Ken McGaffin

Photo of Ken McGaffin

Ken McGaffin is Chief Marketing Officer at Wordtracker. He is an experienced internet marketing consultant and has worked for major pharmaceutical companies, advertising agencies, government bodies and non-profit organizations.

Ken unveils the secrets of successful link building in his 135-page e-book, Wordtracker Masterclass: Link Building. He also regularly presents extremely popular (and free) Link Building Webinars

Articles by Ken McGaffin

  1. Link building introduction [VIDEOS] Posted by Ken McGaffin on 25 January 2012

    In four short and clear videos, Ken McGaffin introduces link building for SEOs and all online marketers explaining why links are important, what a quality link is, what sites need links and what kind of sites you should try and get them from.

  2. Illustration for Keyword Basics Part 1: How search engines work

    Keyword Basics Part 1: How search engines work Posted by Ken McGaffin on 08 January 2012

    One of the most frequently asked questions from website owners is, "Why can't my site be found on Google?" They know it's important to appear in search engine results but they just don't know why it doesn't happen to them. Ken McGaffin gives this introduction to search engines in Part 1 of Wordtracker's Keyword Basics series

  3. Illustration for Keyword Basics Part 8: Building keyword rich inbound links

    Keyword Basics Part 8: Building keyword rich inbound links Posted by Ken McGaffin on 01 January 2012

    Most of the links that come to your website will point to your home page and normally use your domain name as the ‘anchor text’ (also called ‘linking text’). Ken McGaffin in this eighth article in the Keyword Basics series advises how to turn that into keyword rich link text in order to attract more search engine traffic.

  4. How to write killer headlines [video] Posted by Ken McGaffin on 30 November 2011

    No matter how good your content, if you want it read and shared then you need great headlines. Here, Ken McGaffin interviews Nick Usborne, expert headline writer and author of Killer Headlines for Web Content

  5. Illustration for Link building and the craft of persuasion

    Link building and the craft of persuasion Posted by Ken McGaffin on 25 November 2011

    How do you persuade busy bloggers to link to you? By using the craft of persuasion, explains Ken McGaffin.

  6. Illustration for 10 reasons why your link requests are failing

    10 reasons why your link requests are failing Posted by Ken McGaffin on 27 October 2011

    One of the most common difficulties in link building is getting a response from link requests. Ken McGaffin gives 10 reasons why you might not be getting answers and how to fix each problem.

  7. Link building hero: how Nick Russill gets links for snow-forecast.com without asking Posted by Ken McGaffin on 12 October 2011

    Snow-forecast.com has achieved every link builder’s dream of getting powerful quality inbound links without asking.

  8. Does your link building use the secret of the 'magic middle'? [Video] Posted by Ken McGaffin on 29 September 2011

    When you're link building, you want to find high quality link prospects.
    Yet, you also want to find prospects where there's a good chance of actually getting a link.
    Ken McGaffin shows how such prospects can be found in the 'magic middle' ...

  9. Getting started with Link Builder transcript 2: Start with URLs Posted by Ken McGaffin on 26 September 2011

  10. Getting started with Link Builder - Transcript 1: Start with a Keyword Posted by Ken McGaffin on 26 September 2011

  11. Getting started with Link Builder - Transcript 4: Contact view Posted by Ken McGaffin on 23 September 2011

  12. Getting started with Link Builder - Transcript 3: Analysis view Posted by Ken McGaffin on 23 September 2011

  13. Getting started with Link Builder: Video 6 Posted by Ken McGaffin on 21 September 2011

  14. Getting started with Link Builder: Video 4 Posted by Ken McGaffin on 21 September 2011

  15. Illustration for Effortless link building (Part 2)

    Effortless link building (Part 2) Posted by Ken McGaffin on 15 September 2011

    In Effortless link building (part one), Ken McGaffin showed how finding a single quality news source allows us to quickly and effortlessly build a link building campaign of many thousands of link prospects. In this follow up article, he’ll take that one step further and show how both newbies and more experienced link builders can systematically turn these link prospects into valuable inbound links.

  16. Getting started with Link Builder: Video 3 Posted by Ken McGaffin on 11 September 2011

    Link Builder provides details of link prospects already sorted into strategy groups such as blogs, news media and trusted sites. Ken McGaffin explains in Video 3 in the series Getting Started with Link Builder how to take advantage of this to sort out your prospects into effective link building campaigns.

