I can’t wait to see this movie – The Social Network! You can watch the trailers from here.

To learn more about Search Engine Optimization or Social Media, you can visit www.searchoptmedia.com – SEO Company Philippines

Courtesy of SEOMoz.org

Your brand/product is online [period]. As a brand/product you might want to understand how are you fairing in terms of the following:

10 SEO/SEM Data you need to impact your actionable online marketing strategies

1. Brand/product mentions through blogs, social networks and microblogs – monitoring the blogosphere and the social media!

2. Visualization of your site/brand in terms of link profile (important for search engine marketing and social media optimization)

3. Keywords/terms being used by people finding you using the search engines

4. Popular searches in your niche and competition analysis

6. Site ranking in terms of well-researched keywords and site traffic

5. Spam detection against your site/brand

7. Crawlability of site (this very important! – remember Google Caffeine)

8. Areas where your brand/site is weak online

9. Page authority factor, domain authority factor, linking root domains and link types (nofollow & follow)

10. Term targeting on your html pages

And then what? With all the data that you have, you can make actionable strategies that can boost further your brand/product/site.

But how? What you really need is to engage a complete Search Engine Marketing entity/company to do the things for you from data gathering, implementing strategies and monitoring results.

Normally, all the data you need will be provided once you engage an SEO/SEM company. They have the capacity to map out online marketing strategies (even!) based on your set goals and objectives.

Well, you have to admit that any data gathered will be just a mere data without strategies implemented and acted upon to boost further your brand/site online.

If you have further questions on what I have just mentioned, just email me at francis@garyviray.com or twit me at http://www.twitter.com/garyshack

Mark Zuckerberg - Facebook Open Graph | F8 Developer Conference

Facebook Open Graph was recently launched during the F8 Developer Conference.

Let me quote a few lines from CNet.

The bigger announcement was what Facebook calls the “Open Graph,” and how Facebook plans to connect disparate corners of the Web that other social sites are building. “Yelp is mapping out the part of the graph that relates to small businesses. Pandora is mapping out the part of the graph that relates to music,” Zuckerberg said. “If we can take these separate maps of the graph and pull them all together, then we can create a Web that’s smarter, more social, more personalized, and more semantically aware.”

“These connections aren’t just happening on Facebook, they’re happening all over the Web, and today with the Open Graph we’re bringing all these things together,” Zuckerberg said.

With these bold announcement from the Facebook CEO himself, some questions keep bugging some people on issues involving web search engines such as Google. Will the FACEBOOK OPEN GRAPH can finally topple the dominant Google? What future will it lead SEO practitioners if such thing happens?

I would say Google will still be the dominant force in the World Wide Web. The Google Link Graph technology has a different approach than that of the Facebook Like Graph. The crawling of pages and link graph architecture of tagging, indexing and ranking pages according to relevancy will still hold useful to different type of searchers online. So far, Google is outstanding. No doubt about it.

As for the Facebook Open Graph – with that dub of  “like button” that can added in your website and being evangelized by the Facebook CEO himself as the wave of future in search,  it still needs to be proven.

I am a little skeptical if it will change the search behavior patterns in the next few years although we have already seen the impact of social networks and personalized search results. Certain lines were drawn but not entirely when it comes to the dominance of web search engine results are concerned. The fact that some results “can be liked” by some can be “not-so-likeable” for others.

Moreover, we have already seen such “liking”, “favoriting” , “digging” and “bookmarking” from among the best and largest social networks such as Digg, StumbleUpon, Reddit, etc. and still the ground net effect of such social behavior remains to be the fact that Google is still Google. It is still getting larger and larger.In fact, Google has already added into their algorithm some” social media flavors” which we have been witnessing these days on integrating Twitter, Google Buzz and many more.  We need to take note too that the social tagging and bookmarking is one of the strongest signals known to many. You can read more on the how Google uses the Social Media to impact search results here.

Thus, SEO practitioners need not worry that Facebook Open Graph can kill Google and SEO practice. However;  SEO practitioners should always be well-prepared taking on Social Media Optimization (which I  discussed Google Caffeine back then) in order to have well-rounded craft arsenal on our belt.

To profound whatever I earlier discussed about Google Link Graph and Facebook Like Graph, try to watch RandFishkin below.

