Do-It-Yourself SEO: A Beginner's Checklist

Entireweb Newsletter

There have always been do-it-yourselfers succeeding at web promotion and search engine optimization. In fact, many of the established businesses offering web services today came from humble beginnings, perhaps nothing more than a college student with a laptop, an internet connection, and too much free time. The Web evolves as the result of the innovation and experimentation of individuals. The sharing of knowledge. The do-it-yourself attitude.

As text link brokers and mass link networking decrease in value and use in social media increases, it becomes more important for companies to have an internal approach and awareness of search engine marketing. Don't get me wrong; outsourcing to SEO firms is still a smart option. That said, making the most out of Web 2.0 usually requires some level of cooperation between SEO firm and site owner. You don't need to be an expert to know the basics of good SEO practices, and that added knowledge will be a great advantage whether you're working along side an SEO team, or promoting your own site in your spare time.

So if you're on a "need to know" basis with SEO, the following points should illustrate what an overall plan should include:

1. Create Search Engine-Friendly Content

Unique web content is your most valuable asset, and ensuring search engines can read it is crucial. Text embedded in images or Flash cannot be read, so make sure you use important keywords, headings, and hyperlinks in plain text form. Instead of using images as navigation links, CSS (Cascading Style Sheets) makes it easy to format those links to look more like 'buttons', thus creating powerful anchor text as well as making it visually appealing. Use heading tags properly and don't try to hide keywords or text by making it the same color as the page background or shrinking it so it can't be seen. Make sure the keywords you wish to rank high for are used frequently in the page copy but within reason.

Now that you've created good content, is it actually being crawled? Copy and paste a page's URL into a search engine to see if it has been indexed. If you've just created the page, it may take a few days to show up. Aside from age, many factors can lead to web pages not being indexed by search engines, such as duplicate content (ie. a printer-friendly version of a page might be indexed and the normal version not, or vice versa); links generated by JavaScript instead of HTML; poor site architecture (ie. using too many sub-directories); lengthy, dynamically generated URLs using special characters; and orphaned pages.

2. Choose Your Keywords Wisely

One of the first steps of SEO, this one needs to be done properly the first time or all your future efforts and promotion could end up being wasted. Start by writing down general terms that describe your products, services or web content. Use keyword research services to investigate word and phrase variations. Wordtracker, KeywordDiscovery, and the Google AdWords suggestion tool are good starting points. The goal is to find those niche phrases that your target market uses to find sites just like yours and optimize your site for them. If the phrases do not get enough use by searchers, your profits from ranking for them will be low. At the same time, stay away from general terms that are tougher to rank for (ie. like "art", "computers", "business", etc.) as a great portion of the traffic will be irrelevant and you'll break the bank attaining such competitive phrases.

3. Get Others to Link to Your Site

In theory there are countless ways, some traditional and some quite innovative, to get other web sites to link to yours. In practice, it can be easier said than done. Google defines a link as it pertains to rankings and SEO as a "vote" from one site to another. The more quality votes your site receives, the greater chance you have of rankings well. If a well established site links to yours, that link carries more weight than one would from a mom & pop shop or less reputable page.

If your site has useful content and is doing something unique, you're already ahead of much of the competition. People need a reason to link to your site, as very few will do it out of the goodness of their heart. Trading links can work, but link exchange networks have decreased in value and won't be of much use in competitive fields. Buying links, if you haven't heard, is a big Google no-no. While entire articles could be written on this topic, here are a few popular methods of acquiring incoming links:

- issuing company press releases with a link back to your site
- submitting to reputable business directories such as Yahoo! and Business.com
- be active on related blogs by commenting and exchanging ideas
- if you have clients with web sites, ask if they would mind adding your link in a "partners" section
- participate in relevant forums and discussion boards with a link in your signature
- write and submit original articles to web publications in your field with a link in your bio
- get involved in social media and bookmarking

4. Join the Social Media Revolution

The collaboration between Internet users and the development of online communities is at an all-time high. Social bookmarking sites such as Del.icio.us, StumbleUpon, Furl, Reddit, and Technorati offer users a way to store their favorite pages and media online, and share it with others. These services also provide a way to promote your own content or create a buzz over a product or service. Creating a Myspace page or Squidoo "lens" is also a way to network and share information.

However, if your goal is to generate sales then you must offer something without the promotional hype. The reality of social media is that popularity is based almost entirely on public interest. If your information or media isn't unique or of interest to anyone, you cannot force success using social media communities.

The key to using social media and bookmarking sites to your advantage is to not be shy. Network with other users, bookmark and share useful content, create eye-catching titles for your entries, and tell your friends and co-workers to vote on content you have on these sites.

These four points are a general guideline to follow for SEO. Search engine optimization experts and firms are a good outsourcing option in competitive markets, while the DIY attitude can yield great results for web site owners with smaller marketing budgets. If you're in the latter group, hopefully this helps get you started.

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About the Author: John Metzler has held executive positions in the search engine marketing industry since 2001. He is the Founder of FreshPromo, a Canadian-based SEO firm and updates his blog regularly.

Web-Content Conundrum

By Jerry Bader (c) 2008

The Web consumes content like a teenager at an all-you-can-eat buffet. Lots and lots of content makes you more search engine friendly, helps establish your knowledge and expertise, explains in detail what you offer, and justifies that offer with all the explanations, statistics, and rationale you can muster. The problem is no one reads it.

Well that's not exactly true: some people read every scrap of information on your site; they just happen to be the tire-kickers, the people looking for ways to get stuff they don't have to pay for, or they're competitors looking for ways to copy what you do, or worse find something wrong. This is definitely a dilemma that needs to be addressed.

The Answer Lies In The Questions

The answer is obviously not to eliminate all the good stuff you've worked so hard to create, or to bury it where no one will ever see it. When it comes to Web-content ask yourself:

1. Is our content meaningful and relevant, or is it just hype and bunkum?

2. Is our content understandable by our audience, or is it so inarticulate that people just give up, even when they are desperate to find out what you have to say?

3. Does our content hold our audience's attention? Does it just explain, or does it engage, excite, and entertain while at the same time persuade on both a rationale and emotional level?

4. Is our content so intimidating and technical that it leads to more confusion and questions than answers?

5. Is our most important content buried in volumes of extraneous information or advertising copy, making it difficult to access and understand?

If any of these questions describe the text-based information on your website, then perhaps you need to find a way to make that important information more useful to your clients, not just search engines spiders.

When it comes to website content there are five things you need to keep in mind in order to make that content meaningful: Relevance, Clarity, Effectiveness, Memorability, and Personality.

Relevance: The Appropriateness of The Material

The material on your website has to be relevant, it is good for search engine indexing and it is good for establishing your expertise and trustworthiness, a quality that is an absolute necessity in a Web-based business environment, but exactly what constitutes relevant content?

In order for content to be relevant it must serve your overall marketing agenda and at the same time it must be useful to your target audience.

If your goal is to generate long-term clients by establishing a relationship with your website visitors then that relationship has to be symbiotic, that is, it must benefit both you and the your prospective clients. There are far too many websites around that are based on the P.T. Barnum principle that everyone is a sucker and can be conned. At the other end of the spectrum there are also way too many sites that are nothing more than catalogs, a kind of, here it is, take it or leave it approach. Then there are the sites that provide pages and pages of specifications and features that confuse more than clarify. And finally there are the websites that are nothing more than business cards or display ads, an approach that says to the visitor that you are too cheap, too lazy, or too unimaginative to bother creating an appropriate marketing website.

The fact that search engines seek out relevant content is merely a positive by-product of good content, it is not the ultimate marketing objective, which should be to open up a communication with your audience and start a productive and profitable relationship.

