This week, I have THE Dan Thies, with me.

That's THE Dan Thies!

The audio recording of our interview is at the end of this blog post. Just look for the “play” button and listen. It’s free!

Here's more about Dan, so you can see why I think he's cool. (And, yes, you've probably seen this picture about 20 times on my blog, but can you blame me? It's Warren Whitlock AND Dan Thies! – yes, I'm a bit star struck.)

Warren Whitlock, me, and Dan Thies

Dan Thies, former Dean of Faculty for StomperNet, has been a heavy hitter in the SEO world for a long time now, and he's respected among his peers as THE keyword guru.

He has been helping his clients (and friends) promote their businesses online since Netscape was a start-up. He is the author and publisher of the top-selling e-book “Search Engine Optimization Fast Start,” now in its 4th edition. Dan launched SEO Research Labs in early 2003, following numerous requests from readers for keyword research services.

That's the most recent bio I could find and it sure doesn't do him justice. He's freaking brilliant, super funny, and a link building mad-man.  Plus, unlike many SEO guys I've met, he's focused on building a quality business, not just gaming the search engines. He makes so much sense. In fact, he is referred to as the “White Hat Black Belt”.

If you're just learning about SEO, white hat means that you do things according to the rules. Black hat – means not so much. (A cute take on the Wild West.) And, much like in the Westerns, the bad guys may run off with a big ole bag of cash, but it's not too long until the Good Guys win.

That's my take on it, anyway. I'm a White Hat girl. I'll gamble on the Nickel Slots, but not in my business.

I think I say this every week, but this is another of my favorite interviews. I just love having the opportunity to talk with smart people so frequently. It's a dream come true! And, Dan is one of my heroes from several years back. Although he probably doesn't know it, a lot of my interest in SEO came from hearing him speak a few years ago.

Be sure to listen to the entire interview. It's another great one.

“Must Have” Online Business Tools Recommended by Dan:

• Mailing List. I recommend Aweber.
• Shopping Cart (A Way to Process Orders).
• Content Management System. Recommend WordPress.org Blog
• And, a MAC.

Great Resources from Dan Thies:

Check out these free videos from Dan and get thy butt on their notification list, pronto:

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

Be sure to post your comments below. I'd love to hear what you learned and will apply from this interview.

Warmly,
Nicole Dean

PS. If you can make a phone call, you can have a podcast like mine: Click to learn  How to Record a Telephone Interview like I do.

Last week, I told you about Affiliate Niche Packs from my friend, Susanne Myers. If you missed that announcement,
you can catch up here: Affiliate Niche Research Packs.

She's doing the research to uncover profitable niches and provide you with all the research you'll need to proceed and make money in that niche. You still have to do the work – or hand the packet to your ghostwriter and have him/her do it for you, but she's got it all laid out for you as far as keywords, article/blog titles, and a monetization plan.

Speaking of keywords and search engine optimization, you'll love this. If you've been around SEO very long you must have heard of these guys … Dan Thies and Leslie Rohde … because they have done more to advance and teach SEO than pretty much anyone else out there.

I've been following their stuff for a long time myself, and have had the pleasure of meeting them both in person.(Although I only have a picture of me with Dan, so you'll have to trust me that I met Leslie, too.)

That's me with Warren Whitlock (left) and Dan Thies (right).

Dan & Leslie are great guys (kind of like SEO knights in shining armor) and have always given me information that has helped my SEO significantly. I trust their information implicitly.

Problem is, they have both been “underground” for a couple years so neither of them was making their newest stuff public. Until now.

About a month ago they finally joined forces and are about to give away some of their newest research and teaching. Here's a link to an intro video that will tell you what's coming next.

Get Free SEO Video Training from Dan Thies and Leslie Rohde Here.

Be sure to sign up for updates if you like what you see, so you get more videos as they go live. I sure am!

Thanks as always for putting your trust in me.

Warmly,
Nicole Dean

I've been a jet-setting queen the last few weeks — off to StomperNet Live 7 in Atlanta in early March and then down to Willie Crawford's 50th Birthday Bash in Orlando last weekend. (I might just be crazy enough to go to another event later this month!)