Gary Viray during the Iblog6 - Photo courtesy of Darrick Regondola

Busy month? Indeed! That is exactly the reason why I could not even do justice to my own blog. No updates for many months. Poor blog.

As far as I could remember, the last time I went out to socialize with bloggers and online marketers was during the iBlog6 – The 6th Philippine Blogging Summit. Sleepless as I was, I braved C5 all they way to UP-College of Law just to deliver a talk on SEO and Blogging for Business. SEO is sort of a broad topic given just a 20-minute talk time. Thus, I simply opted to talk about the said subject and not to deal with Blogging for Business. Anyway, I am not a professional blogger as many would claim they are although I have been blogging since 2004 or 2005 using a blogspot platform.

Okay, here is a gist of what I talked about at iBlog6.

I listed a few to-do list (thanks to Erica Schimdt) on what a blogger or an SEO specialist should do in order to get noticed online.

1. Keyword Research

Many have been written about this topic but then I would simply reiterate that any Search Engine Marketing effort without a well-researched and well-thought of set of keywords would simply mean NOTHING.

During my talk, I simply mentioned Google related searches, Google Suggestions and Google Insights as useful tools in keyword research.

2. Crawlability, Content, Site Map, Spamming (No!) – On Page Factors (in a nutshell)

With the Google Caffeine finally rolled out, all the more that crawlability of web pages must be assured. To spot such issue, the use of Google Webmaster Tools, Yahoo Site Explorer and Bing Webmaster Central are key tools right from the Search Engine themselves. Crawlability can also be attributed with On-page Factors such as page titles, page structure, use of headings (H1,H2,H3 tags), text size, text contrast and text related tags. Meta Tags such Description (using 160 characters max) and the use of Alt Text and image naming convention based on keywords are equally important too.

Generation of Sitemap must also be taken into serious consideration as this is one area where search engines basically love to visit/crawl.

3. “Be Universal”

Search Engine Optimization is not only all about Web Searches these days especially if you wanted to optimize products, services, items and brands targeting three (3) different type of users namely:  informational, navigational and transactional searchers.

Universal search engine optimization (others call it, vertical search optimization) requires a well-rounded approach in the optimization process by looking into the categorized searches or else you may end up missing the ‘leaked traffic’ coming from the said search verticals. Factoring in a complete SEO plan and strategy for universal search is the way to go.

A day after the Search Engine Strategies in London (Feb 2010)

4. User Focused

No obsession on ranking please. SERP (Search Engine Ranking Pages) is not the be-all and end-all of SEO. For me, I always go for CONVERSION as THE measurement of any SEO success.

How will you convert well? Simple. Focus on users! Bots and crawlers will not buy your products or even engage you into a conversation about what your web page is all-about. Users do.

Again, the ever mystified phrase… “content is king!”. Personally, your content can only be a “king” if it is engaging if not then it is not a “good content” at all.

So you think a “jejemon” can write a good content? It is up to you to judge.

5. Credibility

Credibility as many would define it as being in the industry for a long time (as many would always call themselves, pioneers) is not it.  Some would interpret it (if you are into the MMO niche) as someone churning out cash from cash machines online. It is not it.

Building credibility for SEO is getting the links or citations from different sources/sites naturally. It may mean being an authority on a certain niche or being a self-professed  social media evangelist or an online media expert. IT IS UP TO YOU. My point is that you need to get those citations naturally (can we include bribery? hehe).

I have seen some people climbing the top of the “food chain” just by creating link baits and hateful issues thus; they get their dream links. Now, if that is your way to stardom then so be it.

Admittedly, link building is a tedious process but it is always rewarding once you get all the “link love” you need.

During my talk, I mentioned about cyber-communities as a basis of good link analysis. The main objective in order to hit rank #1 among the search engines is to get a link from the “Pope” – thanks Mike Grehan for the term.  I call it, “The God Father link”. In every cyber-community (of web pages), you need to spot right on, the website that can give you a “Papal link juice” or the “godfather link weight” and you will never go wrong. Pardon me for those who listened during my talk but did not fully grasp what I meant about “getting the Pope”.

In a nutshell, you need to get those links no matter what it takes. Be creative. Build relationship. Someone even suggested blog hopping as a method of getting those citations. I call it a “one night stand” gig if it is not really meant to engage the owner of site. Surely, one would not want a “one night stand relationship” if they are serious with their sites. Anyway, there is a way to combat this strategy, that is the spam red button ever ready to be unleashed.

