The concept of ranking search engine results based on the amount of users visiting a site is not new.  This is what DirectHit focused on when it launched in 1998.  DirectHit ranked sites based on how many users clicked on your site in the serps and how long they stayed on it.  Here are some good and bad points on using user data for ranking.  Feel free to add to it.  Read the rest of this entry »

Many people complain that DMOZ is corrupt and outdated.  Yet they still would love for their site to be listed in it.  If you would like to be listed in DMOZ don’t submit your site, instead apply to become an editor.

If you become an editor you can control the anchor text, site description and can make as many subcategories as you like.  You will have to review a bunch of other sites so it doesn’t look like you are just getting in your site and leaving.

How do you get approved to be an editor?  Find a category that doesn’t have one.  Then fill out the editor application.  Just remember they are looking for people who are unbiased, with a volunteering attitude and passed 8th grade english.  So fill out the application with this in mind.  If you do become an editor just remember to show a little link love to GoodROI your favorite link whore.

Google Alerts is a very helpful tool for tracking what people are saying about you or your company.  Here are my favorite ways of using it

1) Track competition’s backlinks by entering in the searchterm box link:http://www.your-competition’s-website.com and select the Web type.  Now whenever Google updates your competitions backlinks you’ll be notified right away and you can then go contact those sites and try to also get a link for yourself. Read the rest of this entry »

Today on Current TV (who has a partnership with Google) they were talking about search volume and how it can tell Google when a site is down.  Apparently a large spike in searches for a website address is a very good indicator that a site is down.  They then gave several examples of sites like flalottery.com that recently went down. 

Its weird when I can get helpful hints from watching tv.  Now I just need to figure out how to monetive this tidbit.

Welcome and congratulations to Yahoo! Publisher Network on the launch of the YPN blog.  It is always nice to see a big player like YPN take the time to help the Internet community by fostering good communications with this “two-way street”. 

It was also cool to check out the video they posted on the YPNblog.  It gives a tour of their offices and has lots of the team members in it.  I did notice one important thing missing in the video - their coffee bar.  Which according to this interview on Sugarrae is their favorite spot.