luni, 27 august 2012

Remembering Neil Armstrong

Your Daily Snapshot for
Monday, August 27, 2012

Remembering Neil Armstrong

Neil Armstrong, the first man to walk on the moon, passed away this weekend.

In a statement issued on Saturday, President Obama said that "Neil was among the greatest of American heroes - not just of his time, but of all time."

Read the President's statement and check out a photo gallery of Neil Armstrong.

Guest Blogging - Enough is Enough

Posted: 26 Aug 2012 07:56 PM PDT

Posted by Carson Ward

If your process chart looks like this, prepare for complete failure.

Technical Audit >> Competitive and Keyword Research >> Guest Blog Posts

Guest blogging is not a strategy, and it’s not a generic solution that can be applied to every client or every part of your site. Guest posts can be an effective supplemental tactic to a fully-formed strategy, but giving this tactic center stage is a recipe for frustration and inevitable defeat.

The Guest Blog Bubble

On-page factors don’t pack the same punch they once did. Search engines have become much better at both compensating for imperfect site optimization and ignoring on-page tricks. Our collective focus began shifting towards off-page factors long ago; it’s all about those tender, juicy links.

There are as many ways to get links as there are people and pages, but in the aftermath of Penguin, guest articles are slowly becoming an industry default. I fear that the trend is driven by a lack of creativity, augmented by fear of failure, and then reinforced by poor communication.

I raised the issue of guest posting to someone who has done a lot of it - Distilled's head of Outreach, Adria Saracino:

"Guest posting is safe" ... "We're SEOs. We're metric driven. We like being able to see this consistent, targeted movement. Guest posting plays to our tactical strengths. And once we see it working once, we just keep doing it because it's safe. We fall into a routine of guest posting and the blinders slowly form over time, stifling innovation and big wins.

Guest posting in most cases isn't going to bring you direct traffic or conversions, it's not a "branding" play. There is usually no other benefit other than metric movement, and while it's short-sighted, it's also the easiest to defend to the higher-ups. So we become slaves to a redundant process rather than testing innovative ideas. I may even be so bold as to say guest posting is what will mark a slow death to the fast-paced innovation our industry is known for when it comes to link building."

Diminishing Returns at Best

Guest blog posts, all by themselves, do increase rankings. That does not necessarily mean they are worth doing.

It’s easy to forget about opportunity cost as an SEO when we have had past success with a given tactic. Far too often, we see results, and continue doing it as long as we possibly can. The value of an activity like guest posting is only worth doing if there’s nothing better we could be doing with our time.

Once more, just because something works does not mean we should be doing it – unless it is the best path to the fastest or most enduring results. Guest posting (by itself) is essentially never the best activity for an SEO, due primarily to the diminishing returns seen in long-term guest blogging campaigns.

Guest blogging’s strength is that you can launch immediately, avoiding that lonely feeling of blog posts that no one comments on. However, the guest-blog-only strategy has two fatal weaknesses: 1) there is an obviously fixed ratio of one linking domain per article placed, and 2) you reach rapidly diminishing returns. Furthermore, ideal blogs are a finite resource, and you can either lower your standards or post again on a good blog. Neither option is necessarily bad, but both have diminishing returns.

A pure content strategy can be frustrating simply because it takes so long to get rolling. I’ll be honest: I abandoned both a commercial and a philosophy blog in a past life because I got sick of writing posts no one read. But what if I had combined great content with other tactics?

What do I mean by a comprehensive strategy? I’m sure you remember this guy:

Inbound Marketing Channels

From Inbound Marketing is Taking Off by Rand Fishkin

With great content, your guest posts will be more effective. So will your email marketing campaigns, paid search traffic, and referral traffic. We can think of content as a multiplier that adds to almost any other marketing tactic.

The multiplier effect of amazing content happens two ways with guest posting (or any other channel, really). First, bloggers will be more likely to accept posts and talk about/to you if your target site has its own credible content. Second, users from the host blog will share and re-share your content if your site offers something they can be excited about.

Site Owner Fatigue

Link-based diminishing returns aside, the guest blogging bubble weakens further as site owners are continually poked and prodded by requests from acquaintances and strangers to allow them to guest post. Everyone is getting tired of the constant requests, especially when the requests are so damn horrible. I think Geraldine’s recent post on her travel blog captures that well:

“Hello! I am interested in writing a high-quality guest post for your site! All I require is two contextual links placed within the post.”

You know that song from the sixties that starts with “No-no no no no no no-no-no no?” That is now playing in my head. Because no.