Clarity: The Ability To Be Understood

Is there anything more important than being understood? I assume you have a website because you want to promote and expand your business, but if visitors do not understand who you are, what you do, and why they should pay you to provide them with a product or service, then exactly what are you doing?

Being understood sounds like a simple thing, but it is not. Ask yourself, to whom am I trying to communicate? Is it a search engine robot or a real person? If your main concern is the ever changing search engine indexing machinery then you risk the danger of not being completely understood by the people who visit your website.

There is a certain comfort in dealing with the illusion of certainty that speaks to the mechanics of search engine optimization: all you have to do is follow the rules and you'll be successful. The problem is the game is fixed and the rules keep changing, and more importantly it's the wrong audience. Any order you ever generated was from a real person and if real people don't understand your marketing message, then all that traffic to your site is wasted.

Effectiveness: The Ability to Serve Your Marketing Objectives

Being clear and to the point is important but it doesn't necessarily make your site effective. Dragnet's Sergeant Friday may have wanted, 'just the facts, nothing but the facts' but in the real world people need more.

People are busy and they do not want to waste their time on things that have no meaning for them, and that is the key. Things become meaningful when they engage while they enlighten, educate while they entertain, and persuade while they present. People spend hours upon hours on the Web doing things that could be considered a waste of time and non productive, so the idea that people will not invest their time on your website is just plain wrong. If they won't spend the time, then they aren't really interested or your presentation stinks.

What makes the Web such a powerful marketing tool is its multimedia capability, the opportuníty to communicate using text, images, motion graphics, video, and sound (audio) design. And of all these delivery options the two most effective communication techniques are video and sound (audio) design.

Memorability: The Ability To Stick In Your Audience's Minds

Clarity and effectiveness are vital but if people don't remember who you are, all your hard work will be lost. Maybe you've convinced your audience that your way is the answer, but if they don't remember it was you that told them, then you've wasted the opportuníty.

There are lots of sites around that expect instant response. They present their material and expect you to press a button and give them money. It's not that this can't happen, but it certainly is not what usually happens.

How many times have you wished you could remember that website that had that thing that you didn't need then but you need now? Not every potential customer is ready to buy right away, and if they forget who you are, someone else will benefit from your effort.

Let's put it another way, sales is like sex, while marketing is like a seduction. If you're not prepared to invest in romancing your audience, they'll immediately forget you exist and the sale will go to the business that gets remembered.

In order to create that memory, your website has to be an experience, an experience that resonates and entertains by delivering your marketing message with style and flair, using real human beings, analogy, and the classic story format in a professionally executed performance.

Personality: The Ability To Distinguish You From The Competition

Every business has a personality, an image, an identity that is the sum total of every experience anyone who has ever had contact with your company has ever had. Success online and offline depends on how well you manage that personality.

Your website is part of your public face and in many cases it is your only public face. Your business is not what you sell and it is not you, it is a separate and distinct entity that needs to be treated like a precocious child in need of care and feeding, and development.

Personality starts with a point-of-view and an attitude strong enough to make an impact. And the more mundane your offering, the more important it is to make a statement. Victoria's Secret has little trouble grabbing people's attention, but if it's sandpaper you sell, you better try harder. We especially see this identity crisis with distributors, whose own personality often gets sublimated to the major brands they carry.

Perhaps you remember the J. Peterman character from the old Seinfeld television show. The character was played by, actor and voice-over specialist, John O'Hurley, who is nothing like the real J. Peterman. But the characterization was so strong, and so memorable, that O'Hurley was able to single-handedly rescue the company from financial trouble.

If you're looking to create a Web-personality as effective as John O'Hurley's J. Peterman, you should consider adding a video or audio host to your Web-presentation, one that engages your audience's attention and captures their collective imagination.

A Final Thought

At the end of the day there is one thing about websites that should guide you in your decisions as to what you present and how, and that is simply, websites are for people not search engines. If the people coming to your website don't hear what you have to say, understand what you're offering, and remember who you are, then your website isn't doing what it needs to do for your business.

About The Author
Jerry Bader is Senior Partner at MRPwebmedia, a website design firm that specializes in Web-audio and Web-video. Visit www.mrpwebmedia.com/ads, www.136words.com and www.sonicpersonality.com. Contact at info@mrpwebmedia.com or telephone (905) 764-1246.

Maximize Traffic With 10 SEO Power Tips

Article By John Alexander (c) 2008
	How do you know what type of content is really going to attract the right searchers? In this article I wanted to cover a few very basic tips that you can keep in mind when building high-performance strategies. Remember that good search engine marketing is not about trying to manipulate or "fool the search engines." Good SEO skills are more about creating genuine relevancy for well-written content that deserves to be found because it is truly the most relevant and useful to your audience of readers. What students quickly discover in the 5-Day classes is that the optimization skills are not nearly as hard as many people make them out to be (even for the most competitive phrases,) once you've been trained and understand the full scope of influences that are at work. The biggest advantage that we have had is all about the "accuracy of information." 1. Write content that your audience is already looking for within the last 90 days. True keyword research is not about 'guessing at keywords' but its all about researching actual data. How are your SEO research skills using Wordtracker or Keyword Discovery? At the SEO Workshops we teach much more than the traditional "keyword research" methods. We help students learn "Keyword Forensics" and how to quickly tap into the hidden niche trends that 99% of most Webmasters never even notice. 2. Does your Web copy speak to the reader or does it speak about yourself? Remember that your Web site should be focused on your audience first and appeal specifically to a niche interest. When writing your Web copy, you need to dialog in an appropriate tone and format for the right audience. Some of the most interesting content will have more appeal if it speaks to your audience in terms of "you." You can, you might, you will, yours, your and you're INSTEAD of we, ours, we're, we will, we can, etc. 3. Focus on writing for the human audience first and search engines second. While search engine optimization is important to your visibility, try writing your content first. Most people don't write their best when trying to optimize and create content at the same time. Focus on creating highly useful content that is extremely focused on one topic per page. Once you have completed your writing so that you are pleased with it, then go in to do a mild re-write for the search engines. 4. Tips for triggering idea generation and giving your strategies a unique twist. While many people seem to spend time exploring their competitor's Web sites, we encourage you to lead the way with new ideas. Try not to be obsessed with what the competition is doing, but be creative and start your own new trends. Spend just a little more time working on your projects this week than you did last week. Setting yourself apart from the competition is easier than you might think and gives you a huge advantage over others. 5. Creating your content so that it "speaks" to a specific audience of visitors. Think of how your Web copy reads and ensure the dialog flows smoothly. Read your work out loud and see if you can improve the tone of your message with natural expression. Keep your specific audience in mind. How you write for senior citizens (in tone and in format) may differ considerably from writing for an audience of for example "new parents." Always ask yourself "what is important to these readers?" Rely on researching accurate data to eliminate guess work. 6. Remember strong calls to action Without a firm call to action, don't expect the reader to naturally guess at what you want them to do next. Plain ordinary dialog that asks the reader to take the next action will usually work best. Dialog that is written for voice (similar to the way a broadcaster writes to project their personality.) 7. Build your search engine optimization skills in the beginning with the "stress free" approach. If you are new to SEO, you may want to focus on the long tailed niche phrases since most searchers are doing fairly descriptive and intelligent searches these days. Ideally You want to attract those who already know what they are looking for and just need to find your pages more easily. With practice and the right training you can go after highly competitive phrases too but you'll find that the best conversions nearly always come from the niches. Also remember that it is the basic SEO skills that carry you through and must come before any of the advanced strategies. The result will be stable top rankings that stand the test of time with minimal fuss. 8. Give your readers a non-threatening reason to respond right now. What is the objective for your page and does your Web copy work effectively at fulfilling that objective? It may not always be about trying to sell a product or a service. It should not be about fulfilling your needs first but it should be about meeting the needs of why that searcher first conducted a search. Meet their needs and deliver up something that satisfies their search first and then give the visitor a non-threatening reason why they might respond to you. Do you want their e-mail address? or do you just want them to pick up the phone and call? Never lose sight of the fact that the Web is a marvelous two way interactive experience, if you want it to be. Make your Web site a vehicle for relationship building and remember that many readers may actually have the desire to interact and participate through Blogs or other "User Generated activity." Give your visitors something that involves their participation. 9. Remember that your readers always want to feel like they are in control of their Web experience. People often use the Web for researching topics of interest or doing preliminary price comparisons or for looking up information. While most people explore the Web for their own purposes, the more that you put them in control of their experience the better. If appropriate, you may want to consider adding addition tools or functionality to your Web site in order to enhance its usability for your specific audience. 10. Did you know that if you write your content so that it naturally "reads very well." You will naturally gain some bonus for having created content of quality. By this, I mean content...that reads well to a human being. Don't stuff keywords all over the place. Instead, use moderation in everything you do. One of the things you need to understand is that "theme based" search engines like Google, are actually using a measure of artificial intelligence (AI) to measure how well your article "reads" based on all of the overall context of your body text (other than the keywords) based on data that a search engine has gathered concerning a specific topic. This is great news for writers because if you are making a transition to writing for the web, you'll find some search engines are literally rewarding pages that are "well written." About The Author John Alexander has taught live SEO Workshops since 2002 at SearchEngineWorkshops.com as well as Online Webinars at the SEO Workshop Resource Center.

