I have been asked to speak at Search Marketing Expo, London. I will be speaking on the psychological aspects of creating content with a purpose to build links. Quite a mouthful I know, I need to work on that headline, how about “Mental Linkbaiting”.

I am honoured to share the platform with some brilliant linkbuilders, Tom Critchlow, Wiep Knoll, and Jay Young.

I went to SMX London last year, not that I’m a conference junkie, although they are a lot of fun. For someone wanting to up their game they are recommended. A few new things learned here and there should easily pay for the conference fee, plus you get to go and talk to the experts direct and look into their eyes.

Thanks to the guys at SMX for this opportunity. If you do go, come up and say hi. I will be at the London SEO bash on the 4th as well.

Categories: smx london

It’s that time of year again. London Search Marketing Expo is on the 4th and 5th of November. It’s a British tradition to build a bonfire throwing an effigy of Guy Fawkes onto it, we like to celebrate this burning of Catholic conspirators whilst eating toffee apples and watching fireworks.

Someone has mentioned that a Guy Fawkes effigy will be present at the conference and that a certain Google spam hunters face will adorn the Guy. Surely not?

If you are thinking of going, go. You get to meet some great people and learn some cutting edge techniques. I’m not much of a conference goer as I’m usually too busy, but I am making an effort for this one. It’s a great place to find out how short seo bloggers actually are.

The SMX Lyndon Antcliff bio

Categories: SEO Conference

I know how much I should be paid, but how much should an agency seo, or an in-house seo be paid?

As a freelance my fee is dictated by the market, I set it too high and I get no takers, too low and I am swamped.

But what about those who work in organisations? It’s a difficult question for some to answer and I so rarely see it discussed in the seo blog world. Maybe because not everyone wants this information public.

Various factors are obviously involved like, experience, expertise, job availablity etc.

But what’s the starting pay for an seo and how much can you earn?

I’m interested in your thoughts.

Categories: SEO Job

To me, blogging has been a means to an ends. Get clients, establish the brand, wind a few people up. The problem is of course when you get the clients you no longer have the time to blog.

But, I think you still should.

It keeps the mind focused, it keeps the creative gene fed with blood and oxygen, it enables you to start conversations on topics you are interested in. Problem is, if you are late for a client, which I am 80% of the time (have difficulty letting go of the work, just one more tweak) then they may get pissed at what they see as you goofing off on your blog. When in fact it actually helps get the juices flowing and helps you serve the client better. Read More →

Categories: Blogging

Since I announced I was going to help other SEO professionals get work at seo agencies and as in-house seo’s it’s been a crazy 24 hours. After making the SEO Job post and twitter I have been amazed at the response. We’ve been swamped by quite a few CV’s from some very talented people who are woefully underpaid. It may be a while before we can reply to everyone.

A number of people have told me that the best SEO’s are those who are self employed and that in-house guys are just trained monkies. It’s simply not the case as not everyone wants the stress, pressure and lack of security being your own boss brings.

Some people want to be able to leave the work at the office and simply have a good time and get paid a heck of a lot of money for what they do with no worries about where the next client will come from.

Personally, it’s not for me. Not that anyone would ever employ me anyway and I love the high-wire act of working for yourself. But simply because you do seo in-house does not mean you are any less talented.

And there is no reason why you shouldn’t be well paid if you are hot stuff.

Categories: SEO Job

So how do you get a job in the SEO space?

Do you speak to one of the “digital services” recruitment agencies? Digital services? I hate the term digital services, it’s SEO or SEM or even online marketing.

The limited experience of recruitment agencies has been all bad. Most of the time I feel like I am speaking to a crack addict or someone who swallows coffee beans raw to get that instant caffeine injection. My biggest problem is trust, why is this person the other side of the ergonomically designed desk acting as if they are my best friend and wants more than anything to do me a favour.

Recruiters get paid a lot of money to place people so it’s no surprise they are aggressive. Not that there is anything wrong with that, it just leaves me drained.

I am sure there are great seo recruiters out there, if you know any great. But what strikes me is that the best person to place an search engine optimiser in a position is another seo. Who else is going to know what’s needed and understand what an seo really wants. And it’s not always cash, although it mostly is.

So here’s the deal. Me and enterprise level seo and Wordtracker guy, Mark Nunney are offering an SEO Recruitment service. To be honest, I want it to be skewed towards the SEO professional than the corporate client. I feel that optimisers are undervalued in the market place and do not fully understand their value. I think that if you are an expert, then it’s a case of the corporate client making their pitch and competing against others to employ you. Which is how it should be right?

Listen up, there is a shortage of skilled professionals out there. As an SEO you want to get the best deal possible, and lets face it, it’s not always about money.

Send in your CV and requirements to lyndon@cornwallseo.com and we can get you sorted. We know what you need beause we do what you do.

ps. I will be setting up an SEO Job blog so we can keep this blog doing what it does best.

pps. First job a client wants filled is here if you think you have the cahonas for it drop my a line. It’s next door to Ebay, which I think is kinda cool.

Categories: SEO Job · Social media marketing

Creating conversation can be more linkable than pure content.

Starting an exchange of ideas within your niche can be more illuminating than simply publishing what you think, although to start the conversation you may have to publish what you think. The quality of the conversation will in someway reflect your understanding of the industry, whatever it is. By enabling a conversation about something that is on the minds of those in the niche you can create something more linkable than if you simply posted your own content.

My point is, seed a conversation own it, learn from it and benefit from it.

Categories: Social media marketing

I rarely beg for social media votes on this blog. The reason is not because begging for social media votes is beneath me, far from it. But I want what I publish here to live and die on its merits. That way I can then see what the market loves and what it hates.

By knowing what people like I can deliver more of the same. I can find out what works and what does not, but if I started to go out and market the blog posts amongst my contacts the data would be made murky.

Most of the time, when I sweat over a post which I think showcases my huge talent, it bombs. But when I knock out something quick and dirty, something I think no one will take serious. It goes mental. Well that’s not entirely true, but the market constantly surprises me and I like to have the fresh data.

For example, I have tried different styles of headlines and it’s mostly the shorter, resourceful headlines which work, rather than the wordy, trying too hard to be clever headlines.

Always be testing.

Categories: Blogging

Great piece of linkbait from the BBC. Why?

It’s great because it got me to link, it got me to link because it both amused and made me angry. At first I thought such silly thinking by a bank should be publicised and I should post about it. But then I realised I had been motivated to link to the story. It’s distracting to call it baiting as in linkbaiting, but the story made my link finger itch.

I realise I could chose a better headline than this, but I wonder how many people search for “Lloyds bank is pants”? I guess I will find out.

The point is, invoking an emotional response is a powerful way to get a link. The story is helped by being on the BBC rather than a rag like the Daily Mail.

Actually I can’t really call it linkbait, it’s merely a great story.

Categories: Linkbait

Have you ever shared a house or a flat with someone? You are all sitting around the telly watching repeats of Coast and you ask one of your flat mates to nip down the shops and buy a packet of Hobnobs.

There is as much chance of your slovenly flat mate putting on his shoes and coat and heading off to Lidl than there is as getting someone to link to you.

The point I am making is that useful links are extremely difficult to get, if you give it no thought.

If on the other hand you said, “I have a couple of friends coming over, one of them is that girl you really fancy and by the way did I mention that she loves Hobnobs, do we have any in the cupboard?”

The chance of the slobby flatmate heading off to Lidl increases exponentially.

Rather than ask for a link, make it serve the linkers self interest to link.

Make it your goal to know what the linker is interested in, what gets their juices flowing. What makes their linking finger itch?

Categories: Link Building Theory