  17. Getting Started with Link Builder: Video 2 Posted by Ken McGaffin on 11 September 2011

    Entering up to 10 URLS into the Link Builder tool can deliver thousands of link prospects to help you with your link building campaigns. Ken McGaffin shows how this works in the second in his Getting Started with Link Builder videos.

  18. Getting started with Link Builder: Video 1 Posted by Ken McGaffin on 11 September 2011

    Video 1 in Ken McGaffin's series Getting Started with Link Builder videos shows how to begin to build great link building campaigns using just one keyword.

  19. Illustration for Effortless link building (Part 1)

    Effortless link building (Part 1) Posted by Ken McGaffin on 01 September 2011

    Always be on the look out for new link building opportunities. And some of the best can emerge from your day-to-day business activities. Chatting to a restaurant owner about a bad review on TripAdvisor.com led Ken McGaffin to an interesting site on travel technology. The site was a good prospect in itself but from that single prospect, he quickly built a campaign of many thousands of link prospects.

  20. Link building strategies: Business Posted by Ken McGaffin on 12 August 2011

  21. Illustration for Have you found your must-have easy-to-get links?

    Have you found your must-have easy-to-get links? Posted by Ken McGaffin on 28 July 2011

    Sites that link to more than one of your competitors are must-have links that should be easy to get. Ken McGaffin shows you to find them.

  22. Illustration for Is this the best link building tool ever?

    Is this the best link building tool ever? Posted by Ken McGaffin on 21 July 2011

    A good link building campaign needs to be planned, managed, monitored and reported on. It will use a wide range of strategies with many link prospects for each.

    This is a lot of work and Wordtracker's Link Builder tool has been rebuilt to do all these jobs for you. Can all this really be in one tool? Ken McGaffin says it can and here he shows you how.

  23. Illustration for Ann Smarty talks guest blogging (the only link building technique she uses)

    Ann Smarty talks guest blogging (the only link building technique she uses) Posted by Ken McGaffin on 28 June 2011

    Ann Smarty promoted her own SEO career using guest posting, it’s the only link building technique she uses for her SEO clients and she built a community called MyBlogGuest to help guest bloggers. Here she talks to Ken McGaffin about (have you guessed?) guest blogging.

  24. Illustration for Link building strategies

    Link building strategies Posted by Ken McGaffin on 20 June 2011

    In the Link Builder tool, we’ve already filtered your prospects and organized them into strategies so you can tailor your link building - and increase your chances of getting a link. Here is a list of the articles we've featured, based on these strategies, that will help you on your way to create effective, traffic-attracting link building campaigns:

  25. Illustration for Link building strategies: Already linking

    Link building strategies: Already linking Posted by Ken McGaffin on 20 June 2011

    Link building is about building relationships. And the daftest thing you can do is stop once you've got a link. So pay attention to people who already link to you and see what else you can do together.

  26. Illustration for Link building strategies: Social media

    Link building strategies: Social media Posted by Ken McGaffin on 20 June 2011

    Social media sites include the big guns like Twitter and Facebook as well as much smaller community sites highlighting discussions, comments and debates on news stories, products and companies. They are the quick, easy way to make friends, win links and influence people.

  27. Illustration for Quick guide to Link Builder: Part 1

    Quick guide to Link Builder: Part 1 Posted by Ken McGaffin on 16 June 2011

    Link building is not only good for search engine rankings, it’s essential. But not all links are equal - some links are excellent, and many others next to useless. It’s quality, not quantity of inbound links that make winners stand out. That’s why link building is the biggest challenge SEOs and website owners face.

  28. 13 ways to assess a link prospect Posted by Ken McGaffin on 16 June 2011

    Assessing the quality of link prospects and sorting them using tools like Link Builder is crucial at every stage of a link building campaign. Get it right and you’ll be way ahead of your competitors: spending time on link prospects will bring you the best business and SEO benefits. But how do you assess the quality of a link prospect? No more mystery in that - Ken McGaffin gives you 13 ways to assess a link prospect.

  29. Illustration for Link building strategies: News media

    Link building strategies: News media Posted by Ken McGaffin on 15 June 2011

    News media sites range from huge nationals like CBSnews.com to The Costal Angler Magazine and anything in between.

