Over the past month or so I’ve had a similar feeling as I had back in April 2008. At the begging of April 08 I was evangelizing the use of Twitter. It wasn’t popular, it was “nerdy”, Ashton, Oprah, and Tila Tequila were not yet dominating the service but I saw value in it and I wanted my friends and colleagues to be early to the game. I got a lot of push back at the time but overtime people began to try it out. Now my entire family and my fiance’s entire family is on Twitter and they love it. I have tons of friends on Twitter and everyone finds it valuable and useful. Many of them have become evangelists for the service themselves, they love it, I might even say obsessed.thedreaminaction.com, THE DREAM IN ACTION, Sep 2001

You should read the whole article.

Matt Mickiewicz
This week, Jason interviewed Matt Mickiewicz who previously launched Sitepoint, 99designs and Flippa. Matt started developing websites at the ripe old age of fifteen back in the mid 1990s.

During the show, Matt helped Jason evaluate entrepreneur ideas during the “Ask Jason” segment. This part of the show is my absolute favorite, since we get to hear from fellow entrepreneurs and we get to hear off-the-cuff advice from seasoned entrepreneurs.

This week the Ask Jason segment was morphed into a Shark Tank like entrepreneur pitch segment. Each of the contestants pitched their startup for two minutes and then Jason and Matt discussed the idea, gave feedback on the pitch and then discussed potentially investing in the startup. Since this was a new segment, I’m not sure if the two contestants were quite ready to pitch, or perhaps their pitches weren’t polished yet, but I certainly learned more about pitching an idea.

Did I Mention Mahalo?
As the show progressed, I began to wish that I was playing a drinking game. I noticed that Jason had mentioned his own startup, Mahalo, several times. So, I started the podcast over and began counting the number of times I heard Jason say “Mahalo”.

Jason is famously known for not using PR companies. He believes that you can do the work yourself. After listening to the entire show, I can tell you that my liver is thankful that I didn’t take a chug every time Jason said “Mahalo”. In the 2 hour and 25 minute show, Jason said “Mahalo” 41 times. On average, that’s once about every 3.5 minutes or 17.5 MPH (Mahalos per Hour).

(mentions by each 20 minute block of the show)

Final Score
I give this episode, a solid 4 out 5.  If Jason took more questions and we got more “Insights from Tyler”, it would have been a 4.5.

Update:
During the next TWiST expisode, Episode #14, Jason mentioned Mahalo only four times during the 1 hour show. At 4 MPH, no one playing the Mahalo drinking game this time even caught a buzz…

Although not mentioned by Jason in any TWIST podcast, Arque Advisors provides custom advise for high net worth investors. These types of investors are often Angel investors.

I used the data from Feb, 2004 and Feb, 2009 to create the following graph. It’s visually clear that in the past 5 years, users are increasing the number of words in their search queries. In 2004, more than 50% of the searches had only 1 or 2 words. In 2009, the trend has reversed. Now more than 50% of searches contain 3 or more words.  

While it’s great to rank for 1 or 2 word search phrases, in order to maximize impact, your seo efforts need to include a variety of phrases that contain 3 or more words.

Updated: 9/15/2009 (Added Appolicious & FanHistory)
Updated: 9/29/2009 (Added Inadco)
Updated: 10/30/2009 (Added GiveForward)
Updated: 2/26/2010 (Added WinkVid & tgethr)