Six Quick and Simple Ways

By Mike Small (c) 2008

The reason Google is the most successful search engine in the world is because they provide the best search results; pages ranked by tangible value. That tangible value is a combination of content and links, with links being the more important factor (they assume any pages linking in will only link to good content or risk their own ranking.)

Here are a few tips that will help you take full advantage of Google's love of linking...

1.) Link Deep and with Relevance

So why is deeper better and what's this about relevance? Google figured out that a link to a homepage is only good if that homepage has the information the visitor needs. If a person clicks a link for "amazíng chocolate chip cookie recipe" and ends up on the home page, which has nothing of the sort, Google discounts it as a wasted link. On the other hand, if the link leads to the page containing info on the "Amazíng Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe," even five levels deep, the link has huge value to the visitor and to Google.

Want some proof? You already have it if you've ever used Google's AdWords pay per clíck service. They will not even accept PAID links to pages that are not the most relevant for their visitors, regardless of what you are willing to pay per clíck. Now that's saying something!

2.) Use Absolute Links Internally

It sounds complicated but it's not. Absolute links are those with a fixed full URL. There's another kind, called "relative" links that skip the first part of the domain and remain "relative" to the file structure. Let's take a look at the difference...

Here's the absolute link to the Google Ads page from Google's homepage: "http://www.google.com/intl/en/ads/"

Here's what it might look like as a relative link: "./intl/en/ads/"

Long story short; absolute links help your SEO efforts and relative links don't.

3.) Use Keywords in Anchor Text

Use relevant keywords in your link anchor text (that is the text within the hyperlink.) Forget about "Clíck Here" like you see on so many sites. Not only does that not help your ranking, it actually lowers the relevancy of your real keywords because Google believes that if a word is important enough it will likely be used as part of a link to get the visitor where they want to go.

4.) Follow the 1% Solution

Make no more than 1% of your page text into links (both outbound and internal.) That is, if you have 500 words on the page there should be no more than 5 text links total. And don't overuse the same keyword text for the links. So if you have three mentions each of three different keywords, try to use each just once in a link. Then use similar text for any remaining links.

Example: If "chocolate chip cookies" is your main keyword phrase you might use "chocolate chip cookies" as the anchor text for one link and then "my favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe" for another link.

It's also a good idea to use 10 Links Max per page whether you have 1,000 words or 10,000 words on that page.

5.) Add a Link Failsafe

This is really simple and almost nobody does it. Links get broken more often than we like. Sometimes it's because we moved a page and sometimes it has nothing to do with anything we consciously did (especially with blogs.) The solution is to create a custom 404 page (Page Not Found) that looks just like any other page on your site and has a simple note like "We're sorry we cannot find the page you are looking for. However, if you love cookies of all kinds we think you'll find exactly what you want by clicking on one of the following links..." Then of course you have a navigation system for them to follow.

6.) Get the Best Links Possible

This is extremely important yet often overlooked because it can be such a difficult and time consuming job. If you take nothing else away from this article, please take this... Finding the best possible inbound links is the single most important thing you can do to make the number one spot on Google.

Here are three tips to help minimize your time and effort while giving you results SEO experts charge an arm and a leg for.

A.) Get listed in directories.

Submít your site to the top directories like Jayde.com and DMOZ.org. Once they link to your site you will have great relevant inbound links and some instant credibility with Google.

Here are some great free directories in order of value, starting with the best... dmoz.org, jayde.com, webworldindex.com, turnpike.net, and directoryvault.com. Yahoo is important but charges $299 for commercial site inclusion.

B.) Use "Special Commands" to do the legwork for you.

The best linked sites can easily be found with a simple search command called "allinanchor:" Here's how to use it. Go to Google and type in "allinanchor:keyword goes here" (no quotes and no space after the colon.) Now hit Enter and you'll see the sites that have the highest relevancy for keywords used in anchor text. Look for any that you know are competitors and outrank your site.

Now take the URL for any of these and use this command "link:www.theirdomain.extension" (again with no quotes and no space after the colon.) This will show you all the sites linking in as well as internal pages linking back in.

In short, these two special commands give you an inside look at exactly how the competition does what it does with the results they get. This is huge!

C.) Use good SEO software whenever possible.

If you can afford to spend one or two hundred dollars to save huge amounts of time and get professional results, it's well worth it. Like many SEO professionals whose livelihood depends on results, I've been using SEO software to get top search engine placement for years. The best ones not only help you identify great link partners but will even help you contact them and make sure they don't cheat you in any way. I use SEO Elite and am still amazed by all it can do.

If possible, get a tool that also does rank checking and reporting. Once you begin you'll want to check rankings every so often and an automated tool will save you a ton of time. Oddly enough I bought SEO Elite primarily for rank checking then discovered it was worth its weight in gold as linking tool as well. So whatever tool you use, get as much out of it as you can. You might be pleasantly surprised.

About The Author
Mike Small is the founder of the free SEO (search engine optimization) site SEOpartner.com and author of numerous search engine optimization books and whitepapers including the SEO Notebook.

Top 3 Google Linking Strategies of 2008

By Michael Small (c) 2008

If you're serious about getting great ranking on Google you need to be serious about linking. Of course there are lots of ways to get links so we'll focus on just the methods that are fast, low cost or free and get the best results. Here are three that can put you on top of Google in no time flat!

First let's start with getting inbound links from directories. A link from a directory gets a lot of weight from Google because they value it as a form of endorsement. You've probably used some directories yourself, like Yahoo. Or maybe you've used some without even knowing it, like The Open Directory Project (DMOZ.org) that powers many of the most popular search engines, including Google!

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Each directory is different and offers different options for obtaining links to your site. Here's a rundown of how different directories will link to your site...

1.) Free Submission: Just like it sounds. No charges for inclusion. DMOZ.org is the best one and powers Google, AOL and even Yahoo Search (not Yahoo directory.) Just be sure to follow their submission guidelines and pick the most appropriate sub category possible for inclusion. This is extremely important.

2.) Paid Submissions: They charge a fee to review the submitted link and possibly place the page. You might pay a few dollars one tíme, a recurring annual fee or as much as the $300 that Yahoo charges for commercial site review.