  30. Illustration for Link building strategies: Blogs

    Link building strategies: Blogs Posted by Ken McGaffin on 15 June 2011

    Blogs are written by a wide range of people including enthusiastic hobbyists, company CEOs, industry experts and well-known journalists.

    These link giving heroes all require a personal approach for example with comments, interviews, reviews and guest posting.

  31. Illustration for Link building tool help

    Link building tool help Posted by Ken McGaffin on 15 June 2011

    You need help and advice in carrying out your link building campaigns or on using the Wordtracker Link Builder tool? Read on to find advice on link building strategies, guides and tips and any other link building tidbits we can think of on this page.

  32. Link building jobs strategy Posted by Ken McGaffin on 15 June 2011

  33. Ken McGaffin's link building webinars Posted by Ken McGaffin on 13 June 2011

    Attend one of link building expert Ken McGaffin's link building webinars. Also view a recording or access the presentation.

  34. 25 reasons why another site will link to yours Posted by Ken McGaffin on 11 June 2011

    Why would anyone link to your site? Here are 25 reasons why another site will link to yours. With real world examples from Ken McGaffin.

  35. Illustration for Getting links from trusted sites

    Getting links from trusted sites Posted by Ken McGaffin on 30 May 2011

    Trusted sites are usually defined as non-profit websites (.org), educational bodies (.edu) and government agencies (.gov). Contrary to popular belief, Google doesn’t treat links from trusted sites any differently from other links. However, just because Google doesn’t treat them any differently, that doesn’t mean that they’re not different.

  36. Illustration for Links from shopping sites

    Links from shopping sites Posted by Ken McGaffin on 30 May 2011

    Shopping on the web is of course a major activity so the number of sites retailing goods and the number of sites writing, advising and commenting on products and the companies who produce them is huge.

  37. Illustration for The 11 easiest links you'll ever get

    The 11 easiest links you'll ever get Posted by Ken McGaffin on 29 May 2011

    Online directories offer a source of easy links and remain a good first step for many link building campaigns. Yet, many links from directories offer little value. Ken McGaffin outlines his approach to link building with directories.

  38. Illustration for Getting to know your online community

    Getting to know your online community Posted by Ken McGaffin on 05 May 2011

    Ken McGaffin in this extract from Wordtracker Masterclass: Link Building explains how online communities work and how to find and contact link building prospects within that community to help you build a profitable, traffic-attracting website:

  39. Illustration for Why you need different link building strategies for different types of sites

    Why you need different link building strategies for different types of sites Posted by Ken McGaffin on 25 April 2011

    Finding quality link prospects is easy. Making an approach and winning that link is not. And if you’ve got thousands of link prospects you’ll not have much success if you make the same blanket approach to each one.

  40. Illustration for The importance of preparation for link building

    The importance of preparation for link building Posted by Ken McGaffin on 14 April 2011

    Quality link building needs great ideas for content that others will want to link to. But ‘build it and they will come’ is not enough. You need to first find the sites you want to link to you and build relationships with them. Ken McGaffin shows us how to prepare for link building.

  41. Illustration for Original ideas for building content for links

    Original ideas for building content for links Posted by Ken McGaffin on 04 February 2011

    Link building is a creative process. At least the type of link building that can generate hundreds of editorial links is. Where does the inspiration for such powerful ideas come from? A breakdown on the London Underground gave Ken McGaffin the inspiration for this article – and an opportunity to summarize some of his thoughts on creativity.

  42. Illustration for How to get free links and online PR with HARO (Help A Reporter Out)

    How to get free links and online PR with HARO (Help A Reporter Out) Posted by Ken McGaffin on 28 January 2011

    It’s true - free links and media coverage await you at HARO (Help A Reporter Out), a brilliant free service that brings the world of online PR within the reach of any small business owner or website. In an extract from his brilliant The Link Publicity Book, Ken McGaffin explains how HARO can work for you.

  43. Illustration for Analyzing a magazine website for link prospects (Link building course part 4)

    Analyzing a magazine website for link prospects (Link building course part 4) Posted by Ken McGaffin on 21 January 2011

    Analyzing the links to top magazines in your market can be a great source of high quality link prospects. Here, Ken McGaffin shows you how to do it and what to do when you find them.