Startup	Description
37signals	We build easy to use web-based products with elegant interfaces and thoughtful features. We’re focused on executing on the basics beautifully.
Appolicious	Appolicious is the place to discover iPhone and other mobile applications that make the most sense for you. – new
AudioSnacks	AudioSnacks.com is a place to find, purchase and download audio tours that people just like you have created to share, and a place where you can do the same for others.
Buqoo
CallPod	Callpod is a creator of innovative mobile devices and software. We produce award-winning power products, wireless headsets, mobile conferencing systems and mobile software applications for professionals.
Cameesa	Crowdfunding Fashion: financially supporting your favorite designs to be printed on T-shirts.
Cappex	Cappex.com helps students find their college match. Through tools like the Cappex profile, private college message center and “What Are My Chances?” Calculator, Cappex helps students learn about college opportunities they may have otherwise missed.
Cleversafe	Cleversafe enables the world to confidently and cost-effectively store and distribute limitless amounts of data.
CohesiveFT	Cohesive FT provides onboarding solutions for virtual and cloud computing infrastructures
CollegePeaks
CouponTweet	CouponTweet searches Twitter for the best deals and discounts, so you don’t have to. You can use CouponTweet to find the best discounts on everything from clothing to electronics on twitter.
CraftedFun	Crafted Fun is focused on creating online game-play experiences that mimic the social excitement of board games, but in a new form. We’re not reproducing board games in an online environment; we’re creating a new type of online entertainment that combines the best of both experiences.
CrowdSpring	crowdSPRING is a little company with big dreams based in Chicago – one of the greatest cities in the world. Founded by Ross Kimbarovsky and Mike Samson, crowdSPRING was started to help people from around the world access creative talent, and to help creatives from across the globe find new customers.
Dawdle	Dawdle is the gamer’s online marketplace – we make it as easy as possible to buy and sell all of your games, systems, and accessories online. We’re built from the ground up for gaming, with a 100% guarantee on all of your transactions.
EarthComber	Earthcomber provides free software, maps, and info, and also sells some name-brand mobile guides.
EveryBlock	We aim to collect all of the news and civic goings-on that have happened recently in your city, and make it simple for you to keep track of news in particular areas. We’re a geographic filter “a news feed” for your neighborhood, or, yes, even your block.
eWoFF	eWoFF is a quiet place to stay connected with the people you care about. Here you won’t be bothered by the noise of people you don’t know.
fyindout	FYIndOut is the central place for professionals to find and promote business applications and services.
FanHistory	Fan History is a fan run wiki that anyone can edit! It’s dedicated to documenting the history of fandom. – new
Fave	Fave is building an internet community to help local businesses successfully promote themselves
Groupon	Groupon is a deal a day site for Chicago. We find the unbeatable deals on fun stuff to do and buy in and around Chicago.
GiveForward	With GiveForward, you can create a personal fundraising page for ANY person, cause or non-profit you care about and then easily collect donations from friends and family all over the world. – new
GrubHub	Web site for users to find out who delivers to their exact addresses. When users type in their address on GrubHub.com, the site displays all of the restaurants that deliver to that location, with the appropriate hours for delivery, full menus, available coupons, reviews and star ratings.
Humanized	The company is dedicated to the belief that good interfaces make computers more pleasant and productive for the people who use them.
Inadco	nadco is a platform for Cost-Per-Lead advertising. Inadco enables advertisers of all kinds to buy media on a Cost-Per-Lead basis. – new
Inkling	Inkling is a Chicago-based company that helps organizations and individuals tap into the collective wisdom of their employees, peers, and customers to improve forecasting processes, predict key corporate metrics, identify promising future innovations, and forge new communication and collaboration channels.
Job Coin	a service for employers to post jobs and reach millions of passive job seekers by targeting them on the websites they already visit and for website publishers to earn revenue by easily including relevant job listings on their site.
Kirix	We think data should be a lot easier to use. In fact, we believe that working with data should actually be an enjoyable experience. So, to that end, we’ve developed a data browser that attempts to combat the issues surrounding data usability.
LifeShadow	a venture-funded startup located near Chicago, IL. Composed of a team of technology industry veterans, including the Co-Founder and Chief Technical Officer of InstallShield Software Corporation, we’re currently operating in stealth mode and developing products for the consumer market.
LifeSnapz	LifeSnapz is a free, easy and secure way for people to record and organize important events, milestones and memories in their lives.
Mediafly	Mediafly is your source for video and audio personalized channels including podcasts and more… delivered to virtually any media-enabled device.
Menuism	Menuism is the social network for people who love to visit restaurants. Interact with local foodies over plate-by-plate reviews and pictures.
Metroproper
Mpayy	Mpayy was created specifically to meet the unique payment needs of Internet and Mobile commerce.
Naymz	Our innovative professional networking platform allows people to find and discover new connections, opportunities, ideas, and information based on their backgrounds and reputations.