3.) Reciprocal Link: These usually require you to link to the directory before they will even consider linking back.

4.) Featured Link: Your link gets a premium spot that you pay for.

5.) Featured Homepage Link: This is a featured link on the homepage. As you've probably guessed, this can get real expensive.

Yahoo is easily the most popular (and most expensive) but it's not the best. It's been my experience that a free listing with DMOZ.org is worth more than a paid listing with Yahoo. Even though Yahoo is more popular as a directory that people actually visit, DMOZ is much more popular with search engines and carries a lot of weight. A "vote" from DMOZ is a big deal indeed.

Here are the five top directories offering free listings. Some even provide inexpensive expedited listing services or featured listings:

1.) dmoz.com
2.) directoryvault.com
3.) domaining.in
4.) getlistedrightnow.com
5.) visitalink.com

There's a site that keeps an updated list of directories, but not all are free. You have to visit each to see if there is any cost. Go to TopWebSiteTips and scroll down to the drop down box at the bottom of the page. Select your desired Google PR and search. If you want to avoid getting niche directories in the results, check the "General Directories Only" box after your first return set and rerun the search.

As a second option, you can also consider paying a submission service to get your site lísted in the major directories. There are plenty that will do it for a reasonable fee. Just be sure they do the following three things:

1.) Manual submission only.
2.) Verify that your site is not already listed.
3.) Provide proof of submission (usually screen captures).

Just search Google for "directory submission service" and you'll get plenty of options. I've used SEONext.com/ in the past with good success. They provide a "slow submission" service that makes your link building appear more natural to Google and other top search engines.

And finally, there is no better way to get quality links than from a traditional reciprocal link campaign. This can be a time consuming step without automated software, but is very important.

Here are 10 steps to a successful reciprocal linking campaign:

1.) Write down the keywords you want to be found for.

2.) Draft a standard letter you can use to easily customize for each site (customization tips at the end.)

3.) Run a search on Google for each keyword and jot down the URL for each match returned (not just the homepage but the URL for the actual page you want the link from, which is the one that came up in the search.)

4.) Remove any direct competitors from the list.

5.) Go back through your list and find the contact info for each site. Record this information.

6.) Create a link to each page you want to get a link from. This should be from the most appropriate page on your site, not the homepage. Do not exceed 10 outbound links per page at most. The fewer, the better.

7.) Send the customized email with the considerations outlined below.

8.) Verify their backlinks.

9.) Remove any outbound links that do not reciprocate within a month or so.

10.) Check your inbound links every couple of weeks. Make sure you are still getting the links you earned and that the people linking to you have not moved you to a less desirable page.

Reciprocal Link Email Tips:

A.) Address the email to a person by name if possible.

B.) Start with a complimentary statement about what you like on their site.

C.) Introduce yourself and your site.

D.) Lead into why you feel your site is a good, non competing match (outline benefits for them and their visitors.)

E.) Mention that you have already linked to their site and hope they feel a reciprocal link will be beneficial. Provide the URL to the page you linked from.

F.) Explain why you linked from the page you did and the anchor text you used to show you understand link strategy.

G.) Request that if they link back they use one of your anchor text suggestions along with the exact URL you want them to link to.

H.) Offer to change the link anchor text of their URL if they wish.

I.) Thank them genuinely for their time and sign with your first name to make it more personal and natural.

You can do all of this manually or invest in a good piece of software to do the difficult and time consuming work for you. Many SEO professionals (myself included) use SEO Elite because it finds the best link partners, automatically gets their contact info and even manages entire campaigns. It's also a link verification system and search engine rank checker so it covers all of my SEO needs nicely ($167.)

So whether you do the work by hand or invest in a time saving "instant gratification" SEO tool, the information in this article can help you to the top of Google in record time. Good luck!

About The Author
Mike Small has been an SEO specialist since 1998 working with clients from start up to the Fortune 500. He has authored five SEO books and is the founder of popular SEO blog SEOpartner.com .

Organic SEO Top 10 Myths

Organic SEO Top 10 Myths By Seomul Davis (c) 2008

There are many SEO myths circulating on the Internet. These misconceptions are often crazy and while some are based on partial reality, others have spread due to the lack of being proved wrong. Here is an example: Let's assume you make a change to your website content. Maybe after a few days you notice that your Google ranking for a certain keyword has altered. Now, it would be natural for you to assume that your content change had led to change in ranking. However, it may not be true. Your ranking could have changed due to several reasons, and may have absolutely nothing to do with the changes made to the content. Of course, this action of mixing up the cause and effect is a common error on the part of new SEOs. Well, if it were limited to just their work, I wouldn't really mind it. But these guys are clueless and many a times spread their ignorance to other newbies on blogs and forums and create a ripple effect of newer myths. Here, I am making an attempt to discuss and clear the top 10 organic SEO myths: Organic SEO Myth 1: You must submit your website URL to search engines. Once upon a time, this could have been the "in" thing. But since the past 5-6 years it has become unnecessary. Organic SEO Myth 2: In order to get better ranking, you absolutely need a Google Sitemap. It's partially correct. However, if you have built your site properly (ensured its crawler-friendly) you don't require a Google Sitemap. That being said, having one won't hurt you and you can even use other Webmaster Central tools offered by Google, but this doesn't guarantee higher ranking. Organic SEO Myth 3: For higher rankings, update your website regularly. Regular updating of your content pages may certainly increase the crawl rate for search engines, but not your website rankings. Only update your website content if it is necessary and not because search engines will like it any better. As a matter of fact, the highest ranked websites on Google are those that haven't been updated in years! Organic SEO Myth 4: PPC (pay per click) ads can help or hurt rankings. What amuses me most is that many people believe that participating in Google AdWords campaigns will hurt their organic SEO ranking, while many others believe that PPC will spike the traffic and up the ranking. All I can say is that neither of this is true! Organic SEO Myth 5: Not following guidelines on Google will ban your website. Google's guidelines are common sense but not mandatory. It's advisable to read them, however just don't do anything purely for search engines and you'll be fine. Organic SEO Myth 6: Buying links can lead to banning of your website. It is partially true again. Google doesn't like to count paid links as votes for a website page. Mostly Google is unable to find out if the links are paid for, but even if it does, it won't count the links. Google won't ban your website in any case. A quick update - Google has made it easier to report paid links in sites that are unrelated to your site. Though the reasoning is yet unclear and best practice should tell you don't buy links in unrelated sites to your theme. Organic SEO Myth 7: Header tags or H1 should be used to ensure high ranking. There is no evidence to prove this. However, this is one of the most common myths. You can reach top Google positioning without H1 but they certainly don't hurt so use H tags correctly. Organic SEO Myth 8: Meta keywords tag need to be used on your page. The fact is that a Meta keyword tag was introduced to use keywords that are NOT on the site page already! However, this tag is ignored by Google in any case. Organic SEO Myth 9: The SEO copy should be 250 words in length. 250 words is not really an optimal number nor is it specific for SEO rankings. Easily, 250 words allows one to write good marketing copy and can be optimized for 3-5 main key phrases. However, shorter SEO copy works just as well. Organic SEO Myth 10: Your pages should be optimized for the long tail keywords. This is not true. Nowadays, long-tail keyword phrases are no longer effective as not many pages use them and not many people search using long tails. You can include these keywords in blogs or even an article, but that is not really optimization. Remember don't go spreading any SEO myths that you believe may be true. Test it yourself several times on different websites before reaching any conclusion as there are other factors involved as well. About The Author Seomul Davis is a SEO Services expert with SEO 1 Services a Dallas based search engine optimization company and a frequent contributor on Seo-Services-Expert.co

How to Optimize for Google: Part 2 of 3

How to Optimize for Google: Part 2 of 3
By Scott Van Achte, Senior SEO, StepForth (c) 2008

Optimizing for top Google rankings includes a number of factors. In Part 1 of 3 we discussed onsite optimization. In Part 2 we will touch on incoming links as well as using Google Webmaster Tools.

