Link Building Course, Week 1

I don't watch video. Its too hard to skim….an essential part of my learning process.

No problem with the slideshow Dan, but the audio is really not very good. At the data levels you are streaming at the audio should be very good. If it's at all possible, I recommend giving the master recording to an audio studio for sweetening and recompression.

The current technology is not working.

And as the film industry knows, quality of sound is more important than even the quality of images.

Thanks for the feedback, guys… it helps more than you know.

Charles,
I'll get a PDF of the presentation online at this page later today.

Alec,
These classes were recorded live on conference calls, and they can be a little loud in spots. I did try to hire someone to clean it up, but the results weren't significantly better from any of the 3 places I tried. I think the audio was compressed a little too much when they recorded it.

What I am doing instead is getting the sessions transcribed, paying an editor to turn the transcripts into a voiceover script, and then I'll update and re-record all of the sessions in my new studio. Hopefully before SES San Jose, so I can give away a bunch of book & DVD sets while I'm out there.

Hey Dan,

That will be time and money well spent. Your second delivery in a professional studio will be much, much better - it will be a joy to listen to. Great idea.

I'm very keen to read through the PDF's as well.

I learn better/faster off paper.

Everyone learns best in different ways - either by seeing, hearing or hands-on.

Personally, my weakest method is audio. I love the SEO Fast Start books, so I'd love to hear what you have to say about Link Building. But I need to read it, not listen to it. Otherwise, I just won't absorb the material.

So I'm looking forward to the PDF version!

Dear Dan,
Thanks a lot, SEOFastStart and Link Building classes are really interesting.
You mention the Keyword Strategy video at the end of Classes-Links-1, I'm really sorry but where can I find this video? I've serach without success!
Regarding the video, a pdf transcript would be a good idea to fix what we can watch and listen to.

The PDF is now linked from the text above the video for each week.

The Keyword Strategy Video is at http://www.seoresearchlabs.com/keywordvideo/ - we'll get it moved over here when we get a chance.

Part of what I'm trying to do here is get to the right format for packaged training. After reading the comments so far, I think we need to develop a text component for future classes.

Dan, re online adult learning format:

I've taught MBA courses onground and online, to practicing professionals (i.e., executive MBA programs). Adult learners are classified as visual (most of us, about 80-plus percent), audio (about 10 percent), and tactile (hands-on, like assembling a computer). Visual is the best format for most adult learners; audio is a distant second. The two together will cover most learners.

I don't listen to or view an audio or video course. I don't get started because I fear a big time sink; I could scan a document more quickly, and come back for more later if desired. I am in control, not the speaker. Isn't that the point of good Web practices? If I start to listen, I lose focus and interest. Case in Point: I am just now getting to the links classes, and it's week 4. Not because of lack of interest, but because I can't bear the thought of a long audio session. They usually (speaking generally, not about yours specifically) have too much filler content, speaker articulation and pacing problems, and don't make clear transitions from one topic to the next (e.g., "Point 3 is…), making it difficult to take good notes. I scanned your PDFs but still have not listened to the audio to fill in the blanks, because I know it will take too much time.

It takes more time to write well than to make an audio recording, unless the audio is tightly scripted. That is convenient for the speaker, but not the best learning mode for the audience.

Alternate idea: create PowerPoint slides using the Notes feature, with the slide at the top and the expanded explanation at the bottom. The notes sections will also give you a head start on a book or book chapter!

Thanks for reading. I appreciate that you are providing this information free, but I am getting just a small fraction of the benefit because of the audio format. P.S. Please do NOT post my email. ###

Don't worry Pat, the email addresses aren't posted. Occasionally I have to email a poster for clarification on something, or if I have to remove a comment I like to let folks know why.

It's funny, the online video & audio format works great for a live class - we keep people engaged for the full 60 minutes, we keep a lively group for Q&A afterward. When you present it as a recording, even though it's sort of the same experience, it's just not the same for some reason.

I think we need a more structured format for content that's recorded for later delivery. Shorter videos in support of a text and exercises, something like that.

Hello Dan,

I totally agree with Pat. Pat has described the issue very well.

Thank you for the PDFs!

You are right on about more structured presentation for A/V content.

It's not for nothing that television and advertising employ legions of writers and script doctors.

I would like to commend your work. I'm a web designer since 1994 and an avid SEO practicioner for about three years now and to be quite honest I have learned so many thing s on your first video that I have never heard before in other forums that I visit every week.

I want to thank you for all your inside knowledge provided and tell you to keep up the good work and good content. If you continue in this track I'm going to see you get pretty famous soon. I know many people will take in consideration all the heavy stuff you are providing to everyone.