Newser	Newser is an online news service that adds human intelligence to machine-driven aggregation. We search for the best stories all over the web, read them, and deliver succinct, sharply written summaries in a grid format that features photos, video and audio, and links to the original source.
NextPoint	NextPoint enables corporations and law firms to increase litigation performance while reducing costs
ParkWhiz	We help people park their cars quickly and efficiently by providing them with the tools to make an informed decision. Instead of driving around to find parking, you can use ParkWhiz to get the best parking to suit your needs.
PeerSight	PeerSight brings ambitious entrepreneurs together – 8 at a time in peer advisory boards that deliver real world results.
PeopleFilter	PeopleFilter is a web-based Applicant Tracking and Hiring Optimization solution that allows for rapid identification and ranking of the most qualified candidates based on employer-defined job descriptions.
PerkSpot	PerkSpot manages employee discount programs on behalf of leading employers. Our expertise in employee benefits, rewards, marketing, insurance, and technology allows us to create a customized and complete turn-key solution for our clients.
Planypus	Planypus Platform is an embedded event wiki for your website. Turn your static site into an interactive destination for socialization around events. Let your users invite their friends to talk about events and attract more users who visit more often, stay on site longer, and develop brand loyalty.
Prepme	PrepMe is a premium test preparation company dedicated to bringing high-quality, customized learning to students across the world. We make customized test preparation affordable and accessible while providing highly impactful results and learning for our students and their families.
PriceAdvance	PriceAdvance provides an easy way to compare prices while you shop, with the most accurate product matches.Â
Restaurant	Restaurant.com connects restaurant seekers and food lovers to savings at more than 9,000 restaurants nationwide and to various online retailers.
ShopLocal	Our smart online strategies customize and mobilize your local messages for strategic placement anywhere on the Web to drive online and in-store sales.
SitterCity	Helps connect parents with caregivers in their area to give each side what they want – some time off for adults-only activities and access to a multitude of child and pet care jobs.
Songza	Songza provides an easy way to search for, stream and share any song. For free. To help keep your music fresh and portable, you can add any songs to your Songza playlist, which you can access from any computer, any time when you Join Songza.
SwapSimple	By eliminating the need to buy and sell, SwapSimple.com’s exchange solution gives its users a modern, effective, and lower cost alternative to purchasing the used textbooks, general literature, DVDs, and video games they desire.
Tappity	Tappity is a user driven site where you discover, rate, and suggest mobile-friendly web pages for viewing on phones and PDAs.
Text 2 Store	No need to print or cut out coupons, get free coupons to your cell phone!
TextHog	Texthog is a really simple way to track expenses and create expense reports online. When you create an account, you’re given a unique texthog email address to use for posting transactions on the go. By adding this address as a contact in your cell phone, you can send text messages or emails with expenses directly to your account.
tgethr	An easy collaboration tool for your group. Tgethr is the best way to communicate with your small group. Share files, track conversations, manage your group like a champ. – new
ThePoint	The Point lets anyone start a campaign asking people to give money or do something as a group, but only if the campaign hits a predetermined tipping point.
Think or Swim	thinkorswim offers online brokerage, investor education and related financial products and services for self-directed investors and active traders.
Time Xchange	timeXchange simplifies the way people collaborate to do time reporting. Each member of a project team has his or her own account which is identified by a unique email address.
txtful	Txtful allows you to use any messaging option available on your mobile phone (e-mail, IM, text, tweet) to run preset actions on the web. You can create shortcuts for the stuff you do most often, and you’ve got the power to trigger even the most complex functions anytime, no matter where you are.
uSphere	Our system does more for students than just help them find the right colleges and universities for them — we help get their application in front of those schools. Great schools with great programs that want the right type of student on campus
U Want Savings	We buy perfectly new and unharmed overstocked items at an unspeakably low price. Then, we offer them to you at a much lower price than any store would ever dare.
Viewpoints	Viewpoints Network is a social media company focused on helping consumers make smarter decisions. We specialize in building communities and motivating “social influencers” to share their experiences by writing reviews, blog posts, how to guides and participating in forums.
Web Vet	An interactive and comprehensive “whole-pet” platform that addresses both the physical and emotional needs of pets.
Where Ive Been	Where I’ve Been, providers a popular travel application which has become a profile must on Facebook, Bebo, hi5, Friendster, and MySpace, with over 4.5 million users worldwide.
WinkVid	WinkVid is the newest way to meet nearby singles through safe, authentic and fun online speed-dating. – new
Zaplee	Zaplee enables small to medium sized businesses implement call centers without the need for expensive software, services, and infrastructure.

