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Quick Q&A with SES Chicago speaker Bill Balderaz |
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Written by Domainer's Magazine Staff
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Wednesday, 03 December 2008 21:06 |
In between issues and web updates, Domainer's Magazine had a chat with Bill Balderaz, president and founder of Webbed Marketing. Bill will be speaking at the Blogging for Business Session on day 3 of SES Chicago.
Domainer's Mag: From an SEO perspective, what are the differences between online marketing in the early dot-com days of the 90s and today?
Bill: Back in the early days we could put “Pamela Anderson” in white text on a white background. Stuff a bunch of keywords into a site and rank very well. The name of the game was site traffic growth, or “eyeballs” as we said back then. Most SEO was done “on page” so to rank well you just needed to repeat keywords.
Today search engines rely largely on how trusted a domain is. Links are probably the most important part of this. Get relevant links from credible sites helps secure good rankings. Also, Search Engines today rely on semantic association…using synonyms and related terms both on page and in terms of what sites and pages are linking to you. Search engines are continually being refined to “think” more like a human. Also, we encourage our clients to focus on real goals. Getting to page one of Google or tripling site traffic may not be the best goal…getting more sales, leads and media attention are great goals.
DM: Doesn't high traffic guarantee a good ranking?
Bill: No, but there is definitely a correlation. For every site we work on, the higher the traffic, the better the ranking. It’s very logical. If I start ranking well on my search terms, more people find my content. Then a few of them link to me. These links drive human visitors and improve search engine ranking, both of which drive traffic. Lather, rinse repeat.
The exception? Some sites can generate a lot of traffic from irrelevant sources like “incentive” and “free lotto” type sites. My word of warning? Look at where that traffic is coming from. Is it coming from a healthy mix of search, direct traffic and relevant links? Is the traffic of high quality? Make sure to watch the bounce rate, the time spent on the site and average page views per visit.
DM: With frequent algorithm and rule changes, is it possible for a small, but well-informed development team to keep up?
Bill: Absolutely. In fact, they are the types of teams most likely to keep up. Read the blogs! That is the single best way to stay current is to read blogs from the SEO world. Events like Search Engine Strategies are great too.
DM: Let's say I've got a website trying to reach a specific geographic market. Is SEO still as beneficial or important as it would be for a company targeting nationwide customers?
Bill: Certainly! In fact, competing on local terms is a smart move. The terms are less competitive (and therefore easier to rank well on) and drive high conversions. You can get great ROI from a local campaign.
DM: Let's say I'm a Domainer who's just starting to dabble in website development. How can I use SEO to my advantage?
Bill: Focus on who you want to drive to the web site. Then do your homework. What keywords does this market search on? Tools like SEOBook have great keyword tools to help you identify where to get started. The basics? Write really great content using the keyword you want to rank on. Keep script, images, and video to a minimum. Put your keyword as the first term in your title tag.
DM: Some blackhat tacticians claim to work miracles in SEO rankings. Give our readers a few reasons to resist the path of the darkside.
Bill: Every day hundreds of bright engineers are at Google figure out how to keep blackhatters from ranking well. You will get caught. You will be tossed out of Google’s index.
Thanks, Bill, for taking the time out to speak with us.
You can catch Bill next week at Day 3 of SES Chicago, which runs next Monday to Friday, December 8th to the 12th. It features an expo hall, a four-day conference with sessions for every specialty in the industry, and concludes Friday with Search Engine Marketing Training Workshops. See the agenda for more information.
Bill Balderaz is the president and founder of Webbed Marketing, where he has grown the company from a one man consultancy to a 12 person team with over 40 established clients in less than two years. Bill has worked with some of the largest publishers in the world, including Standard and Poors, McGraw-Hill and Thomson Gale. He also runs The Buzz Saw word of mouth blog.
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Last Updated ( Thursday, 04 December 2008 00:20 )
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Written by Jerry Nolte
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Saturday, 15 November 2008 11:45 |
LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Thought Convergence, Inc.’s Aftermarket.com has released 100 noteworthy domain names to be featured in the simultaneous live and online auction, taking place at T.R.A.F.F.I.C. Down Under, Nov. 20, 2008 at 8:30 AM AEST UTC/GMT +10 hours (Nov. 19, 2008, 2:30 PM PST). Featured domains include Saws.com, BusinessFirms.com, DentalPolicy.com, Broadcasting.com.au and many more high-quality lots. A complete list of domains can be found on the DomainTools blog at blog.domaintools.com.
According to Aftermarket.com General Manager Susan Prosser, “The method of reviewing, selecting, and pricing domain names for Aftermarket.com’s previous auction has proven successful, as evidenced in the sell-thru rate performance. The final auction catalog for T.R.A.F.F.I.C. Down Under consists of aggressively priced, top-category names, especially in the .com.au name space.”
The upcoming Aftermarket.com auction will feature high-quality domains with substantial monetization potential. The simultaneous in-person and online auction promotes significant movement, with up to 50% of the inventory at no or low reserve.
Auction reminders are now available via SMS Alerts. In addition, a test bidding interface is available at www.Aftermarket.com, allowing bidders to acquaint themselves with the online system prior to the live auction.
Complete registration information is available at www.Aftermarket.com.
