You've installed WordPress for the first time, lined up your theme and have added a few wordpress plugins. Now you have to write some posts and you ask the questions, "is there a system I should employ while writing?"

The answer is 'yes' and 'no'. No you shouldn't change your writing style or purpose for the sake of search engines or WordPress. Yes, there are are some best practices you need to follow when writing which will help maintain clarity and popularity. So pay attention to the following suggestions, they'll go a long way to help increase visibility and visitors.

Title Tags

The single most important element that will help your visitors find your content is going to be your post title. Think of something that's not too short, that's relevant, that's appealing and attention grabbing, and also contains relevant keywords to your content. Avoid punctuation like commas, quotes, or periods. (You don't require a full stop at the end of your title.)

For example, rather than a title: I like WordPress

I'd write something like: Distinct SEO's Top 10 Reasons We Love WordPress

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*We've updated this post on September 30th with our tools and plugins for your benefit.*

WordPress is probably the easiest and most malleable blog tool on the web that functions on Apache. Although it doesn't permit complete customization, it does provide a solid blogging tool with many additions to keep you're information and SEO needs satisfied.

We don't use many plugins, but over the years Distinct SEO has learned a few things through trials and tribulations. Here is a list of some of the plugins we use ideal for building a community and optimizing wordpress blogs.

Top WordPress Plugins for Search Engine Optimization

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Updated from the original post in May 7th, 2007.

Some critics have noted consumers are growing dissatisfied with the SEO industry due to the lack of accountability (with respect to results) and lack of transparency (with respect to what is actually completed for web sites). It's true, nearly anybody regardless of qualifications can figure out on-page SEO (changes made to your web site) and create an online firm to start garnering consultation dollars. The problem is the absence of SEO standard for training or governing body policing rogue consultants means the chance of 'pulling the wool' over the eyes of unsuspecting consumers grows. Read the rest of this entry »

Chicken or the Budget? What Comes First?

**Originally posted on Mar 12, 2007**

I recently engaged in a spirited discussion about business strategy and planning with some posters at SEOChat. Basically, I was challenging the position on how to go about creating SEO budgets. My basic premise was that budgets come out of plans, and not the other way around. Here is some key highlites to help you create the right goals for the right budget and not the other way around.

SEO Plans Lead to SEO Budgets

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Answer, none.

This question pops up on forums time in and time again. You'd think with so many asking the same question people would see the same answers and stop asking, but alas, they don't.

Before I go further let me state unequivocally that domain names are strictly for branding purposes only. That doesn't ignore them since you don't have a brand because branding is the single most important element online for your business.

So why do people still think keywords in the domain name will rank them higher? Read the rest of this entry »

In this post a couple of years back, we wrote how Yahoo! was phasing out support for its major directory. Truth be told, there was once a time in search engine marketing where you could submit to 1000's of directories and reap some marginal benefit. You could also pay a couple of thousand to a handful of major web directories to get some quality one way links.

The way of the web directory is quickly eroding with the advent of real time search functions in Twitter and other social media web sites. No point for a static collection of web sites that do not necessary reflect any type of qualitative score.

So are there any directories worthwhile to submit and pay? Read the rest of this entry »

One of the methods of analysing your Long Tail for SEO applications (or any other function) is to use the online tool 'HitTail'. We are pleased to present a guest write GaryTheScubaGuy, who will offer his thoughts in rebuttal to my article on Long-Tail Criticims. Gary offers a slant to marketing and pay-per-click uses of Long Tail that I'm sure you'll find useful and insightful.

(HitTail now offers a paid service with many more features helping you sift through your keyword data. This review does not include the new features.)

Without further delay, here's Gary....

Being asked to write an article describing the Long Tail software called HitTail, I immediately started making a list of what I wanted to say that I haven't already said on a dozen forums. That being fairly difficult, I decided for the first time, I will actually show snapshots of the results that have excited me over the last few months. Read the rest of this entry »

Distinct SEO Inc. is happy to announce the creation of two new services in the field of translation. We understand some of our clients have a need to expand their services or products into foreign markets. Currently we have acquired the services of two professional translation service people who specialise in Spanish, French, and even a bit of low German for anybody who needs :P. Read the rest of this entry »