Welcome to the third and final part of my series on SEO tools and resources. In the last two articles we discussed a number of add-ons for Firefox used for SEO as well as an assortment of other free or affordable SEO tools. In today´s article I am going to tell you about some of the resources you will want to access on a regular basis to keep up to date and informed on the goings-on in the realm of search engines and SEO.
I am going to cover a a number of different types of resources below and I promise that I´ll do my bestto keep this article to a reasonable length. Without further ado, let us begin …
1. Media
When there happens to be a breaking story or you want an expert opinion on a subject, a good place to hit first is the media sources in that specific industry. The SEO industry is no different and there are some amazing, albeit often unconventional, media sources. Some of my favorites are:
Webmaster Radio is an Internet-based radio station with some great programing ranging from affiliate marketing to PPC to organic optimization and much more. With shows hosted by experts in their fields from Danny Sullivan (Search news) to Dave Szetela (PPC) you will get a lot of solid information. I refrain from listing my favorite shows because what I need to know may be different from what you need to know. Just look through their programming and either listen through your work day as I often do or download the podcasts for listening at a later time.
WebProNews offers up-to-the-minute information on virtually every event. They have reporters writing constantly and have others scouring SEO blogs and other news sources, compiling the information in one place for easy access. They also have great articles by third-party writers and a very active readership that is proactive in their commenting. Definitely near the top of my go-to list when I am looking for news and current feedback.
This site is difficult to classify as it fits into a couple categories but I decided to include under media as that what I use it for most often. They include tools, resources, a directory and much more on their site. I use it primarily for the articles and newsletter.
No list of SEO resources would be complete without Search Engine Watch. This site is the one that started it all. Search Engine Watch provides everything from fantastic articles to breaking news to search engine stats and an awesome forum. A definite bookmark.
2. Blogs
As with many industries, blogs are a great way to keep informed on the latest goings-on in the SEO realm. The trick, however, is figuring out which blogs are worth reading and which authors are truly knowledgeable. Over the years I have studied a lot of blogs – and I still do. Below are some of the key blogs I reference on a regular basis.
Aaron Wall over at SEO Book has an excellent blog worth reading on a regular basis. I have yet to visit his blog and not find some tid-bit of information that was worth reading either because of the information itself or because of its entertainment factor. Another one to add to your weekly reading list.
It is nice to get it from the horse’s mouth. For those who do not know – Matt Cutts is the head of Google’s Webspam team. He blogs about Google, technology and occasionally his cat. One has to read what he writes knowing that he is an employee of Google and as such cannot really give away the farm BUT he nevertheless gives tons of great advice, insight and tips. The perk being – this time you do not have to ask if following his advice will get you banned. 
The author, Bill Slawski, focuses his attentions on the more technical side of things with tales of patents, algorithmic possibilities, statistics and functionalities. For many, his would be a rather dry blog if not for his gift with words and ability to make even the most bland of subjects palatable. There is no need to visit his blog daily but adding it to your bookmarks is highly recommended.
What blog list would be complete without the inclusion of the SEOmoz blog? Rand Fishkin and crew keep their visitors up-to-date of some great research, news and SEO tips. From opinion pieces to months-long whitepapers you will find tons of useful information. Again – not necessary to visit every day but a weekly pass is always worthwhile.
3. Forums
Forums are a great place to gather information, especially on current events such as ranking updates. That said, reading forums can be a risky thing. Almost anyone can join a forum and post their thoughts. While this format allows you to capture a wide range of information and knowledge, it also results in less qualified or utterly unqualified people giving advice as well. Therefore, while I recommend reading forums I also recommend taking things with a grain of salt – at least until you figure out who’s who.
The SEO chat forums are easily among the largest and most popular of all the SEO forums. They cover a HUGE array of issues from Google to social media to Alexa rankings to (hold your hats) Ask Jeeves (that’s right – the forum’s been around for THAT long). Users worth noting are rustybrick, fathom, and randfish.
DigitalPoint is an ancient forum as well (2000 – ancient by web standards at least). They cover a wide range of topics from SEO to PPC to affiliate programs. Some users worth noting there are shoemoney, daven, and of course digitalpoint. A great place to ask your questions. Heavily visited and they have a ranking system for their users so you can get a decent feel as to whether they are reliable.
There are a variety of reasons I like SitePoint – I even own a bunch of their books. Their forums focus on design and development (not SEO), but every SEO needs resources on the design and development side.
4. Newsletters & Other Resources
Of course there are other resources that every SEO or webmaster needs to be able to get their hands on. Here they are:
These are the guidelines set out by Google telling you what you can and cannot do and what tactics to look out for. Worth a look over periodically as the do change from time to time. If you are heading into the forums for advice you will definitely want to take a look at the guidelines first to make sure that should you get lead astray you will know what can get you banned or penalized.
A social media site for SEO. Here you will find user-submitted stories on a wide array of topics related to Internet Marketing. Obviously the quality and relevancy of the stories ranges from brilliant to utter crud but the cream usually rises to the top with good stories hitting page one. That said, an occasional peek at specific threads often reveals some hidden gems.
Perhaps I should have included this in the media section above as it is a fine site unto itself but it is the newsletter component that I find most helpful and so I have decided to place it here. Sign up for their newsletter and you will get daily notification as to when some of the major search engine events happen and some solid advice as to what it means for you.
The lady over at High Rankings publishes a solid newsletter where she provides tips and advice including replies to visitor questions. While I may disagree with some of her points from time to time I have never seen her provide bad advice – my advice just might be different at times.
Conclusion
Obviously there are many more tools and resources available. In this series of articles I have tried to include those that apply to the broadest spectrum of people and that are the most helpful. I highly recommend hunting for your own – especially if you have got issues that you cannot find help for here.
Related articles you may also like:
Your SEO Toolkit Part 1: Firefox Add-ons
Your SEO Toolkit Part 2: Tools
18 Highly Effective SEO Techniques
1 Comentário:
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