LINKS
Links are very important in today's Google rankings, but just how many links you need will depend on both the competitiveness of your target phrases, and the quality of the incoming links themselves.

Essentially the number one rule of links is to keep it relevant! Topical relevance is very important in order for inbound links to give your site the most value. If the page that links to you is relevant that is good, if the entire site linking to you is relevant, that is better.

First to get an idea of how many links you may need, take a look at the top 10 ranking sites in Google and record how many links Yahoo is noting for each site. (This is because Google does not display anywhere near all the links they have noted). The average of this count is often a good indication of how many links your site may need.

There are many different ways to get links to your site including the age old reciprocal link trade, directory links, article based links, and links from press releases.

Reciprocal Links
Reciprocal linking has seen its value drop considerably over the past few years, however, if the site you are trading with is relevant you can still receive value from these links.

Paid Links
Google frowns on paid links, however that is not to say that they don't work. Often you can find highly reputable and relevant websites which are offering paid advertising spots. If these links are coded to link directly to your website without passing through any tracking redirects, you will in many cases see value in the form of both direct traffic and increased link densities and rankings.

Articles
Writing and distributing industry specific articles is a great way to help boost both your link counts and site traffic; for examples of such content see StepForth's SEO Blog News articles. Consider writing articles on a regular basis and submitting them to some of the more popular services such as EzineArticles. Be sure to include a link to your site from somewhere within the article, or at the very least within your bio. Try to use a target phrase as part of the anchor text for additional value.

Press Releases
If something of importance has happened to your company such as a new product launch, or other notable achievement - essentially anything news worthy, put out a press release. Submit this press release through services such as PRWeb or PRNewsWire. Again, be sure to include a target phrase as part of the anchor text.

There are also a number of places you can get links that have basically turned south, and are not generally recommended. These include signatures in form posts, guest books, and other typically free links.

Forum Posts
Forum posts can help to marginally raise your link counts; however, with this one you must be careful. Only add a link to your site in your signature if both the forum allows it, and you are a respected member of the forum. If you are a solid contributor and your posts have depth and meaning, and the forum is highly relevant to your site, then having a link in your signature may give your site some juice. Posting wildly to random forums will in most cases get yourself banned, and will be both a waste of time and potentially make you and your site look bad.

Guest Books
In nearly all cases, do not post your link to guest books. If you happen to stumble upon a guestbook that is highly relevant to your site, the other comments are relevant to your site, and you have something useful (and again relevant) to say, then perhaps consider it, but typically focusing on links from guest books is considered SPAM and is best avoided all together.

Blog Comments
Having a link from your blog comments is not necessarily a bad thing. If you find a relevant blog post of use, and have something relevant and constructive to say, don't be afraid to enter your link into the "URL" field of the form, but don't try stuffing links into the comment itself.

Link Farms & Bad Neighborhoods
These are sites that allow you to simply post your link no stríngs attached. They are mostly long scrolling pages with countless links. Stay away from them. If you see one, run in the other direction. These links are bad, will not help with your rankings, and in some cases can actually damage your rankings.

Stay away from sites that cross link with obvious spammers. These networks of SPAM sites are not ones you would want your site associated with, and if you achieve links from enough of these sites it can adversely impact your rankings. Even more important, NEVER link to any of these sites - as that will certainly tie in your connection to them and give Google reason to discount your rankings.

DMOZ, Yahoo and Other Directories
Directory based links can be of significant help, especially if they are from highly reputable directories, the two biggest being DMOZ.org and the Yahoo Directory.

Getting a site into DMOZ is like Gold. Google loves links from DMOZ and your site will reap the benefits. The big catch however is actually getting your site into the directory in the first place. Find the perfect category for your site and check to see if it has an editor. If you see a link "Volunteer to edit this category" try and find another relevant location. Pages without active editors take much longer to get listed into. Once you find the perfect directory submit your site every 4-6 months until listed. If you are lucky you will get in eventually.

Yahoo Directory is seen as an authority in the eyes of Google, and getting your site in will help your link reputation. This link does come at a price of $299 per year, but will play a role in helping your website achieve top rankings.

There are a number of other valuable directories out there that can help you with your search rankings. Before submittíng to any directory the key is a combination of relevance and authority. If the directory is relevant and active, it may be worth considering.

GOOGLE WEBMASTER TOOLS
Google Webmaster Tools can be very useful for your optimization efforts. It may not directly help you obtain higher rankings, but can help you trouble shoot if you are experiencing problems. It will also allow you to remove URL's that you don't want indexed and set various preferences such as your domain, crawl rate, and geographic target.

XML Sitemaps
This is the most common reason people use Google Webmaster Tools - the submission of their XML sitemap. While you can use your robots.txt to have Google find your XML sitemap, by submitting it directly to Google you can check up on the spidering status.

Error checking
Webmaster Tools is also quite useful for checking on various error URL's that Google may know about. Under the Diagnostics > Web Crawl you can view any errors that Google has to report on your site. By cleaning up any errors you can help boost your chances of rankings.

Links
From inside Google Webmaster Tools you can get a much clearer look at what sites Google is noting as having links to you, and give you a better indication of the need, if any, to raise your link counts.

WWW Preference
Be sure to select your domain preference under Tools > Set Preferred Domain. In nearly all cases you will want to select the version including the "www" .

SUMMARY
Inbound links play a significant role in successful Google rankings. By focusing on relevant links, as well as by diversifying where you get those links from, you can build a solid foundation for your search rankings today and into the future.

Stay tuned for Part 3 (of 3) where I will discuss other considerations including redirects, HTTP headers, and a number of other factors which play a role in successfully conquering Google.

About The Author
Scott Van Achte is the Senior SEO at StepForth Web Marketing Inc., based in Victoria, BC, Canada and founded in 1997. You can read more of Scott's articles and those of the StepForth team at news.stepforth.com or contact us at StepForth.com, Tel - 250-385-1190, TollFree - 877-385-5526, Fax - 250-385-1198

Maximize Traffic With 10 SEO Power Tips

How do you know what type of content is really going to attract the right searchers?

In this article I wanted to cover a few very basic tips that you can keep in mind when building high-performance strategies. Remember that good search engine marketing is not about trying to manipulate or "fool the search engines." Good SEO skills are more about creating genuine relevancy for well-written content that deserves to be found because it is truly the most relevant and useful to your audience of readers.

What students quickly discover in the 5-Day classes is that the optimization skills are not nearly as hard as many people make them out to be (even for the most competitive phrases,) once you've been trained and understand the full scope of influences that are at work. The biggest advantage that we have had is all about the "accuracy of information."

1. Write content that your audience is already looking for within the last 90 days.

True keyword research is not about 'guessing at keywords' but its all about researching actual data. How are your SEO research skills using Wordtracker or Keyword Discovery? At the SEO Workshops we teach much more than the traditional "keyword research" methods. We help students learn "Keyword Forensics" and how to quickly tap into the hidden niche trends that 99% of most Webmasters never even notice.

2. Does your Web copy speak to the reader or does it speak about yourself?

Remember that your Web site should be focused on your audience first and appeal specifically to a niche interest. When writing your Web copy, you need to dialog in an appropriate tone and format for the right audience. Some of the most interesting content will have more appeal if it speaks to your audience in terms of "you." You can, you might, you will, yours, your and you're INSTEAD of we, ours, we're, we will, we can, etc.