6. Amplify Socially

Amplifying your SEO campaign through Social Networks MUST always be a part of the strategy. With all the Search Engine algorithm changes these days, the value of social networks cannot be underestimated.

Watch Matt Cutts discussing SE algorithm changes…

7. Review and Refine Data

Once all SEO plans and strategies are implemented, then, monitor and refine all your efforts. Use your toolkit and go beyond the basics.

I ended my iBlog6 presentation with some key points.

SEO Strongest  Signals that they need to monitor are:

Query Chains
User Trails
Text on HTML page
Linkage Data
SOCIAL MEDIA

Surprisingly, I got a lot of questions regarding my SEO topic.  That way, I thought I was able to engage them good enough to generate that interests and queries.

Conclusion: FUN!

Should you wish to engage me on your SEM/SEO plans and strategies, just simply email me at francis@garyviray.com or contact me through my twitter account at twitter.com/garyshack

Tadan!

I woke up early this morning to read a text message from Globe. Admittedly, I was really expecting the intriguing 4438 today and whoala! I was not disappointed.

4438 hits more than that the 2010 blockbuster movie today! Why? My Rewards.My Globe and TM Astig Rewards was unveiled this April 4, 2010 and I could not believe that Globe is really serious about their reward program to their loyal users. I thought this only true for some airline promos where one can earn miles or so. But no, Globe is darn serious!

Okay let me enumerate a few of what 4438 My Rewards.My Globe and TM Astig Rewards will offer:

1. Free call/text services, gift checks from family favorites like Jollibee and Duty Free
2. Free passes to summer spots like Manila Ocean Park, Avilon Zoo and Enchanted Kingdom
3. Frequent fliers can earn additional PAL Miles for trips to places like Cebu, Palawan and Kalibo, or even foreign destinations including HongKong, Bangkok, Sydney and Los Angeles. Even this one???!!!

Okay for gadget geeks and lovers, you can have the following:

4. Music fans can pick the iPod 4GB, gamers will go gaga with the Nintendo DSi, and aspiring shutterbugs can grab the Canon Digital Camera.
5. You can build a home entertainment system too. How? Use your imagination. Flat Screen TVs, LCDs, Sorround Audio Systems and a lot more.
6. If you are a videoke addict, a Magic Sing can simply wow you. Right? hehe

More than that, you can also get discounts from a plethora of shops that can serve all your senses. And the list goes on and on…. 4438! Nothing can come closer than that for now!

I just heard from friends that there will be a new service from Globe tagged as 4438. I don’t know what is it though but I guess it has something to do with their Globe internet service – Globe Tattoo. Maybe, they will just give us – Globe Tattoo users, a free WIFI connection or maybe they will give us a deal we could no longer refuse for usage. Errr… Maybe if this has something to do with our globe phone deals (be it an SMS or voice call) then it will be worth the wait. 4438 might mean anything else for now not until April 4 comes.

April 4 I believe is just an ordinary day but when Globe came up with such an idea of 4438, it changes everything. If 2010 was a blockbuster movie then Globe must be prepared to hit it big also for its Globe users and subscribers else they will just come short with such hype. But as a Globe user, I think its marketing think-tanks are loaded with surprises. Globe has proven that already through time. 4438 is yet another one to watch out for.

Anways, whatever that 4438 is all-about I admire how Globe is coming up with new ways of serving their customers.

You can watch the video too regarding 4438.

Dixon Jones made it very clear that the Fundamentals of SEO Are Far From ‘Basic’. I agree.

As many local companies are jumping into having their web presence felt, web sites and web pages are build and rebuild many times. Companies get the best web developers just to get things started for them. The goal is simple. To rock and hit the chart (ROI). Good! Good! The result? Well, you should know your metrics by now.

Proliferation of SEO practitioners are almost everywhere these days because the Fundamentals of SEO are not hard to learn. They are easy (?). However; What separates the better SEO herds from those not-so good SEOs? I think it  is how they treat the fundamentals of SEO. I do believe that only the well-trained programmers and exceptional graphic designers can really fully understand the fundamentals of SEO. There are fundamentals, true but they are not basic as opposed to what other people may think of. There is an art to it if you would not want to call it a science. So be it.