Even if you actually read these blogs and really want to contribute something great, other people are making all but the most patient blog owners weary with their piles of requests.

What's Next?

Where are we headed, and what should we do next? SEO is not dying, and linkbuilding is not dead. I'm actually more optimistic than ever about the direction the industry is moving in. We're generally moving towards sustainability and making recommendations that are going to have a far bigger impact than raising the rankings for a couple tracked keywords.

Penalties: Unlikely for Most

It seems highly unlikely that Google will penalize guest posts just because they are guest posts. It’s a perfectly legitimate strategy – at least, when it is legitimate. Just consider that a ton of links from spammy sites publishing poorly-written content is more of a liability than a benefit. I’m not arguing that Google will bring the hammer down on guest blog posts, but risk certainly rises as quality declines.

Communicate and Fix Misconceptions

Some clients and managers are under the impression that it’s your job to vanish into the nether, and return bearing all the links they will ever need to rank for their broadest pet phrase. They're probably in the wrong; that's not how SEO works anymore. It’s easy to blame the people who have the wrong ideas, but whose fault is it when points of contact have these mistaken expectations?

It’s our fault.

We know SEO. Presumably that’s what we're taking checks for. We understand the value of content. Regardless of how someone picked up their mistaken assumptions - and this is worth looking into - it's up to us to correct misconceptions.

We often get cornered into rote guest blogging when expected to solve their problems without interaction or support. Failure to communicate this fact; however, is not sufficient reason enough to head face first into the inevitable plateau of diminishing returns. For more on how to encourage cooperation, read Hannah's post on solving people problems. She doesn't use the phrase "managing expectations" even once, I promise.

Make Content a Pre-Requisite

I am not telling you to publish and wait. Links matter – that’s obvious. You can’t sit and wait, hoping that some white knight blogger is going to come along and raise your precious content out of obscurity.

Think of your site as a retail store selling widgets. You can perform your essential business function - selling widgets - out of an empty warehouse, but we know that the appearance, furnishing, ambiance, and customer service all matter. You probably wouldn't worry about posting billboards and local ads all over town until your retail space made customers comfortable. You want them to tell their friends and come back, so you get your store in order first.

Websites are no different in this regard. To make a potential customer feel comfortable, you need compelling design, good navigation, and good content. You want users to have a great experience - whether consuming your content or making purchases - so that they will tell others (hint: sometimes via links) and come back. If you want to invest in greater visibility, get your site in order and stop trying send people to the questionable warehouses of the Internet.

THEN Explore All the Channels

There's really nothing magic about the white-hat linkbuilding process. From the users and bloggers' perspective, it looks like this:

White hat link building steps

Sharing leads in turn to more awareness, and the circle of quality continues. In a recent webinar between Rand and Dharmesh at Hubspot, paid advertising was described as "renting attention." This is true, but until you have the free sort of attention, paying for it can be a worthy way of getting the process above started. Try running display ads to content. Try bidding on low-competition informational keywords that you have great content to match. Run PR campaigns to make people aware of the most interesting part of your business. And yes, do some well-thought guest posting to raise awareness of your content. Ann Smarty has a lot of great guidance on doing guest blogging the right way.

I've singled out guest posting intentionally because its prevalance and average quality indicate that we're losing sight of goals and strategy. Much of what I've said, though, could apply to any channel. Pick a channel from the graphic above, and it's not hard to see you how having a great user experience with great content can make that tactic more financially beneficial.

There is real danger in getting myopic tunnel vision about a link or two in a post. We cheat ourselves out of compounding and self-perpetuating benefits when we fail to lay the groundwork. We’re at risk of teaching a generation of bloggers that SEOs are just spammers out to trick bloggers. We’re at risk of teaching new SEOs that linkbuilding for linkbuilding’s sake is something beside foolish and short-sighted.

I understand the fear involved with taking a bet on the difficult links. It’s not easy to tell someone that their content isn’t cutting it, and it’s even harder to provide a clear vision and map to get there. Connecting the dots between strategy and tactics is mentally exhausting, but you don’t need to get it perfect right away. And please, let's stop with the crapstorm of throwing guest posts wherever we can.

Sign up for The Moz Top 10, a semimonthly mailer updating you on the top ten hottest pieces of SEO news, tips, and rad links uncovered by the Moz team. Think of it as your exclusive digest of stuff you don't have time to hunt down but want to read!

Seth's Blog : Most people

Most people

Most people don't care enough to make a difference.