3. Focus on writing for the human audience first and search engines second.

While search engine optimization is important to your visibility, try writing your content first. Most people don't write their best when trying to optimize and create content at the same time. Focus on creating highly useful content that is extremely focused on one topic per page. Once you have completed your writing so that you are pleased with it, then go in to do a mild re-write for the search engines.

4. Tips for triggering idea generation and giving your strategies a unique twist.

While many people seem to spend time exploring their competitor's Web sites, we encourage you to lead the way with new ideas. Try not to be obsessed with what the competition is doing, but be creative and start your own new trends. Spend just a little more time working on your projects this week than you did last week. Setting yourself apart from the competition is easier than you might think and gives you a huge advantage over others.

5. Creating your content so that it "speaks" to a specific audience of visitors.

Think of how your Web copy reads and ensure the dialog flows smoothly. Read your work out loud and see if you can improve the tone of your message with natural expression. Keep your specific audience in mind. How you write for senior citizen (in tone and in format) may differ considerably from writing for an audience of for example "new parents." Always ask yourself "what is important to these readers?" Rely on researching accurate data to eliminate guess work.

6. Remember strong calls to action

Without a firm call to action, don't expect the reader to naturally guess at what you want them to do next. Plain ordinary dialog that asks the reader to take the next action will usually work best. Dialog that is written for voice (similar to the way a broadcaster writes to project their personality.)

7. Build your search engine optimization skills in the beginning with the "stress free" approach.

If you are new to SEO, you may want to focus on the long tailed niche phrases since most searchers are doing fairly descriptive and intelligent searches these days. Ideally you want to attract those who already know what they are looking for and just need to find your pages more easily. With practice and the right training you can go after highly competitive phrases too but you'll find that the best conversions nearly always come from the niches. Also remember that it is the basic SEO skills that carry you through and must come before any of the advanced strategies. The result will be stable top rankings that stand the test of time with minimal fuss.

8. Give your readers a non-threatening reason to respond right now.

What is the objective for your page and does your Web copy work effectively at fulfilling that objective? It may not always be about trying to sell a product or a service. It should not be about fulfilling your needs first but it should be about meeting the needs of why that searcher first conducted a search. Meet their needs and deliver up something that satisfies their search first and then give the visitor a non-threatening reason why they might respond to you. Do you want their e-mail address? Or do you just want them to pick up the phone and call? Never lose sight of the fact that the Web is a marvelous two way interactive experience, if you want it to be. Make your Web site a vehicle for relationship building and remember that many readers may actually have the desire to interact and participate through Blogs or other "User Generated activity." Give your visitors something that involves their participation.

9. Remember that your readers always want to feel like they are in control of their Web experience.

People often use the Web for researching topics of interest or doing preliminary price comparisons or for looking up information. While most people explore the Web for their own purposes, the more that you put them in control of their experience the better. If appropriate, you may want to consider adding additional tools or functionality to your Web site in order to enhance its usability for your specific audience.

10. Did you know that if you write your content so that it naturally "reads very well."

You will naturally gain some bonus for having created content of quality. By this, I mean content...that reads well to a human being. Don't stuff keywords all over the place. Instead, use moderation in everything you do. One of the things you need to understand is that "theme based" search engines like Google, are actually using a measure of artificial intelligence (AI) to measure how well your article "reads" based on all of the overall context of your body text (other than the keywords) based on data that a search engine has gathered concerning a specific topic. This is great news for writers because if you are making a transition to writing for the web, you'll find some search engines are literally rewarding pages that are "well written."

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About the Author: John Alexander has taught live SEO Workshops since 2002 at http://www.SearchEngineWorkshops.com as well as Online Webinars at the SEO Workshop Resource Center at http://www.SEW-WRC.com.

Situs Porno vs Undang-undang Informasi dan Transaksi Elektronik

Undang-undang ITE, yang baru disahkan merupakan UU cyber pertama di Indonesia. Maklum, Indonesia memang begitu, UU harus dibincangkan lama dulu baru disahkan. Padahal kondisi cyber di Indonesia sudah lama ada. Peraturan sering terlambat mengantisipasi perkembangan teknologi yang terlalu cepat. Susahnya juga, bagaimana nanti penerapannya. Sudah banyak contoh kasus hukum tidak dijalankan dengan benar. Coba saja tengok peraturan dilarang merokok di tempat umum di kota Jakarta. Hampir tidak ada berita ada yang kena sanksi. padahal banyak yang melanggar. Salah siapa? aparat ? pelaku ? peraturan ?. Dari pada susah-susah cari kambing hitam, mending dilihat saja kapasitas dan kapabilitas pihak-pihak yang terlibat dalam peraturan.

UU ITE, dengan peraturan yang "menggiurkan" termasuk sanksi yang "mendebarkan hati" memang sepertinya bagus, tetapi harus dilihat juga bagaimana dan siapa yang bertanggung jawab mengawal penerapan UU ini. Coba dibandingkan dulu kapasitas dan kapabilitas pihak-pihak yang terkait. Perbandingan ini hanya sekedar opini lho :

1. Kemampuan aparat (orang yang menegakkan hukum) vs kemampuan "keparat" (orang yang melanggar)
- aparat harus ahli IT -> bagaimana dengan kondisi di Indonesia?
- "keparat" sudah banyak programmer, webmaster dan hacker jahat di Indonesia (coba lihat sudah berapa banyak virus lokal yang canggih)

- Teknologi aparat harus oke sekali
- "Keparat" lebih lihai memanfaatkan teknologi yang ada. Lihat saja bagaimana pembajakan software yang banyak terjadi di Indonesia

2. Kondisi ekonomi aparat vs "keparat"
- aparat mempunyai daftar gaji tertentu -> hati-hati ada oknum yang korupsi
- "keparat" dapat hasil dari iklan disitusnya, menjebol kartu kredit, dll
Jika penghasilan aparat lebih kecil dari pada penghasilan "keparat" maka harus diperhatikan kemampuan kong-kalikong-nya.

3. Moral aparat vs "keparat"
- aparat harus mempunyai moral yang tinggi -> bagaimana kondisi di Indonesia? kayaknya sih banyak juga yang suka lihat situs XXX
- "keparat" moralnya tidak usah diragukan lagi, pasti "bejat"