If you know of any startups I’ve missed, drop me a note.

There were a few speakers/moderators/panelists that I couldn’t find on Twitter. If you know of any, please drop a comment.

Follow me on Twitter @johnfairley, I’ll be at pubcon too.

Keyword Research Tools

Paid:

• WordTracker (http://www.wordtracker.com/)
• Compete (http://www.compete.com)
• SEMRush (http://www.semrush.com)
• Trellian Keyword Discovery (http://www.keyworddiscovery.com/)

Free

• WordTracker.com (http://freekeywords.wordtracker.com/)
• Google Adwords Traffic Estimator Keyword Tool (https://adwords.google.com/select/TrafficEstimatorSandbox)
• Google Adwords Keyword Tool (https://adwords.google.com/select/KeywordToolExternal)
• Google Search-based Keyword Tool (http://www.google.com/sktool)
• Google Trends (http://www.google.com/trends)
• Trellian Keyword Discovery (http://www.keyworddiscovery.com/search.html)
• Wordtracker Keyword Questions (http://labs.wordtracker.com/keyword-questions/)

Local Optimization

• Verified Google Business Listing (http://www.google.com/local/add )
• Yahoo Local (http://listings.local.yahoo.com/)
• Data providers that are relevant to local search engines: infoUSA; Localeze; Yahoo; Best of the Web; OpenList; CityVoter; InsiderPages; SuperPages;
• Learn more: Get Listed (http://getlisted.org)

Analytics

• Google Analytics (http://www.google.com/analytics) [Free]
• Alterwind Log Analyzer Pro [log Analyzer: Paid] (http://www.alterwind.com)

Link Checking

• Sites that mention your company, but don’t link: Search www.yahoo.com for: YourCompanyName -linkdomain:yourcompanydomain.com
• Domain BackLink Analysis (http://www.seomoz.org/backlink-analysis )

Site Keyword Ranking

• SEOBook RankChecker [free] (http://tools.seobook.com/firefox/rank-checker/)
• Advanced Web Ranking [paid] (http://www.advancedwebranking.com/)
• Google Analytics SERP Page Modification (http://yoast.com/new-seo-reports-for-google-analytics/)

Toolbar

(#of backlinks; pagerank; traffic; domain age; highlight nofollow links; rank checker; etc.)Â

• SEOBook (http://tools.seobook.com/seo-toolbar/)

Check Domain

(WHOIS, number of sites on IP, geolocation of IP; domain age, etc.)Â

• DomainTools (http://domaintools.com) [Free & Paid]

On Page

• HTTP Header Viewer [301,302,404,200 status] (http://www.rexswain.com/httpview.html)
• Page Size (http://websiteoptimization.com/services/analyze/)

SEO Building Blocks

If you want to maximize results and minimize the time to implement, then I recommend you develop a strategy that builds upon a strong SEO foundation. I’ve identified seven building blocks for SEO success. The lower blocks form the SEO foundation for your website.

High level overview of the 7 SEO Building Blocks for Success:

1. Configuration
Start out right by choosing the right domain name, making needed server configurations, choosing and configuring a content management system and installing an SEO friendly analytics package.

2. Research & Targeting
Align your business and SEO goals, then perform targeted keyword research.

3. On Page Factors
Make it easier for the search engines to figure out what content is included on your pages and what the topics are. Optimize titles, descriptions, header tags, etc.

4. Information Architecture 
Information Architecture forms the skeleton or frame of your website. The joints are the links between pages. Search Engines use these links to discover pages and determine which pages are heirarchically more important than others. Links include main navigation, category navigation, sitemap, footer, tag clouds breadcrumb trails and more.

5. Building Awareness
The rest of the world, including search engines, needs to be aware of your website and the content it contains. Techniques for building awareness include syndication, XML site maps, link building and social media optimization.

6. Accelerators
Managing the distribution of page rank juice, expanding keyword research, strategic link building and generating buzz about your website will amplify or accelerate your results.

7. Measure & Refine
Once search traffic starts flowing in, results should measured agains business goals. Use analytics and advanced keyword research to find new opportunities to add new targeted content to the website.

Prioritze

Analyze your websites current SEO state in each of the first six blocks: Configuration, Targeting, On-Page Factors, Information Architecture, Awareness, Acceleration. For each block, determine the current depth of coverage.

Address configuration & targeting issues first. Deepen coverage at each level before moving up. You can and should work on multiple block levels at a time.

Try to avoid top heaviness. A good rule of thumb is: To improve SEO results, for any given block, the effort required is higher if blocks below are smaller. Smaller = less coverage.