Many Thanks

Javier Crespi

Hi Dan,

I think the videos are really useful, but it even better if we could download them to watch off-line. I tend to use travel time such as flights for catching up on podcasts and videos etc.

Obviously you may not want to allow people to download for copyright reasons which would be understandable.

Dave

Hi - reading the book I'm sure you know what you're talking about but I've got to say these recordings aren't useable. I've downloaded the PDFs but without the audio they mean absolutley squat (that's a good thing! I'm a presentation skills trainer and I always encourage people to avoid putting all their info on the slides!)

S

Not quite sure what you mean, Simon. Are you unable to hear the audio?

Wow! Alot to think about there.

I've read the book, and watched the video, now I need to start to put some of this stuff into practise.

Where I see problems is with regard to getting them one-way links. For a blog that is so much easier [I know because I write a success blog] but getting people to link one-way to a site that provides a service or product is much more difficult.

Darren

Dan,
Your audio problem is a difference in impedance. You can fix it with an interface box called a Gentner.Microtel (or similar). To learn about telephone interfaces check out: http://www.audiotheater.com/phone/phone.html (not at all affiliated with me).

Regards,
Christian

Christian, would I need a time machine to use that on the existing audio, or can it be used after the fact?

Golly Dan. The audio nearly knocked me off my chair when I started the video. Even turned down to absolute minimum it's too painful to use.

I have to echo the others who asked for text vs video. Video has some really great uses where you're showing actual software or web pages in use, or building something, but any time it's basically text slides with audio, (or the classic talking head), I would a million times rather have something to read. Then I can take it to bed with me

Hey Dan,

I don't care if you're broadcasting from the moon! Your knowledge and willingness to teach without getting paid is too good to be true. Please make this a membership only course and charge mucho dinero. Or make the quality of the recording much worse, so those too lazy to pay attention will go away. I don't want my competitors getting a hold of this information for free.

Kevin, it's playing too loud for you? Are you using Windows? Are you using your Windows volume control? (Seriously, just trying to understand!)

Dan, I normally have volume controls on everything set pretty low, around 2 on a scale of 1 to 10. I listened to your SIMPLE video at that setting earlier today, and hadn't changed the settings since, so it was a surprise when the audio for this lesson was painfully (literally) loud. I turned the volume down to the lowest it will go, and it was still, for me, surprisingly loud. It does seem to be only this lesson - the others I listened to afterwards were at much more normal levels.

I just tried this lesson again, starting on lowest possible volume. That gives me a normal sounding volume, though very crackly. Setting my volume to its normal level is uncomfortably loud. Checking against several other sound sources (video, music, synth) confirms that on my system (Win XP) the volume on this video is much louder than normal.

I hope this comes across as meant, as constructive feedback. The content is exemplary!

So, it sounds like I need to reduce the volume on this one… we're on it.

OK, I had 'em mash the volume down quite a bit… feedback please!

Dan

Dan, it's definitely quieter now, though still a bit louder than most things at the same volume setting.

I used Windows Media player and it was loud, but I turned it down and could listen perfectly.

Thanks, guys, I'm going to assume it's playable now, and move on to fighting other fires.

Nice work, Dan.

Yes, the audio could use some impedance matching, but the information is clear, and your outlines work great… for those who need to skim, just use the scrubber on the bottom of the video.

There!

Looking forward to the rest of your course. Even us die-hard SEO guys pick up little bits and pieces from our peers. You done good!

Best of success,
Mark Alan Effinger
http://www.RichContent.tv

Thanks, Mark. They'll be redone at some point, but most folks are having no major difficulties.

I'm just a farm wife with a small horses operation that is in major trouble. I am seriously electronically challenged, and getting a web site is probably the only smart thing I've done in 18 years,(we'll see), but even I know that if you can't get into the first 3-4 pages of search results the only way anybody will visit your site is through direct marketing.

I read your book, (twice), and while it's way over my head, I may be able to apply some of your tools to help me get a better ranking…no search results yet. If you're interested in making your book more useful to people like me the first thing I would do is add an accessible glossary.

It's possible you may be assuming that your audience is more technically saavy than you think. I was pretty much lost from "Dynamic Linking" on….able to absorb parts of it but confused by much of the terminology, I am electronically challenged, as I said, but intend to persevere. I at least figured out the use of this site as an "authoritative Link" for your other sites.

Anyway…while the Quarter Horse Industry is probably for the most part ignorant of SEO (the major breeders and trainers have no search result rank under basic search terms or phrases)…I'm still a tiny little fish in a geat big pond. And due to drought and my own stupidity, every dime I have has to feed my horses until I can get some sold. So if you can help me please contact me. I'm probably not worthy of your assistance, but you'd be welcome to use me as a worst case scenario "before and after" for all of us little fish out there.