I've been asked about both events — if I had fun, who I met, and how they were overall.

Here's the scoop. The two events were complete opposites, so I feel that I benefited differently (and greatly) from each.

StomperNet Live 7

Where: Held in Downtown Atlanta in a Hyatt.

Who: I'd estimate about 200 people there, but could be totally off.

What: Friday – Saturday speakers from 9-6 each day.

My Roomie:  Tracy Roberts, my awesomest  Virtual Assistant and friend.

Speakers included: Dan Thies, David Bullock, Perry Belcher, and the amazing Stephen Pierce, as well as others from the Stompernet Faculty.

Content provided: Actionable internet marketing advice. Solid online tactics. Left with a to-do list a mile long.

Pitches: None. There was nothing for sale. Just solid content.

Networking: I'm not sure if it was the size of the crowd or the types of businesses that the others had, but I didn't find the networking to be very personal. Went to bed fairly early. No major “love” connections. (I'm married. I mean for my business!) Although I did meet Mr. George Williams who will be a long-time friend.

Highlights: Perry Belcher's speech was inspiring, informative, and entertaining to the tune of almost peeing my pants. Yes, it was THAT good.

Feeling afterward: Like I'd just finished my Final Exams and found out that there was another round. My brain was tired, but I also knew that there's more work to do. However, very excited to have actionable items on my list.

How was the Sushi? Excellent! I discovered a “Las Vegas” roll that has a jalapeno on top. YUMMY!

Photos: none

Willie Crawford's Birthday Event

Where: Held in Downtown Orlando in a  Crowne Plaza.

Who: I'd estimate about 40 people there, but could be off.

What: Friday – Saturday speakers from 9-6 each day.

My Roomie: Lynn Terry – Yes, THAT Lynn Terry. I was so nervous meeting her, but we were just like old friends in no time.

Speakers included: Felicia Slattery, The Niche Prof, Kathleen Gage, Rob Canyon, Mark Hendricks, David Preston, Sam Crowley, Kevin “Mr. Ebay” Johnson, Shel Horowitz, Laura Fenamore, and again, the amazing Stephen Pierce.

Content provided: Not really any advanced internet marketing information overall. More business sense and overall motivation strategies. However, I did leave motivated and ready to kick butt afterwards, so it's something that benefited me hugely, obviously.

Sales Pitches: Yes. Oddly, every speech (except Lynn's) ended with a pitch for an item around $2000. I guess I don't understand the speakers' circuit very well.  I would have easily dropped $100-300 on each of at least half of the speakers, but the larger packages that were offered were just “too much information”, mostly videos (which you guys know that I don't do) and would require my time — something that is worth more to me than money. Rob Canyon was the exception as he offered a really cool business coaching (one-on-one) plan that appealed to me very much.  So, I'll probably go check out some of their products and see if there's anything a bit more “bite-sized” for me.

Networking: Phenomenal. Seriously. I got to hang out with Bob the Teacher (who rocks!), Felicia, Lynn, Sam, Rob, and Willie Crawford (of course). I also got to meet Elizabeth Ashe (who I've known and emailed online for at least a year), Paul Richardson & Elmer Hurlstone the Photographer/Writer/Editor. Plus, my Tracy Roberts friend was there, too. And, that's just a few of the amazing, creative people there. I got to meet one of my affiliates who will now be helping me with some of my blogs. (Total sweetheart.)  I got about 4 hours of sleep every night and several times laughed until I cried. Leaving was very hard, almost like the last day of summer camp.

Feeling afterward: Like I'd been on vacation. Came back focused, energized, and ready to double my income. Feeling like a ROCK STAR!

How was the Sushi? Excellent! I discovered DEEP FRIED sushi! YUMMY!

Photos: Oh yeah! Coming soon… In the meantime, here's one to hold you over. This is me, watching Lynn's presentation onstage. (I'm the ponytail with the ears!)  Tracy is next to me in the blue shirt.

Note: I ran out of Twitter copy/paste energy. Those who aren't linked above, feel free to mention your Twitter URL and give your thoughts about the conference below.

More pics soon!

Nicole