About Thought Convergence
Founded in 2001, Thought Convergence™ is an industry-leading service provider of Internet domain name information, management, monetization and development tools and technologies. Widely regarded as a pioneer in the domain industry, Thought Convergence provides its award-winning products, services and technologies under several brands, including TrafficZ®, DomainTools™, Aftermarket.com™, LeaseThis.com™, Domain Roundtable™, Spry Hosting™ and Idea.net™. By leveraging its comprehensive suite of fully-integrated domain services, tools and technologies, Thought Convergence is pioneering the industry’s first symbiotic Domain Ecosystem™ and working to promote the continued evolution, success and sustainability of the domain name industry. Thought Convergence is a privately-held company, growing profitably since inception, and headquartered in Los Angeles, California, with offices in Seattle, Washington. For more information, please visit http://www.ThoughtConvergence.com.
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Last Updated ( Saturday, 15 November 2008 11:47 )
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Written by Jerry Nolte
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Monday, 17 November 2008 10:53 |
I occasionally browse some of the domain actions at Sedo and others. When I see domains like businessdegrees.org up for auction with no reserve, it amazes me. A year ago, names like that on a Sedo or Moniker Live Auction would go for 50k plus. But in todays ecomomy, people are auctioning them off at unbeliveable prices. It will be interesting to see what the outcome of this auction is. I still see the market driving prices up on KILLER .com names. And some SPEC buyers spending big money on new start up TLD's like .ME. But how are the good "secondary" GTLD's holding up. What would this name sell for as a .ME or .MOBI?
Well, I guess we will have to wait and see what it closes at. Should be interesting...
Here is a link to the auction should you wish to follow it; https://sedo.com/auction/detail/businessdegrees.org/45207_us__ It ends on Nov/22/08 01:37 PM EST
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Last Updated ( Wednesday, 03 December 2008 21:06 )
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.CO.NL Operator unveils opening steps |
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Written by Melanie Delannoy
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Monday, 10 November 2008 10:25 |
AMSTERDAM– The .CO.NL Operator announces today its official Launch dates
for the Grandfather period, Trademark Sunrise, Landrush and Go Live. Anyone willing to secure
a .CO.NL domain name will be able to submit their requests through the numerous Registrars
that have already partnered with the Operator to allow their customers to benefit from this new
alternative. The growing list of current CO.NL partners is available at
http://domain.co.nl/en/accredited-registrars.html.
Announced last June, the CO.NL extension, offers new opportunities for companies and
individuals to get larger visibility and stronger international impact, while keeping a Dutch
flavour. Open to anyone, with no requirement of local presence or tie with the Netherlands, a
CO.NL Domain is also a great opportunity to increase traffic to a site by customers from
countries like the United Kingdom, Japan or Israel.
The .CO.NL opening is divided into two Sunrise phases, preceding the standard Landrush and
Go Live periods.
First, the Grandfather period will open on Tuesday November 18th 2008 at 10:00 am GMT.
Specifically designed to allow holders of one or more “.NL” domain name(s) to secure its
identical form with a “.CO.NL” ending, this option will help ensure stability and continuity in
the Dutch namespace. The Grandfather period will end Thursday January 15th 2009 at 10:00 am
GMT. For additional security during that time, the Administrative-contact attached to the.NL
domain name will be contacted directly to confirm that he wants to benefit from the Grandfather
period and get an identical CO.NL Domain Name.
The second Sunrise phase allows Registered Trademarks to be secured in CO.NL. It will last
only sixteen days, from Tuesday February 10th 2009 at 10:00 am GMT to the 26th at 10:00 am
GMT. As is customary in the domain name industry, this phase will provide applicants holding a
registered trademark in any country with the opportunity to register their brands as CO.NL
names before the system is open to the general public
Under specific Partnership with the CO.NL Operator, Deloitte and Laga have agreed to bring
their collective expertise – acquired as validation agents with the successful launch of numerous
TLDs, including .EU and more recently .Asia – to ensure a smooth running and contribute to the
deployment of the best possible sunrise. by assessing .CO.NL requests during the whole steps of
the Sunrise Period.
The Landrush Period will be open to anyone without requirements of prior rights and allows
customers to get their CO.NL domains sooner than in the general opening. It is also a great
opportunity to get generic names before others want to. It will last from Tuesday March 17th
2009 at 10:00 am GMT until Tuesday March 31st 2009 at 10:00 am GMT
Finally, Go Live period will open on Wednesday the 15th of April 2009 at 2:00 pm GMT.
Application requests can be made by the general public without any restriction or priority rights,
and will be accepted on a first come, first served basis.
In case any dispute arises during the registration processes, the Czech Arbitration Court (CAC)
has agreed to commit the resources of its Online Dispute Resolution Platform to .CO.NL domain
names. Any disputes involving domain names bearing the “.co.nl” ending will be dealt with
using CAC’s modern online platform and rulings will be based on rules similar to those of the
.EU Domains.
If you are interested in allowing your clients to benefit from the .CO.NL extension right away,
please contact us at
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
.
For more information on .CO.NL, visit the official website:
http://domain.co.nl/en/welcome.html
About the operator
The CO.NL Operator was established in 2007 to manage the registration of domains with the
.CO.NL ending. The organization operates under the national TLD of Dutch registry SIDN but
has no further ties to the foundation. The .CO.NL is directly operated from Amsterdam with the
technical back-end of EuroDNS SA, a global Registrar of Internet Domain names.
Contact:
Sander Scholten
General Manager
CO.NL Operator
Email :
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
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Last Updated ( Monday, 10 November 2008 10:31 )
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