guy who invented the pet rock to the guy who invented the Internet, we all add value to the people and things around us. When we invent something new or evolve an existing idea, we really can make a difference in peoples’ lives.

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After nearly twelve months in the making, I am happy to announce that this morning we launched our most recent project: WeWriteIt, Ink.

What is WeWriteIt, Ink.?

I’m sure you could venture a pretty darn good guess, but I’ll give you a little background anyway.

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