  44. Illustration for Link Building Q & A

    Link Building Q & A Posted by Ken McGaffin on 14 January 2011

    Here’s a collection of link building Q & As from Ken McGaffin’s weekly link building webinars. You can join Ken live at his next link building webinar on 1st March 2011

  45. Illustration for Ken McGaffin's link building webinar (recording)

    Ken McGaffin's link building webinar (recording) Posted by Ken McGaffin on 11 January 2011

  46. Illustration for How to find the top news sources and journalists on Google News

    How to find the top news sources and journalists on Google News Posted by Ken McGaffin on 21 December 2010

    In his never-ending search for the best possible link prospects, Ken McGaffin talked to Neil Pharazyn, CEO of Newsknife to discover how to find the find the most influential targeted online news sources.

  47. Illustration for 13 ways to evaluate link prospects and find quality

    13 ways to evaluate link prospects and find quality Posted by Ken McGaffin on 08 December 2010

    It’s important to look for quality links to your website. A small number of links from quality sites will bring you much more benefit than thousands of links from poor quality sites. But how do you judge what a quality site is and the value of a link from it? Different link builders will have different priorities, but here Ken McGaffin shows us what he looks for when eyeing up a prospect.

  48. Illustration for Fastest link building campaign planner ever (8 different campaigns in minutes)

    Fastest link building campaign planner ever (8 different campaigns in minutes) Posted by Ken McGaffin on 03 December 2010

    In this article Ken McGaffin shows you how Link Builder gets your link building project off to a flying start by creating ready made campaigns for you. You’ll be starting to approach quality link prospects within minutes.

  49. Illustration for How to find anchor text links (the most powerful links your site can get)

    How to find anchor text links (the most powerful links your site can get) Posted by Ken McGaffin on 26 November 2010

    Using keywords in the linking text (or anchor text) that points to a specific page on your site is one of the most powerful ways to boost your search engine rankings. Ken McGaffin shows you how a new feature on Wordtracker Link Builder helps you find more of these most sought after links.

  50. Illustration for Link building FAQs with Ken McGaffin

    Link building FAQs with Ken McGaffin Posted by Ken McGaffin on 18 November 2010

    What’s the deal with nofollow links? Do they count? Can it hurt your site if you have lots of links from low quality directories? Do your links really have to come from relevant sites? Ken McGaffin answers some of the questions frequently asked in his link building seminars.

  51. Illustration for Discover your competitors' link building secrets (Link building course part 3)

    Discover your competitors' link building secrets (Link building course part 3) Posted by Ken McGaffin on 05 November 2010

    Competitor link analysis is much more than finding out who’s linking to your competitors and getting them to link to you. There is a huge amount of useful information you can grab if you just take the time to research carefully.

    In this article, the third in the series, Ken McGaffin shows you how to get the most from competitive link analysis and introduces two new features to the Link Builder tool – linking text analysis and linking domain categorization.

  52. Illustration for Ken McGaffin's

    Ken McGaffin's "How to Build Links to Your Website" webinar transcript Posted by Ken McGaffin on 13 October 2010

    Read the transcript of a recent recording of Ken McGaffin's link building webinar - "How to Build Links To Your Website" - here now:

  53. Illustration for Drive sales and links for SEO through online PR

    Drive sales and links for SEO through online PR Posted by Ken McGaffin on 08 October 2010

    The media is full of stories about businesses of all kinds – small, large, innovative, personal, family and multinational. This brings a lot of publicity and sales to the businesses that are featured.

    But are you one of those businesses that don’t get any media coverage at all?

    Do you see your competitors grabbing headlines when you know you could do so much better?

  54. Illustration for How a Link Building Hero uses a blog to build links, make a living and take lots of holidays

    How a Link Building Hero uses a blog to build links, make a living and take lots of holidays Posted by Ken McGaffin on 03 September 2010

    Andreas Kambanis of the London Cyclist blog didn’t start as a blogging or a cycling expert. But hard and smart work have turned his cycling blog into his main source of income. Andreas is the first subject of a new series of Link Building Heroes and Ken McGaffin, co-author of Wordtracker Masterclass: Link Building - How to build links to your website for SEO, traffic and response discovers how Andreas uses quality blog content to build links for SEO and an email list for marketing.