Thanks for your consideration, Kristi Lacy

Kristi,

Thanks for the feedback - I think I can do a lot more to make the content easier to understand for beginners, and your suggestions are very helpful.

The good news is that you can ignore that dynamic linking stuff and still do very well. Especially if your competition isn't doing hard core SEO.

I am not, unfortunately, available for 1-1 consulting right now. Paid or not. I just don't have the time to do it.

Dan,
Ok, OK! But just one more thing….
I just reread "Dynamic Linking", and I think I may need to apply it. I will be adding a fourth tier to my site which is just for reference sires. By linking the pedigrees of my horses to them, some of the links will be to "Our Stallions" (About Us) but some of them will be to these reference sire pages (horse people love pedigrees and pictures of past champions).
I think you are suggesting with "Dynamic Linking" that I should add a nofollow instruction to the links of the reference sires that aren't "Our Stallions" . Here's my problem…I'm using Microsoft Publisher (I know… the "evil empire"…ask me what the rumor is as to why Bill Gates stepped down as CEO) and I'm not sure I can modify the link instruction. Thanks So Much, Kristi Lacy

Hello Dan and all "members"
Dan, you have given so much to us and asked only in return for a comment so I want to comply and give you a thumbs up review like the movie critics. This weekend I went through about 55 pages of the book. In all honesty after the first 5 to 10 pages I suddenly felt that this could be one of those free books leading into a sales pitch. So I scrolled ahead to make certain there was no price and credit card payment info ahead. I'm sure many understand and have experienced that which I speak of.
Dan, you are a man of your word. The book gave me all you spoke of and laid it out in an easy to follow structure. Majority of my computer knowledge is self taught from reading and taking internet tutorials, tips, html, marketing sites,thermal mapping, SEO and just old fshioned trial and error. Your book pulled together many loose ends for myself and alerted me against mistakes I would have continued to make.
Actual cases explaining the work done and results obtained would be the icing on the cake. Examples are my life saver to enhance comprehension. I'm saving my questions. It would be best to run through the fixes, search the posts for related info, then ask for what I can't find.
As for my site that was an experiment and learning tool. only two weeks ago I finished tearing it apart and rebuilt it for the sake of being visually pleasing but it still needs to be validated, filled with content, sites, links and seo. It's presently being used for affiliate marketing.
My two favorite buttons on the computer are "back" and in dreamweaver 8 "undo"

Thanks, John.

In that first section, it's a hard thing to balance. I want people to read the book, so a bit of selling is in order (selling the rest of the book).

But you're right, there are so many "free" products out there now that are just a sales pitch, maybe I need to rethink it a bit.

I'm sure I'll have plenty of things to sell at some point, but the fast start series isn't a sales pitch, and whatever I do sell will be the highest value I can offer for those who have an interest and a need.

I just think that the basic information needs to be free, so that nobody has to get "taken for a ride" by unscrupulous marketers.

Dan
Dynamic Linking and anchor text are going to be important for my site.( The #1 Ranked "Quarter Horses for Sale" on Google is quarterhorsesforsale.com ) Unfortunately I can't seem to figure out how to use the html code you gave us in my MS Pulisher program. Yes, I am Dumb OK! Electronically Challenged…Cursed…Retarded…Jinxed. Have mercy! Now you've gotten me hooked on this stuff and I can't even apply the simplest tool (simple to you anyway) to see if it works.
I've been rebuilding my site using the core term and anchor text structure you described and adding some reference stallion pages to help make my site unique, but those pages will only bleed page rank if I can't apply nofollow. If you can't help me, can you refer me somewhere that I can find help.

Thanks,
Kristi
P.S. Did you get my comment about Yahoo catagorizing plural terms as duplication

Most of SEO is common sense
It takes a particular gift to explain the basics of search engine optimization in a most simple understandable style
True there may be a bit of information overload in that so many points are given at one time - you turn off the tape and replay it later
All in all the points are basically common sense
No rocket science here

Thanks, nepon… It's always a balancing act, but you're right. It's not about rocket science or big secrets, the point here is to bring all the information together.

i already downloaded your seo faststart, thanks for the ebook.

Dan,
As far as audio goes (and I don't want to beat a dead horse), you might want to consider getting a portable digital recorder - some of the podcasters I work with use them and sound great. You can record while giving the presentation over a conference call and then copy and past the audio track in a free video editing software. Very little cost, very little time to update and no change to your style or method.

Just my two cents - Thanks for the insight.

The entire course is being re-written and re-recorded, so the audio won't be an issue when we release the new version beginning with the SEOFS 2008 release May 15th.

Dan Thies:thanks for your free seo book! ^.^
jason from china

Dan Thies:thanks for your free seo book…
it seems very nice and very good information for bignr.
thanks

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