SEO Headlines 04/01/2008

Celebrating 50 Issues of the SEO Newsletter

Did you get your personalized copy of the SEO Newsletter in your inbox yesterday? We hope you did and that you’ve had a chance to check out the news tidbits, read about Expectation Management and learn a little something about Successful Site Architecture and Web Design. While we were putting together yesterday’s edition we noticed something kind of special. Yesterday we sent out the 50th edition. Yowsa, time flies!

Those of us who have been around for awhile will know that the SEO Newsletter started out as the SEOToolSet Newsletter when it launched back in 2004. Since then we’ve gone from updating monthly to being a bimonthly newsletter filled with news nuggets and a double dose of expert articles each month.

If you’re a subscriber, we hope you’ve been enjoying the newsletter that’s been hitting your inboxes at the middle and end of each month. And if you haven’t yet converted, I think yesterday’s anniversary is just the latest reason to come over to the light. We invite you to check out the newsletter archives, and if you like what you see, consider giving it a whirl. We did mention that it’s free, right?

Rand Gets Ranty over Startup Advice

Rand’s got his offensive yellow shoes all in a bunch because he’s sick of reading startup advice that doesn’t mention search engine optimization anywhere on the page. Rand is so frustrated with the lack of SEO mentions that he’s summoning his inner Rebecca Kelley and throwing a near fit on the SEOmoz blog, swearing included. Poor Rand. He needs a cookie.

I think the reason Rand’s resources are lacking any mention of search engine optimization is because he’s looking at general business articles. They’re not about how to market a company. They’re about how to set it up. How to find a unique selling point. How to treat employees so they don’t leave when you’re paying them in donuts. At this point, we’re not even talking about marketing; we’re talking about how to make your company valuable and keep it above water.

However, I’d be interested to know how many startups are really hiring SEOs at this point. My initial thought would be that the folks eating pizza and working out a basement aren’t likely to shell out a few thousand dollars a month for search engine optimization services. However, I think with the recession upon we’ll see this change. Talented inhouse SEOs are going to start splintering off from their agencies and begin offering affordable optimization services. Once costs come down, I think we’ll start to see SEO fit into the marketing budget for more startups. Sure, we can all say that SEO is worth the investment, but when you’re a baby startup and it’s either optimizing your Web site or paying the electricity…well, I hope you and your best friend can type in the dark.

Does A Faster Server Mean Higher Google Rankings?

Ah, the old "does having a fast server matter?" question. I know for a fact we’ve touched on this topic at least nine billion times, but since it’s coming up in the forums, here’s my quick spiel.

The answer is a definite "sort of". Being on a faster server isn’t going to take your crappy site and instantly make it rank for all of its highly competitive keywords. However, a faster server does mean that Googleblot will be able to spider more of your site without fear of it crashing. The more pages Google has indexed, the more complete your site themes will be, and the better you’ll rank for your targeted keywords. Makes sense, right? Okay, now stop asking about it in the forums. Kthx.

Cre8asiteforums member EGOL thinks there may also be some social factors coming into play. Check out his response, as well.

Fun Finds

Nowsourcing talks about the different support networks that exist on Twitter. I have to say, being able to cry/vent/affection bait on Twitter is incredibly comforting and effective. You know have no idea the solace that can be had when say, someone steals your online identity and uses it to by random crap and ship it your apartment. Thanks for the virtual hugs, Twitter friends!

Darren Rowse creates a great resource with 20 Types of Pages that Every Blogger Should Consider.

Danny Sullivan says Search Marketing’s No Place for a Search Engine, Google.

Lisa Barone is a writer, content marketer & VP of strategy at Overit Media. She's also a very active Twitterer, much to the dismay of the rest of the world.

See Lisa's author page for links to connect on social media.