Where better to get SEO tips than Google Engineer Matt Cutts? Matt’s blog is certainly no secret in the world of SEO but he is starting to offer his sage advice using a method that offers a refreshing break from reading blog postings; video. Last week Matt posted some answers to common SEO questions using Google Video. Check out Matt’s blog posting where he offers tips on:

• Qualities of a Good Site
• Some SEO Myths
• Optimize for Search Engines or Users?

The videos are Matt’s ‘beta’ launch of this form of update but I think he did a pretty decent job for the first time out. I hope you enjoy them. I urge you to leave a comment on his post – he is positively itching for feedback I am sure.

PS. I was practically pressing “POST” on this blog when I noticed that Matt had, just 30 minutes ago posted another set of live SEO answers. Enjoy!

It is our policy at StepForth to try and help out anyone who calls and is searching for a service that we either do not provide or we cannot offer at the level they are requesting. To this end I would like to put out a request for companies with proven multi-language content development services and foreign SEO experience.

The prospect that contacted us is looking for rankings within the major European markets as well as Japan. Native language content creation will be required for each country.

Reply by Creating a Comment for this Posting: If you represent a qualified company please create a comment for this posting: the prospect in question is going to be keeping tabs on this posting and will reply if there is interest. Please DO NOT contact StepForth directly.

Please provide at least:

• Your company name,
• Languages you can optimize for,
• Your website address and a link to your proven results,
• Finally please note your name and number so that the prospect can contact you directly.

—————————-
SEO RFP Request posted by StepForth Search Engine Placement Inc.

Over the years we have answered many a phone call where a prospective client is frustrated with the poor performance of their website(s). Obviously the business profile for each website is unique, but common to many of conversations is the following scenario that we would like to share with you. For the purpose of this example we will use a site owner by the name of Sam.

The question from Sam (the caller):
“ My site is 2 years old and well established online; it is well indexed on the major search engines and has a couple rankings here and there. Unfortunately after so many years of work on the site the rankings and traffic for the website are still not where I need them. I am just not sure if I should commit my limited budget to reworking a website that has been so difficult to promote; it is becoming a bigger money hole than my boat. Should I continue to invest in my current website or try launching another site with slightly different content and a new domain?” Read more…

Google is preparing to announce a new offering specifically designed for the Open Source Community. All of the tongues are still at Google except for this posting by Greg Stein, an engineering manager in Google’s Open Source Group.

I can’t say I am exactly in the ‘know’ on this topic but I would take a cheap bet that Google is going to launch it’s own version of SourceForge.net (touted as “The world’s largest development and download repository of Open Source code and applications”).

Hmm, I wonder if the Open Source community would be interested in this? Would you post your open source project on a Google property?

Do you have feedback? Please leave a comment!

If such a creation were embraced by the OS community it would certainly solidify and diversify Google’s advertising market.

We have all been there, “how the heck do they always get #1?” It is a constant frustration for many a client and, well, even myself occasionally. The fact is that much of the time there are a few solid reasons behind the search engine success of any website and it is important to learn what these reasons are before trying to compete. How is this done? Therein lies the subject of this article; how do you determine what your competitor has done to win the search engine war?

Demystifying your competitor’s success requires you to put on your detective garb because you are going to have to investigate all aspects of their website; even the deepest darkest corners. In the following instructional I will lead you through a hypothetical investigation of a competitor who is ranking for the phrase “voip services”. In each step I will choose the more popular result that I find when I do similar competitor analyses professionally. So please take note, the sample is only the most popular result; occasionally there are truly baffling cases of competitor success which have required heftier investigation leading to differing conclusions of what they did to succeed. Read more…

Well I am researching topics for tomorrow’s StepForth Weekly and I came across this unbelievable new search engine that uses Google’s system to search for certain questionable files. I just had to share this with you!

Unbelievable? Yes it is definitely that… it is called “Malware” by Metasploit. Essentially it is a search engine for finding malware (aka. viruses, trojans, worms – all the bad out there). Here is the link http://metasploit.com/research/misc/mwsearch/index.html now you tell me if this is what you would call useful? Read more…

A few weeks back MSN instituted a new Meta Tag that would allow website owners to force MSN to ignore their Open Directory Project (ODP) directory title and description when creating their search engine listing. For many this was a huge boon because their rankings were tied to the out of date, poorly edited or even false directory listings at the ODP. Read more…

Well I promised to keep you up to date on whether the Google code that was stumbled upon was real or not. Matt Cutts (a senior Google engineer) has confirmed that this was real and that “steps have been taken” to ensure this kind of information does not reappear.

Here is a permalink to Matt’s blog entry that discusses this:
http://www.mattcutts.com/blog/catching-up-2/

And just in case you feel like a trip down memory lane, here is the blog post that started this: http://www.abuzant.com/od/2006-07/google-server-errors-fact-or-fiction.html

What is RedZee™?
RedZee™ is a Meta Search Engine that opened its doors officially in July 2005. Now open just over a year it was recently brought to my attention that this search engine with a darn cute mascot (I love zebras, especially ones that grin!) along with some decent design concepts also have some significant caveats that I believe my valued readers and clientele should be made well aware of. Read more…

If this discovery is indeed what it appears to be Google is getting closer to releasing an online storage/backup solution; not a surprise for many. Here is a post that talks a little about the discovery. http://cocaman.ch/tmp_wp/?/2006/07/google-testing-gdrive-codename-platypus

Here is the screenshot from this story; just in case it becomes unavailable elsewhere.

My take? Well I believe this is a perfect fit for Google’s inexorable path towards making the world’s information searchable. The privacy and security concerns of such an undertaking will be intense and I am sure they are aware of that. That said, I believe this will take off and will be a free service (to a certain space limit) financially upheld by what else but Google Adwords. The additional venues for Google Adwords clientele cannot hurt either.

In closing, I find Google’s endless line of cool utilities extremely fun to review and play with. Some, like Google Desktop and Google Mail (GMail), I have fully embraced in my corporate and personal life. Until more info surfaces I bid you adieu!