Welcome to the Q&A Forum

In my experience, the best return you get is when you send your press release to individual editors/influencers. I have used PR Web, but have not found nearly as much value as actually contacting individual editors. Time consuming? Yes. But we've gotten some great press/links back.

I agree with Loren. We need more information, as I've never heard of a product page dropping quickly out of the rankings because of an "out of stock" message.

Perhaps the issue is more on the logistical side. Is there a way to make sure the product stays in stock? Or perhaps a preorder/backorder option in case a searcher wants to order the item anyway?

I agree that there is probably next to no SEO value for using the **tag here. What I do like is that it works from a usability standpoint. To me it is natural for that line to be bolded because it is the name of the product. It makes the name stand out a bit and makes it easier for the user to know what they are looking at. For that, +1. **

I agree with Bryce that it probably doesn't affect Google's perception of the page at all.

However, from a user standpoint an "outdated" copyright could work against you. I see it as a sort of trust signal. I was on a page earlier that said "Copyright 2001" and I just couldn't get over it. If they can't bother to update the date on their site, why would they bother with having me as a customer?

Just something to think about. Great question.

I usually don't use shortcuts when I research Mommy Blogs. The quality ones get a ton of requests for reviews and giveaways. You have to find a way to stick out from the bunch. I usually read a handful of posts and the "About Me" page before sending an email. That way I can personalize it, and possibly even find a good pitch (ie - if they do a product of the week, etc). Most good Mommy Blogs have a page devoted to PR or you can just use their contact form.

I haven't used them so I can't vouch personally, but http://momsparkmedia.com/ might be a good option for you. Looks like they act as a liaison between bloggers and companies.

I hope that helps!

You might find some useful information from Google Analytics. If your client already has a Facebook fan page there is some useful information in the Insights.

If they have an ecommerce site, they could add questions to the checkout process in order to learn more about who is ordering (just be careful not to interfere with the user experience.

I haven't personally used it, but Quantcast might be another option.

Hi Paul,

It is important to note that I am talking about getting the links that link to your competitors' sites - not links from the competitors' sites themselves (though if you can get those by all means). These sites are already linking to a site with a similar topic to yours so the thought is they may be easier to get.

For instance, if you sell a product and find a blog has reviewed a competitors' product, write to them and see if they would be interested in trying out your product. Chances are, they will be willing to give it a try. If not, no biggie - move on to the next.

You may also find relevant (quality) directories and publications this way.

Bonus: You may learn something you didn't know about your competitors.

Does that make sense?

Jake's approach is right on. Key is building that relationship and reaching out in a personalized way.

Some people on the SEOMoz forum disagree with this tactic, but I also check who is linking to my competitors for the keywords I want to target. You can use OSE for this. It's a great way to find relevant linking opportunities. Some would argue that getting the same links as your competitors is fruitless. I agree if that is all you are doing. Combine it with Jake's strategy and you will be on the right path.

Greg - That actually is a great suggestion. We've used FB questions in the past for feedback on flavors and recipes. It is my fall back solution if I cannot find an apps that

a) Allows photos

b) Allows a link to individual "recipe" pages

Unfortunately, for now FB questions doesn't offer this sort of functionality. Thanks for the suggestion though!

I'm wondering if anyone has any recommendations for a "voting" app on Facebook. We have some user-generated recipes that we want to post and allow our fans to vote for their favorite.

Similar to this: http://www.facebook.com/New7WondersofNature#!/New7WondersofNature?sk=app_114026852036251

I've contacted Woobox but they only allow users to choose between 2 options and we would need 5.

Any thoughts?Thanks!

This may not be a viable option if you don't have time to dedicate, but I've had some luck with emailing press contacts individually with my press release. If you can personalize the response - even better. Most publications, online and print, will have contact information. You can also call ahead and see who would be the appropriate person to send it to.

I actually tweeted about this problem a few weeks ago and got the following response from the SEOMoz team:

"It's a known issue with the AdWords API and we're working on it as fast as we can."

I've been using the search volume within Google Keyword Tools in the meantime.

I agree with Syed. If I'm understanding the situation correctly, you are worried about a single page linking to a different page multiple times. This should not be a problem at all. Google will not penalize.

You've gotten some great responses here. I just wanted to add my gut reaction to your question.

If a keyword ranks #1 but no one is around to click on it does it really matter?

My advice would be to take a look at the keywords again and determine if they are the most valuable words you should be ranking for.

Sometimes the best targeted words don't bring the traffic and the best trafficked words don't bring the qualified visits.

Another good indication is whether or not they link to your competitor. I mostly find directories from looking at competitors' back link profiles. Most of them are industry specific and, assuming they are still maintained, worth the couple of minutes it takes to submit.

This seems like a contest your customers might be interested in. Do you have an email list? Perhaps send it out there.

I have never run a contest where someone has to create a video, but I have had success with free contest listing sites. Do a quick google search and you will find a few where you can list your contest. Also, don't be afraid to ask your followers to RT your Tweets. I find when I ask followers are happy to oblige.

Best of luck with the contest!

When I google "Aphrodite Desserts" I get the site (and the new SERP 12-pack!) as number 1 as well. Is this your first report? If so, give it a week or two and it should start showing up. Sometimes it can be stubborn.

You can also look at your competitors' (anyone ranking above you for your key terms) backlinks and you may be able to find some good blogs that way.

Alex is correct. The SEOMoz tool bar is a valuable tool. Install it on your browser and you will be able to see the DA and PA of each site you look at. You will also be able to quickly take a look at their backlinks.

Another way to find influential bloggers is on Twitter. (Usually) the more followers a tweeter has the bigger reach their blog has.

I agree with Anthony. This is a great topic. I went to nlpca.com and it wasn't until 2/3 of the way down the page that I actually read what NLP stands for.

Granted, your target demographic may not be as naive, but a great infographic right off the bat would be a great opportunity to make it clear for people like me.

I don't have any advice for making it spectacular, but you are on a great path. Let us know when you finish because I would love to see it.

I'm sure someone on here can tell you the technical reason why index pages are created (I have just kind of accepted that they exist), I can tell you how to fix the problem. You will need to set up a 301 redirect from either xxx/index to xxx or xxx to xxx/index. I'd point the redirect to the page with more backlinks.

That should fix your duplicate content problem.