  55. Illustration for How to make a link request

    How to make a link request Posted by Ken McGaffin on 27 August 2010

    So you’ve found some great link prospects. And you’ve created some great reasons why someone should link to you. Now you want to make an approach and craft a great link request. But are your link requests missing the most vital ingredient? Ken McGaffin asks the question and gives the answers.

  56. Illustration for Finding link building prospects by analyzing links to ‘personality websites’ (Link building course part 2)

    Finding link building prospects by analyzing links to ‘personality websites’ (Link building course part 2) Posted by Ken McGaffin on 27 August 2010

    Some companies and websites can’t keep out of the news. Open up a newspaper, browse a news website, sit down in front of the television and you see the same companies featured time and again. How do they do that? Ken McGaffin explains and shows how to get link prospects from them.

  57. Illustration for How to find great link prospects (Link building course part 1)

    How to find great link prospects (Link building course part 1) Posted by Ken McGaffin on 19 August 2010

    We struggle to find link prospects for our websites. And that means we struggle to get the links we need to move us up the search engine rankings and bring more visitors to our sites.

  58. Illustration for 8 questions to ask of sites that already link to you

    8 questions to ask of sites that already link to you Posted by Ken McGaffin on 19 August 2010

    Link building is one of the most difficult parts of search engine optimization and naturally we’re all delighted when we ‘crack it’ and get new links pointing to our site.

    Job done. Good links. Let’s move on to the next job.

    I don’t think so.

  59. Illustration for A quick guide to Link Builder

    A quick guide to Link Builder Posted by Ken McGaffin on 02 June 2010

    Link building is not only good for search engine rankings, it’s essential. But not all links are equal - some links are excellent, and many others next to useless. It’s quality, not quantity of inbound links that make winners stand out. That’s why link building is the biggest challenge SEOs and website owners face.

  60. Illustration for The link building mindset

    The link building mindset Posted by Ken McGaffin on 31 May 2010

    We all know that one-way links from authority websites are essential if your link building efforts are to be successful. But what does it take to get those authority sites to link to you? Well, you’ll probably guess that it is not easy - quality links don’t materialize from feeble or automated requests. To get those ever so valuable links you’ve got to adopt the right mindset - the principles that show link targets you mean business and that you’re worth linking to.

    Here’s my baker’s dozen ...

  61. Illustration for Using Keywords Part 8: Use keywords in offline advertising

    Using Keywords Part 8: Use keywords in offline advertising Posted by Ken McGaffin on 29 May 2010

    Offline advertising has a proven effect on people’s search behavior and planning optimized web content around certain keywords to support the advertising campaign is a tactic growing in popularity.

  62. Using Keywords Part 7: Build keyword rich inbound links Posted by Ken McGaffin on 29 May 2010

    To rank well in search engine results you need to score well on both ‘on the page’ and ‘off the page’ factors.

    ‘On the page’ factors are about what is on your own pages and therefore within your own control. ‘Off the page’ factors are the links from external websites to your own, and these are much more difficult to control.

  63. Illustration for Using Keywords Part 6: Optimize your press releases

    Using Keywords Part 6: Optimize your press releases Posted by Ken McGaffin on 29 May 2010

    When people consume news offline – in newspapers, magazines and broadcast media – their relationship with the material is usually transitory.

    After the day of publication, a newspaper is thrown in the trash can while a broadcast story can fade from memory very quickly.

  64. Illustration for Using Keywords Part 5: Choose keyword rich names

    Using Keywords Part 5: Choose keyword rich names Posted by Ken McGaffin on 29 May 2010

    Inbound links are the single most important factor in determining your position on Google’s results pages.

  65. Illustration for Using Keywords Part 4: Squeeze every bit of value from pay per click

    Using Keywords Part 4: Squeeze every bit of value from pay per click Posted by Ken McGaffin on 29 May 2010

    PPC advertising now makes up a substantial share of search marketing spend. Paying for an advert when someone clicks on it reduces the up-front cost associated with traditional advertising and brings a powerful, revenue-generating machine within the grasp of any size of business.

  66. Illustration for Using Keywords Part 1: Expand your keyword lists

    Using Keywords Part 1: Expand your keyword lists Posted by Ken McGaffin on 29 May 2010

    The objective of a business website is to attract potential buyers and convert them into paying customers.