So what SEO fundamentals would anyone should grasp? Simple. Hmm.. Not so simple (?).  The search engines are here to stay in order to give the users that ultimate goal of outputting the right content that matters to them.  Search engines has a goal of providing content with a “sense of relevancy and sense of productivity” (if I may quote Dixon Jones). More than that, the algorithms keep on changing providing more and more signals to rank relevant web pages to the searchers.

So if you are a company who wanted to provide your users and feed the search engines the best content/product you have, how would you treat your online presence then? I think you know the answer. But the art of getting it across would require you to get a Search Engine Specialist who knows that the fundamentals of SEO is not really that basic. It is serious. It is of big importance to your ROI. Is not it?

Just Another post: SEO Consultant Philippines.

SES London (Business Design Centre - Islington, London) - Jim Sterne & Gary Viray (SEO Consultant Philippines) - February 15-20,2010

When I was in London last February 14-20,2010 to attend the Search Engine Strategies (SES), I was skeptical as to what I can learn from the said conference. All I thought things are way to general in terms of the knowledge and information I can get. It turned out that I was wrong. Everything went fine. All was fun!

Jim Sterne who was seated just beside me while listening to the Augmented Reality presentation of Howard Ogden kept me thinking on how can I get him into a casual conversation. Knowing myself when it comes to social networking, I am a quiet person  and so… I did the opposite. hehe. I asked him a casual query and there you go, communication went well and I even got myself a chance to take a photo of the two us. He is I would say a quiet guy too who knows how to live by what he preaches.  Social Media is about engagement and it is all-about knowing how to listen well and to spend time reacting on any given reply or response.  Jim Sterne would say, Retweeting is one of the best acts one can do to get people be involved in a discussion as well as getting them to really listen to your tweets too.  Action, reaction I should say.

Jim Sterne was a keynote speaker during the SES London conference who talked about ” Social Media Metrics”.  If Avinash Kaushnik was awesome, Jim Sterne is overwhelming! When it comes to Social Media Metrics, Jim Sterne discussed rightly the metrics that matters most in using social media for any business or product.

Again, SES London. Jim Sterne is amazing!

I have been saving since I got my first job. Several years have passed and I felt like I already have enough money for the down payment of my dream home. And I believe that it is also the best time to apply for home loans because of the low interest rates. I already have a prospect and its location is really perfect. I like the ambiance and its community. One time while I drove to the community to check out my prospect house, I saw a street with a lot of car dealership and I thought that I can also consider getting a job there since I am a sales person. So then, after I got all the details I needed in terms of pricing, I started to search on the internet some information about the FHA Loans. I am confident that FHA Loan could really help me since my sister just got approved from her recent loan application. I read all about FHA Home Loans and I learned that the rates they offer are even lower than the conventional loan rates which really provides great savings. I am so happy to know as well that the loan amount that I need is within the range of their loan limit. Good thing also that they can lend up to ninety-six point five percent. And because of that, I can use some of my savings to buy new appliances, furniture and fixture. I did not waste any time and started to prepare all the necessary documents and information. I am planning to rather call a loan specialist than filling-out an application online, though it is secured. I have many inquiries since I am a first time home buyer and I am sure that their loan specialist would be of great help. I am looking forward to a smooth transaction so I can move-in to my dream home by summer.

If you are looking for a place where you can share sports information about sports prediction, content, tournaments, competitions, statistical review and features, the place to go to is Hunchers.com. This is a sports community that enables users to exchange information such as content, logos, images, ideas, techniques, photographs, betting systems, odds, betting percentages, and Football picks about the Champions league and Premier league. Before I got hooked up at all this sports predicting online, I have been seeing my cousins log on to this website to compete against Hunchers. The competition has something to do with who gives the best prediction in the results of every game. I used to see them talk about Football and this website a lot. There have been times when I felt left our because I didn’t know what they were talking about. I am glad that I had the initiative to search about this and actually try it out for myself. Apparently this sports prediction and betting website has been around several years. I do not doubt why there are loyal followers and members who keep this website alive. It gives every football, basketball, soccer fanatics all the possible things that they ought to know about the sport. I am looking forward to the tennis and baseball predictions that this site will be launching soon since I am more inclined to these two sports. Being an active member is easy. All I had to do was to register and interact with the other members.