Apa lagi ya? silahkan tambahkan ke komentar ya

Hikmah suatu penantian

Menanti atau menunggu merupakan hal yang mungkin paling tidak disenangi oleh semua orang. Ya, menunggu, apalagi tanpa kepastian kapan datangnya yang ditunggu. Begitu juga aku, lama menunggu sesuatu yang ditunggu. Tetapi di sinilah hikmah dan kesabaran ditunjukkan melalui kuasa Ilahi.
Alkisah, dulu pada waktu kuliah S1 di UGM, statusku adalah Pegawai Tugas Belajar. Setelah lulus dan menyandang gelar S1, kami (pegawai tugas belajar) diperbantukan di kantor pusat instansi X di Jakarta. Sangat berbeda dengan lulusan sebelumnya yang langsung kembali ke unit organisasi sebelumnya. Di Jakarta, biaya hidup yang tinggi (dibandingkan di Jogja dulu) membuat beberapa dari kami kelabakan, apalagi yang sudah punya keluarga. Harus menghidupi dua dapur sekaligus. Sebagai pegawai diperbantukan, kami diberikan tugas melaksanakan suatu proyek penilaian beberapa aset, dibagi untuk beberapa kelompok. Memang itulah profesi dan penerapan ilmu kami.
Selama pengerjaan proyek tersebut, kami menunggu kejelasan status kepegawaian kami. Soalnya tidak enak menyandang predikat pegawai diperbantukan. Mungkin sekitar enam bulan lamanya kami berstatus demikian, keluarlah SK 3a kami dan walaupun status kami di bagian (SDM), tetapi kami masih ditempatkan di Direktorat Y. Berikutnya, sekitar 6 bulan kemudian keluarlah SK jabatan kami. Yah, sebuah jabatan yang tidak favorit (dulu) karena susah mendapatkan angka kredit sehingga susah naik pangkat. Realisasi Janji-janji atasan bahwa akan segera ada penempatan ulang ditunggu terus hingga lama tanpa kepastian.
Akhirnya, ada kesempatan untuk pergi dari Jakarta, yaitu mengikuti tugas belajar S2. Lumayan, beasiswa gratis dari kantor. Ada beberapa program studi di beberapa universitas yang ditawarkan. Aku dan beberapa temanku memilih UGM lagi. Beberapa pertimbangan seperti dekat dengan keluarga dan biaya hidup murah merupakan pertimbangan utama. Walaupun ada kepastian bahwa kenaikan tunjangan tahun depan yang fantastis, tidak menyurutkan keinginan kami untuk melaju. Yah, lebih baik mencari yang pasti dari pada tidak pasti. Belum tentu juga penempatan ulang tetap di daerah yang diinginkan.
Nah inilah hikmahnya kerja di kantor pusat di Jakarta. Persyaratan masuk beasiswa S2 lumayan susah untuk yang di daerah. Bagaimana tidak, syarat nilai TOEFL Institusional, yang tesnya hanya ada di Kota-kota besar tentu menyulitkan bagi yang kerja di kota-kota kecil. Belum lagi syarat rekomendasi dari Eselon 2, yang notabene kalo di daerah, hanya bisa oleh kanwil, padahal kan susah transport, waktu, dan tenaga untuk mengurus itu. Dan yang paling susah lagi adalah jangka waktu pendaftaran yang pendek, sangat mepet. Kami yang di Jakarta saja harus melobi penyelengara ujian TOEFL dengan batasan peserta. Untung temen-temen dapat mencapai kuota peserta. Kalau untuk rekomendasi eselon 2, bukan masalah bagi kami, soalnya ada di kantor yang sama.
Hasil dari mepetnya waktu tersebut mungkin berdampak pada jumlah peserta seleksi. Hanya sedikit yang ikut. Di prodi yang kupilih, hanya 12 orang yang mendaftar, padahal yang dibutuhkan sekitar 10-15 orang. Dan akhirnya, semuanya masuk S2. Yah, itulah hasil dari kesabaran. Mungkin jika kami tidak sabar dan telah keluar SK penempatan sebelumnya, belum tentu bisa ikut S2 ini.
Setelah lulus S2 pun, kami masih magang dengan status pegawi tugas belajar dengan tunjangan yang belum penuh. Masih menunggu SK yang katanya hari ini keluar. Semoga saja penempatannya sesuai yang diharapkan.

Hikmah :
- apa yang baik bagimu belum tentu baik menurut Allah, dan apa yang buruk menurutmu belum tentu buruk menurut Allah
- kesabaran itu susah untuk didapatkan tetapi dibalik kesabaran selalu ada hikmah yang terpendam
- Hidup ini selalu dihadapkan oleh pilihan. Tiap pilihan mempunyai manfaat dan resiko masing-masing. Kadang ada juga manfaat dan resiko yang tidak diduga sebelumnya.

Hikmah - Pengalaman - Mudik 2

Ahad,23 April 2008 kemarin, saatnya balik after mudik long weekend. Tiket sudah dibeli hari sebelumnya, langsung dari agen Lorena di Km.9 Palembang(kalo gak salah). Tiket diagen cuma 170.000. Bayangkan !!! bandingkan dengan list di agen Rawamangun yang mencapai 200.000, beda jauh kan?... Yah itulah perilaku agen yang membedakan off peak dan tidak. Memang repot, sekali lagi : kesempatan , kesempatan , kesempatan.

Berangkat pukul 15.00 (kurang lebih sih), berangkat muter dulu ke km ntah berapa (lebih dari 10 kayaknya) ke agen lorena yang lain, biasa, ambil penumpang lagi. cukup cepat sih, gak lama, terus ke terminal Karya Jaya. Terminal ini kayaknya terminal paling sepi untuk ukuran ibu kota propinsi dan katanya termasuk yang rawan. (pesan orang-orang hati-hati kalau diterminal ini. Di lihat dari kondisinya memang sepi sekali, banyak ruko di situ, tetapi sekali lagi SEPI banyak yang tutup, tidak ditempati mungkin sekitar 99%. mungkin orang berpikir keamanan dan prospek bisnis yang buruk di tempat itu. padahal, dikota-kota lain yang "aman", bahkan dikota kecil pun, terminal merupakan ladang empuk untuk bisnis. Memang, resiko bisnis bukan hanya ekonomi global dan regional, tetapi juga "image" suatu tempat. Jadi ingat pelajaran penilaian properti, untuk menilai suatu properti harus melihat 3 hal penting, yaitu "LOKASI,..LOKASI,..dan LOKASI". Pantas saja orang tidak berinvestasi di terminal tersebut, karena lokasinya yang rawan.

Bis ambil penumpang lagi. di sana, waktu menunggu cukup lama, cukup banyak pedagang asongan yang menawarkan kemplang, krupuk khas palembang yang harganya hampir 2 x lipat dari harga normal di pasar (kalau tidak canggih nawar lho). Kalau dihubungkan dengan ilmu penilaian properti lagi, metode perbandingan harga memang cocok untuk meningkatkan keahlian menawar. Tetapi, sekali lagi, faktor ketidakseimbangan informasi pasar, karena penumpang tidak tahu harga yang layak, membuat para pedagang asongan dengan enaknya membuat "konspirasi" mementukan harga secara oligopoli di terminal tersebut. Tetapi masih bisa ditawar juga sih. Selain itu faktor waktu transaksi yang pendek dan keterdesakan penumpang yang belum membawa oleh-oleh dijadikan kesempatan penting para penjualnya.

Yang mengesankan adalah tingkah polah pengamen di bis. Pengamennya cuma satu, tetapi tingkahnya itu yang menjengkelkan. Aku sih tidak terlalu tahu soalnya lagi tidur ayam, cuma merem doang. Tapi tiba-tiba terbangun saat ada ribut-ribut di bis, aku lihat dibelakang, kayaknya ada penumpang yang mau berkelahi dengan pengamen itu tapi berhasil dipisah. Entah masalahnya apa. Tetapi dari kabar yang kudengar, pengamen itu memang kurang ajar, kata seorang penumpang cewek, pengamen itu jahil, mencolak-coleknya untuk meminta uang. Memang kurang ajar.

Di Indralaya, bis menaikkan penumpang lagi. Di sana ada pengamen masuk lagi. Tetapi berbeda dengan yang di terminal tadi, pengamen ini agak ramah, gak kurang ajar. Nyanyian dan musiknya pun agak enak didengar. Memang, tiap orang , walaupun profesinya sama, tetapi perilakunya bisa berbeda. Istilah baratnya kalo difilm-film ada good cop and bad cop. Di Indonesia juga banyak seperti itu.

Dari Indralaya, bus melaju dan istirahat di RM Pagi Sore. Tidak usah diceritakan kondisi rumah makan padang, lihat ajaposting sebelumnya.

Bis melaju terus hingga Ogan Komering Ilir. Di dekat simpangan ke arah Martapura, bis berhenti di penjual-penjual duku. Lumayan buat oleh-oleh. Boleh cicip juga. lumayan lama di situ, tetapi harga masih terhitung mahal 7000/kg. Soalnya tahun ini buahnya cuma sedikit. Yah, sesuai hukum ekonomi, permintaan dan penawaran lah. Setelah itu, bis ngebut hingga di Lampung.