Most people aren't going to buy that new thing you're selling.

Most people are afraid to take action.

Most people are too self-involved to do the generous work you're hoping for.

Most people think they can't afford it.

Most people won't talk about it.

Most people aren't going to read what you wrote.

Fortunately, you're not most people. Neither are your best customers.

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duminică, 26 august 2012

Mish's Global Economic Trend Analysis

ECB Slated to Become "Currency Forger of Europe"; Merkel, the "Teflon Chancellor"

Posted: 26 Aug 2012 08:24 PM PDT

As time passes, the rifts between the Bundesbank and the ECB grow wider. So do the rifts between what German citizens want and what German chancellor Angela Merkel is willing to do to "save the euro".

Merkel increasingly (and as expected) does what she need to do to preserve he legacy, consequences (and Germany) be damned.

Please consider Merkel tries to calm storms over Greece, ECB policy

Angela Merkel tried to calm a growing storm over euro zone crisis strategy on Sunday after the Bundesbank likened ECB bond-buying plans to a dangerous drug and a conservative ally of the German leader said Greece should leave the currency bloc by next year.

The comments, from central bank chief Jens Weidmann and a senior figure in the Bavarian Christian Social Union (CSU), Alexander Dobrindt, point to mounting unease in Germany with the policies being used to combat the three-year old debt crisis.

"We are in a very decisive phase in combating the euro debt crisis," Merkel told public broadcaster ARD in an interview. "My plea is that everyone weigh their words very carefully."

Dobrindt, whose party is preparing for a regional election in Bavaria and the federal vote next autumn, told top-selling German daily Bild he expected Greece to leave the euro zone in 2013. His comments drew a swift rebuke from Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle who said "bullying" of euro members must stop.

But Weidmann, a former economic adviser to Merkel, said in a front-page interview in influential German magazine Der Spiegel that the bond buys could violate rules against the ECB providing outright financing to governments.

"Such a policy is for me close to state financing via the printing press," Weidmann told Spiegel. "In democracies, it is parliaments and not central banks that should decide on such a comprehensive pooling of risks. We should not underestimate the risk that central bank financing can become addictive like a drug," Weidmann said.

Dobrindt was more direct, saying Draghi risked passing into the history books as the "currency forger of Europe".

Merkel's Disingenuous Pledge of "Help"

I really do not know why Merkel is so revered, although feared I can certainly understand. She is a skilled politician, very adept at saying one thing and doing another, yet not getting challenged on it.

For example, Merkel Vows to Help Greeks Stay in Euro Zone

Read that article (or any other recent article on the subject) and tell me exactly what she is willing to do other than offer moral support. You will not find anything concrete because she is willing to do precisely nothing, right now.

She cannot give Greece more time or money because her coalition is likely to splinter if she does. However, her pledge of "help" will absolve her of blame when Greece does leave.

More importantly, she is willing to let Draghi do most anything because she recognizes that she must, to have a chance at keeping Spain and Italy in the fold.

Decisive Phase

When Merkel says "We are in a very decisive phase in combating the euro debt crisis" she is speaking as much about her own precarious position as the precarious position of the euro.

Merkel Achieves the Impossible Dream (For Now)

Merkel got away with promising Greece citizens help while doing nothing
Merkel got away with promising German citizens there will be no fiscal union until there is a political one, while simultaneity offering explicit support for the "Currency Forger of Europe"

Merkel is very adept at talking out of both sides of her mouth simultaneously, each saying a different thing, and getting away with it.

Reagan may have been the Teflon president, but Merkel is the Teflon chancellor.

Mike "Mish" Shedlock
http://globaleconomicanalysis.blogspot.com
Click Here To Scroll Thru My Recent Post List

GM Seeks Bigger Credit Line To Shrink Pension Obligations; Déjà Vu Pension Woes

Posted: 26 Aug 2012 07:55 AM PDT

Going into debt to fund pensions seems like a ridiculous thing to do, especially for a company that had a chance to shed more of those pension obligations in bankruptcy.

Please consider the Wall Street Journal story GM Wants to Up Credit Line

General Motors Co. is in preliminary talks with banks to potentially double its $5 billion line of credit as the auto maker looks to strengthen its balance sheet and shrink pension obligations, according to people with knowledge of the discussions.

The world's largest auto maker by sales is in no danger of running short on cash. The Detroit company has very little debt and held about $33 billion in available cash at June 30. Analysts believe it needs roughly $20 billion to operate comfortably. It currently has an available line of credit of $5 billion.

