Hey guys. You probably don't know this about me, but I'm actually pretty geeky in some ways. I love Star Trek, doing testing on my websites, and I dig SEO (search engine optimization). In fact, I get a ton of traffic to my niche sites from the search engines — it's a pretty sweet deal.

But, the problem is that every SEO course that I ever bought seemed to completely toss common-sense to the side and throw the actual MARKETING part of online business out the window. That's the reason why I've never recommended any of those courses to you.

I've got two huge exceptions today that just make me GRIN. It's like the Google stars are aligning and I'm kind of liking it. So, let's dig in.

JOIN ME IN THE SEO CHALLENGE:

First, I'm a member of Lynn Terry's Elite Club (a GREAT investment for very little money, by the way). Each month, Lynn posts a challenge for all members who choose to participate.

This month, the challenge is to rank in the top 3 places on Google for a term of our choosing. Obviously, she's got all kinds of training in her forum for those members who need help and a lot of it. The thing is that I had been putting my SEO efforts on the backburner the last few years so it's really lit a fire under my butt to focus on that this month. And, it's paying off in spades.  (More about that in a minute.)

FREE SEO TRAINING FOR INTERMEDIATE LEVEL MARKETERS:

The Second thing that sprouted up this month is that Dan Thies and Leslie Rohde have been offering some free training for their SEO Braintrust course that's opening tomorrow and I'm loving it. Dan & Leslie are both new friends of mine. I met them at Stomper Live in Atlanta a few months ago and they're FABULOUS!

I actually had quite the heated discussion with Dan about how frustrated I was about SEO training in general. I believe I said “PEOPLE buy stuff. PEOPLE can become loyal customers and raving fans. SEARCH ENGINES are just the tool to get them to us!!!” Luckily Dan agreed and didn't walk away thinking “Crazy woman!”

The awesome thing is that, although they are totally SEO guys, they both actually take marketing into consideration when building their traffic. AND – they teach you to build your reputation as a whole instead of gaming the system, so that the next time Google does a little shuffle or dance (which means, they rearrange where everyone sits in their rankings) – we'll weather it just fine.

ok. First my recommendation and then I'll back up for those that need it…

NEWBIES, START HERE:

If you're totally new to the concept of SEO & getting free traffic from Google, and you want to learn more about it – run to Lynn Terry's Elite Forum and sign up. It's worth the investment.

• Lynn Terry's Elite Forum

IF YOU'RE INTERMEDIATE LEVEL & LOVE TO WRITE? THIS IS FOR YOU!

If you understand SEO & that you need incoming links – PLUS you enjoy writing, but haven't been doing it enough or are confused about article marketing and link building in general, grab yourself a copy of my Guest Blogging/Blog Tour Guide and you can get as many links as your heart desires.

• Nicole Dean's Guest Blogging Guide

INTERMEDIATE LEVEL AND READY TO TACKLE SEO?

If you “get” SEO and want to take your training to the next level, then check out the free videos from Dan & Leslie and get thy butt on their notification list, pronto:

• Dan Thies Case Study Video
• Better Rankings and Traffic Video
• Rapid Rankings Video

STILL LOOKING FOR A NICHE? OR NEED MORE INFO ABOUT GOOD KEYWORDS?

Pfshew. I told you that this was a long time in coming. Now, like I said, I'm a SEO geek, but its really not hard at all. The only really difficult part for me is the keyword research and my friend, Susanne, has you covered for that with her new Niche Research Packs.

She does the research for profitable niches and hands it to you on a silver platter. SWEET.

• Check those out here: Niche Research Packs

After that? In a nutshell, without getting too deep, it's just a matter of getting as many quality sites to link to your website that you possibly can. And, that, my friends will be the topic of the next blog post — if you'd like my insight into the matter. 🙂

In the meantime, go check out the resources above. You'll be glad that you did.

Have a fantastic day!

Warmly,
Nicole Dean

PS. I mentioned that the work I've done on my SEO the last few weeks has paid off in spades. Well, check out who's #2 when you search Google for Naked Duvet Covers. I'm just sayin'…

Disclaimer: Obviously the Naked Duvet Covers is a joke and an attempt to not disclose my actual SEO plans for this site as they come together. I'm not a total doofus. 🙂