Di Lampung, bis berhenti di Begadang IV kalau gak salah. Di sini suasananya agak enak . Tidak perlu bayar kalau ke toilet. Bersih lagi. Aku sih gak makan. Cuma sholat saja.

Berikutnya berhenti sebentar, kontrol lagi padahal masih di Lampung. Cepat sih. Terus melaju ke Bakauheni. Di sini yang nggak nyaman. Lagi-lagi nunggu kapal yang mau mengangkut. ANTRIIIIII....

Di kapal "lupa namanya" sangat tidak enak. Kamar mandi dan WC-nya sangat tidak manusiawi. cuma 2 ruang wc untuk cowok (nggak tau yang cewek berapa, takut dikira ngintip sih) Nggak sebanding dengan kapasitas penumpang. Pintu rusak, air seadanya. Harus angkut air dari tong ke bak dulu kalau mau pakai. WC juga gak bisa turun airnya. NGENESSS... Dari pengalaman berkali-kali naik kapal Merak-Bakauheni PP, kapal THE BEST yang pernah aku naiki adalah KAPAL MENTARI NUSANTARA. Kondisinya beda jauh dengan yang kemarin aku naiki. Bagus, enak, tempat duduk nyaman, kamar mandi banyak, air ngalir, ruangan berAC nggak mbayar. Pokoknya Siiip lah. Viva untuk pemilik dan krunya--- KAPAL MENTARI NUSANTARA MEMANG THE BEST LAH. -- promosi dikit lah.

Habis dari Merak, terus ke Tangerang. Lumayan macet, banyak penumpang yang turun, termasuk yang bikin jengkel sopir. Penumpang mau turun, tetapi barang-barang bawaan tidak dipersiapkan untuk turun dulu. Sopir takut kalo kena tilang polisi. Maklum tanggal tua, banyak "oknum" yang cari penghasilan tambahan. Bukan rahasia lagi di Republik ini.

Akhirnya, sampai di Kalideres aku turun dari Lorena langsung naik bus transjakarta pakai jalur busway. Cepat dan relatif murah dibandingkan naik bis kota biasa yang macet. Ada gunanya juga ya. Terus lanjut ke kos, mandi sebentar, terus ngantor... Walau telat sih.


So, hikmahnya apa saja :
- Tidak semua orang yang sama profesinya mempunyai perilaku yang sama
- Too much control spend too much time (lihat kontrol bis)
- Kesempatan yang ada jangan disia-siakan tetapi jangan menggunakannya secara berlebihan.

Ingat, lihat blog saya yang lain investasi syariah

Hikmah - Pengalaman - Mudik

After a very long weekend, libur lumayan panjang, dari hari kamis hingga sabtu. Memang enak buat pulang mudik. Aku lalui mudik dengan kenekatan. Yeahh..kenekatan karena tanpa pesan tiket sebelumnya, aku langsung ke Terminal Bus Rawamangun, nekat membeli tiket bus seadanya.

Di terminal itu, (mungkin karena long weekend) karcis-karcis bis sudah banyak yang habis --- alias fully booked --- entah berapa lama mereka memesan sebelumnya. Akhirnya aku dapat bis Bintang Permata Bunda, yang ternyata, setelah aku lihat hanyalah bis engkel baru, berfasilitas AC dan TV, non toilet, yang jarak antar tempat duduknya wuihh...sesak mbokkk... Yah apa boleh buat, hanya itu yang tersisa. Tiket bus yang lain, yang sudah punya good will yang oke sudah pada habis semua. Iseng-iseng aku liat harga tiket yang ditawarkan agen, entah itu harga resmi dari pengelola bis, atau harga agen, yang jelas telah ada kenaikan yang tinggi. Mungkin juga permainan agen dan calo tiket untuk mendapatkan keuntungan di long weekend. yah inilah negaraku. Di mana ada kesempatan, disitu bisa dibuat uang--oleh orang yang mempunyai kesempatan itu tentunya.

Di bis yang penuh sesak, aku bersampingan dengan seorang ibu yang pergi dengan ankanya, mo nengok anaknya yang kuliah "katanya lho". Kasian ibu dan anak itu (abg sih, cowok lagi, aku sih gak berminat, aku bukan hombreng lho). Kasiannya begini, ibu itu beli 2 tiket, satu untuknya, dan satu untuk anaknya. Padahal tempat duduk di bis sudah habis, tetapi kata agennya akan diberi bangku tempel, alias bangku tambahan yang ditaruh di gang tempat duduk bis. Waktu berangkat, ibu itu sudah minta bangkunya, tetapi dijawab nanti di jalan... tapi dijawab lagi nanti dilampung ada yang turun. Tetapi...ditunggu terus hingga lampung..hingga masuk Ogan komering ilir, ternyata tidak ada yang turun juga. Anak itu pun duduk digang sambil bersandar pada kaki ibunya yang duduknya memang tusuk sate dengan gang. Kasian, hingga tempat turunnya di Indralaya, tetap begitu. Kasian. Inilah janji kosong agen bus yang mencelakakan penumpang. Pihak sopir dan kru pun gak bisa apa-apa karena itu ulah agennya.

Cerita dari ibu yang lain lagi, sudah pesan tiket di Giri Indah (kalo gak salah), sudah dapat nomor kursi, tetapi ternyata sudah dijual ke orang lain oleh agennya. Mungkin karena tidak memberikan DP, atau mungkin masih pake harga lama kali.

Pengalaman lain yang tak kalah penting adalah jam karet dua orang penumpang, yang karena kurang koordinasi menyebabkan bis terlabat berangkat. Sebenarnya orangnya sudah nunggu di dekat bis, tetapi tidak lapor, jadi ditunggu-tunggu hingga menjengkelkan penumpang lain (termasuk aku tentunya.

Yang mengenaskan adalah istirahat makan malam. Di bis, waktu berhenti di Merak, memang banyak yang menawarkan makanan tetapi bukan di rumah makan. Sampai di Bakauheni entah jam berapa, bis langsung berjalan terus hingga malam. Di tengah malam, sekitar jam satu kuang dikit, seseorang teriak "Pak Sopir, kapan kita makan?", rupanya cacing-cacing diperut orang itu sudah tidak tahan berpuasa dari siang. Sopir berkata, " nanti di Gadang ..." entah ngomong apa gak jelas, karena aku di belakang. Ternyata yang dimaksud adalah rumah makan Gadang XX. Yang tak habis pikir adalah kenapa harus di rumah makan itu padahal rumah makan lain yang dilewati banyak. Kata orang-orang sih, mungkin seperti dirumah makan tertentu memberi"makan" gratis bagi kru bis soalnya membawa pembeli ke rumah makannya, dan tentunya penumpang yang membeli di situ diberi harga yang FANTASTIS mahalnya, tanpa kejelasan harga terpampang. Yah, rumah makan padang memang begitu. MAHAL tanpa kejelasan harga. Harga hanya diberi corat-coret di kertas, tetapi tak terpampang sehingga pembeli dapat memilah dan memilih sesuai koceknya.

Kondisi jalan bandar jaya-oki, entah pada km berapa saja sangat buruk. berkali-kali harus membenarkan barang-barang di atas`dan belakang agar tidak jatuh di kepala.
Bapak-bapak "oknum" polisi dan dishub yang sering minta tebusan (mungkin karena spion pecah waktu nyalip truk). Yah biasalah, "oknum" peminta-minta berseragam memang sudah sering disorot dimedia jadi tidak membuat heran lagi di Indonesia.

Mudik memang berkesan, apalagi ke tempat Camer..he..he..he