Implementation Plan

1. Set goals for SEO
2. Analyze current SEO state (focus on foundation blocks)
3. Prioritize (based upon current state analysis)
4. Perform keyword research
5. Identify target keywords (consider search volume; business goals; brand; user roles; purchase phases; etc)
6. Implement improvements in foundation blocks
7. Add targeted content
8. Build awareness, accelerate & refine

For the clients that I work with every day, following this overall strategy drives an ever growing amount of targeted search traffic to their websites.

1. Do Your Homework First
You should have a solid grasp on the current state of SEO for your website and the opportunity that optimizing presents before attempting to gain support for your initiative.

Analyze current on-page SEO, URL structure, internal link structure, external links, etc to determine which areas need to be addressed. Be prepared to highlight both successes and shortcomings. Highlight the successes as something to build on.

Use whatever existing analytics data you have to determine the current amount of organic traffic. Perform keyword research, using tools such as Word Tracker’s Free Keyword Suggestion Tool (http://freekeywords.wordtracker.com/), to identify target keywords for which you want to attract traffic. It’s important to understand the relative quantity of searches made by users in order to narrow the list to the highest opportunity keywords.

Next compare your rankings against your competitors for these key terms. Use tools such as SEO Books Rank Checker (http://tools.seobook.com/firefox/rank-checker/) to determine how your website stacks up.

With this information you are ready to build your case for SEO and develop an implementation strategy.

2. Communicate the Business Rationale
Everyone wants their initiative to be the “top priority” for IT. You must make the case why this SEO initiative should be made a priority. Use the current SEO state analysis, competitor analysis and keyword opportunities to assemble your business case.

Make sure that senior management on the business side is on-board before going to IT. IT wants to know that the initiative has clear support within the organization and how the project aligns to the business goals of the company.

Now you are ready to talk to IT about the details of the initative.

3. Define the Scope & Effort
Using your analysis put together a list of prioritized items you would like the IT team to implement. Note: Depending on your current state, some efforts might be undertaken before others. For example, if your on-page SEO is poor, then you may wish to target this aspect before you attack internal link structure. Massive duplicate content might be addressed before implementing a site map.

Your list should also be prioritized by what you believe would have the greatest positive impact on meeting the business goals. Let the IT team determine the effort (for their responsibilities) and you provide the effort for your area of responsibilities.

Don’t expect an immediate determination of effort. The IT team will likely want to provide a more educated effort and risk analysis. Ask for a date to receive their estimate. If the date is too far out, ask for something looser that can be used to gauge relative efforts.

4. Phase the Rollout
The IT team doesn’t have unlimited resources and most likely won’t be able to take on all the items on your list. Be flexible and willing to work with IT on how this initiative fits into their schedule.

Companies that commit themselves to SEO should understand that it is a long term initiative. Impact is seen over time and conditions change so set expectations that SEO is something that should be built into processes and regularly re-evaluated.

5. Don’t Rule Out the Intangibles
Individual IT team members are generally more excited to work on projects that they learn a great deal from or ones that enhance valuable skills. SEO projects often allow them to expand their skill sets and challenge their creative thinking.

If the project has high visibility within the organization, then convey this fact to the team. Their contributions to success will be made evident.

6. Don’t Give Up
Since your project will like have to be prioritized with all other initiatives, you likely won’t get everything you want exactly when you want it. Discuss regularly with IT the progress of the initiative, including regular updates (monthly, quarterly) containing your analysis of the impact based upon analytics. Positive results will motivate the IT team to want to work more on the initiative.

When presenting results to the business side of the organization, make sure you highlight IT’s cooperation and essential contributions to the project. The IT team will appreciate the recognition and you will gain respect for not hogging the spotlight. 

Following these 6 steps should increase the likelihood that the IT team will be on-board with your SEO initiatives.

If you are in front of a movie poster with a Microsoft Tag, you can place your phone in front of the tag and receive a trailer on your device. See an ad for a restaurant, no need to write down the URL, just scan with your phone and have the restaurant’s address and map come up on your phone.

The tags are colorful and look a little 80’s retro. This tag is linked to my Twitter profile.

Microsoft allows anyone to create tags of their own using their online tools. Once a tag is created, the linked digital content can be altered to fit with times. Scan the tag to receive the latest promotion. Tags can also be configured to expire.

The client software for mobile phones is available for a variety of platforms including the iPhone, Android and Windows Mobile. (http://gettag.mobi) For the iPhone, the app can be downloaded from iTunes.

Learn more: http://microsoft.com/tag