    Keywords can help you fulfill this objective. Use appropriate keywords on your site and you’ll attract visitors who want to buy the types of products you have to offer.

  67. Illustration for Link Builder tool definitions

    Link Builder tool definitions Posted by Ken McGaffin on 09 May 2010

    The Link Builder tool is designed to help you instantly identify your best link prospects - and build a linking campaign that exponentially grows your online presence. And here we explain the different parts of the Link Builder interface.

  68. Illustration for Keyword Basics Part 3: Choosing your best keywords

    Keyword Basics Part 3: Choosing your best keywords Posted by Ken McGaffin on 01 May 2010

    You know how sometimes you make a list of say, three things and then by the time you get to the end of the list, you remember that there’s something you really must include and your list of three becomes a list of four? This is Part 3 of Ken McGaffin's Keyword Basics series.

  69. Illustration for Keyword Basics Part 4: Using keywords in website copywriting

    Keyword Basics Part 4: Using keywords in website copywriting Posted by Ken McGaffin on 01 May 2010

    You've done all your keyword research and you've found great keywords for your website. So, now your goal is to write your website text in such a way that you rank as highly as possible on the search engine results page.

  70. Illustration for Why content is crucial to your website and what to write

    Why content is crucial to your website and what to write Posted by Ken McGaffin on 17 November 2009

    Web content is crucial for any business that wants to succeed online. Good content will engage your customers, attract search traffic and help build your business.

  71. Illustration for Is online PR the ultimate link building technique?

    Is online PR the ultimate link building technique? Posted by Ken McGaffin on 29 September 2009

    Getting coverage for your business in mainstream media can be hugely beneficial in bringing a swathe of new visitors to your site, and building inbound links from the media and from all the other people who comment on it. In this article, I want to give you guidelines on how you can use publicity in your own business.

  72. Illustration for 10 reasons why journalists will write about your website

    10 reasons why journalists will write about your website Posted by Ken McGaffin on 29 September 2009

    “Vision is the art of seeing what is invisible to others.” Jonathan Swift

    Opportunities for great free publicity and inbound links are all around us. They arise every day from a host of newspapers, magazines, blogs and online news sites… but we just don’t see them.

  73. Illustration for We want to hear your honest opinions

    We want to hear your honest opinions Posted by Ken McGaffin on 01 September 2009

    Wordtracker would love to hear your opinions. We've come up with a short survey that we're hoping will help us to help you.

  74. Illustration for 3 ways to build large keyword lists using Wordtracker's new Keywords tool

    3 ways to build large keyword lists using Wordtracker's new Keywords tool Posted by Ken McGaffin on 30 June 2009

    Whenever Ken McGaffin wants to create a new website or add content to an existing one, he begins with keyword research. He spells out the reasons why this is so important, and demonstrates how you can carry it out with the aid of Wordtracker's new Keywords tool.

  75. Illustration for Keywords tool help videos

    Keywords tool help videos Posted by Ken McGaffin on 21 April 2009

    10 videos to help you get the most from Wordtracker's Keywords tool.

  76. Illustration for

    "Wordtracker Masterclass: Link Building" - your comments, feedback and questions Posted by Ken McGaffin on 11 February 2009

    Let us have your comments, thoughts and questions on Wordtracker's Link Building ebook

  77. Illustration for How to use a tool to build links: Introducing the keyword questions tool

    How to use a tool to build links: Introducing the keyword questions tool Posted by Ken McGaffin on 05 November 2008

    Creating a useful free tool is a great way to build links. To illustrate the point, we’re releasing the free ‘Keyword Questions’ tool for the first time today. We’ll be starting with no links and we’ll update you on how our inbound links are doing. (If you like the tool please link to it).

    You’ll find it at Wordtracker Keyword Questions Tool.

  78. How Lurpak's post-Xmas campaign was left with the scraps Posted by Ken McGaffin on 06 August 2008

    Branding campaigns aim to build positive associations in the consumer’s mind so that they will look favorably on a company or product in the future.

  79. Why online PR and SEO go hand in hand Posted by Ken McGaffin on 06 August 2008

    Once you’ve optimized your website copy, you’ll find that the most important part of the optimization process happens off the page – with links from external sites back to yours playing a vital role in telling Google and other search engines how important your site really is.