But GM could have hefty cash needs ahead. Its European operations are racking up major losses, it is increasing capital spending on new vehicles, and it may want to repurchase shares held by the U.S. Treasury. GM also wants to reduce its U.S. pension obligations. Pensions for hourly, union workers and retirees are underfunded by about $10 billion and have been a major concern for investors.

GM is spending around $4 billion to shift responsibility of its $26 billion salaried retiree pension program to Prudential Financial Inc. PRU +1.52% in a deal set to close by year-end. A bigger drag on the company is the $71 billion in pension obligations it has to union-represented hourly workers and retirees. That account is underfunded by $10 billion, according to public filings.

GM's Pension Liabilities

On June 1, 2012 the Chicago Tribune reported GM to cut about one-fourth of U.S. pension liability

General Motors Co will cut nearly a quarter of its U.S. pension obligation by transferring the management of its pension plans for 118,000 white-collar retirees to a third party and offering lump-sum buyouts.

The two moves unveiled on Friday will cut $26 billion from the automaker's massive U.S. pension liability of nearly $109 billion. GM's pension overhang is a top concern for investors. It was one of a handful of issues left untouched during GM's U.S.-financed bankruptcy restructuring three years ago.

UAW PENSIONS IN FOCUS

A growing concern for decades as U.S. automakers lost market share to foreign-based automakers in their home country, pension costs became an albatross for the U.S. industry with the sector's downturn five years ago.

GM's Balance Sheet

Inquiring minds investigating GM's Balance sheet will notice about $32 billion in cash, $11 billion in securities, and another $11 billion or so in accounts receivable.

However, GM has $10 billion in long-term debt and another $43 billion in other liabilities. Current liabilities are roughly $56 billion. Total Liabilities are $110 billion of which at least $31 billion are pension and retirement benefits.

Assets include a very questionable $28 billion in goodwill, and a questionable $25 billion in property.

The balance sheet above does not seem to match the Tribune's calculation of $83 billion in pension liabilities (109-26). The $109 billion figure does match total liabilities.

Déjà Vu Pension Woes

Borrowing $5 billion to shore up its pension plan certainly would have worked well in 2009. However, GM wants to do it now, a foolish undertaking in my opinion.

Pension obligations helped sink GM the first time, and it may happen again, especially if GM borrows money to throw at the stock market. If stocks decline and auto sales decline as well, GM will be in serious trouble once again.

Mike "Mish" Shedlock
http://globaleconomicanalysis.blogspot.com
Click Here To Scroll Thru My Recent Post List

Seth's Blog : Persistence and possibility

Persistence and possibility

In order to use the slicing blade on my Cuisinart, I have to attach it to a little stalk first.

I used to have an old model and a newer one too, and of course, they had different blades and different stalks. If I was having trouble hooking the two pieces together (which was every time), after a few seconds I would come to the conclusion that I had the wrong stalk... and go back to the drawer and start over.

Ever since the old one broke, though, I find that I'm far more persistent in fitting the two pieces together. Obviously, I say to myself, they have to fit together. It's certainly possible, so I persist.

That's the benefit of having a hero, a case study, a role model for what came before. The fact that it's been done before makes just about any task more amenable to persistence.

And it also means that doing something that's never been done before is even more valuable than you'd guess, because your peers and competitors likely gave up long before you did.

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luni, 27 august 2012

Remembering Neil Armstrong

Guest Blogging - Enough is Enough

Guest Blogging - Enough is Enough

The Guest Blog Bubble

Diminishing Returns at Best

Site Owner Fatigue

What's Next?

Penalties: Unlikely for Most

Communicate and Fix Misconceptions

Make Content a Pre-Requisite

THEN Explore All the Channels

Seth's Blog : Most people

Most people

More Recent Articles

duminică, 26 august 2012

Mish's Global Economic Trend Analysis

Mish's Global Economic Trend Analysis

Seth's Blog : Persistence and possibility

Persistence and possibility

More Recent Articles

Pagini

Persoane interesate

Arhivă blog

luni, 27 august 2012

The Guest Blog Bubble

Diminishing Returns at Best

Site Owner Fatigue

What's Next?

Penalties: Unlikely for Most

Communicate and Fix Misconceptions

Make Content a Pre-Requisite

THEN Explore All the Channels

More Recent Articles

duminică, 26 august 2012

More Recent Articles

Pagini

Persoane interesate

Arhivă blog

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