  80. Keyword creativity: An online opportunity for ad agencies? Posted by Ken McGaffin on 06 August 2008

    In 2002, AT&T made a major mistake. As part of the launch of its mobile initiative mLife, the company purchased television advertising during the Super Bowl coverage. Nothing wrong with that – along with the Oscars, it attracts one of the biggest audiences in American television and is seen as a creative showcase for the best in American advertising.

  81. How quality newspapers can be a rich source of keyword ideas Posted by Ken McGaffin on 25 June 2008

  82. Illustration for Link Builder webinars

    Link Builder webinars Posted by Ken McGaffin on 28 May 2008

    To help you get the most from Wordtracker's Link Builder tool, we run regular online seminars.

  83. Illustration for Using Keywords Part 9: Identify and exploit niche markets

    Using Keywords Part 9: Identify and exploit niche markets Posted by Ken McGaffin on 12 February 2008

    If you want to build a thriving business, you must identify the niches within your market. Decide which ones you want to target, then tailor your message to the audience.

  84. Illustration for Using Keywords Part 3: Generate search engine friendly content

    Using Keywords Part 3: Generate search engine friendly content Posted by Ken McGaffin on 14 December 2007

    Keyword research tells you what people are looking for online and therefore it is one of the best ways to find ideas for content on your website.

  85. Why keyword research matters Posted by Ken McGaffin on 15 August 2007

    People describe things in different ways. The words you use in your business may be very different from the words your customers use. For example, Gerry McGovern explains, “low fares” is an airline industry term (121 searches predicted at time of writing); “cheap flights” is a term potential customers will use (8,057 searches predicted per day). Use industry terms instead of customer terms and you will not be found. These three cartoons show what happens:

  86. Illustration for Using Keywords Part 2: Optimize your existing content

    Using Keywords Part 2: Optimize your existing content Posted by Ken McGaffin on 22 July 2007

    The first quick win of doing keyword research should be to optimize your existing content. Do that before you go on to create new content. That means looking again at the content you’ve already created and seeing what improvements you can make that will increase search engine traffic - and sales - from those particular pages.

    You’ve got to make sure that you’ve organized your content and that you’ve used important keywords in all the right places.

  87. Illustration for Keyword Research Guide

    Keyword Research Guide Posted by Ken McGaffin on 24 November 2006

    Many website owners are either in awe of the ‘black arts’ of search engine optimization (SEO) or puzzled by the complexity of it all.

    Yet, there's no big secret to SEO. It is all about understanding what is going on behind the scenes, followed by the hard work and attention to detail common to most business activities.

    Good SEO starts with keyword research. Search engine optimizers (known as SEOs) want to know the words people use when they search - we call them keywords (‘the words people use when they search’). Use keywords in the text on your web pages (‘website copy’) and your site will prosper: ignore them and your online business will surely perish.

  88. What you can do with Wordtracker Posted by Ken McGaffin on 24 November 2006

  89. Illustration for Not this Saturday

    Not this Saturday Posted by Ken McGaffin on 24 November 2006

    The last thing Susan Webster wanted to do this morning was to go into the office.

    Susan was in the habit of going in every Saturday to plan the week ahead. She liked the silence, and the atmosphere of her oak-paneled office helped her to think.

    But after what she’d been through in the last seven days she just couldn’t face it. She was determined to have some time to herself and relax with the weekend papers and a cup – no, make that a large pot – of strong coffee.

    Susan had given up her job on Wall Street to become the new CEO of the family firm, Virginia Veg.

  90. Find the keywords and you’ll find the marketplace Posted by Ken McGaffin on 24 November 2006

    Email

    From: Ken McGaffin, Linking Matters

    To: Susan Webster, Virginia Veg

  91. Where to use your keyword phrases - a checklist Posted by Ken McGaffin on 24 November 2006

  92. Illustration for Keyword quality and the Wordtracker database

    Keyword quality and the Wordtracker database Posted by Ken McGaffin on 06 October 2006

    Search engines get bombarded with automated queries from ranking monitors, popularity analyzers, bid optimizers and other tools. This deluge of non-human activity distorts keyword counts, and if it is not identified and eliminated will leave you with very poor keywords.

  93. Illustration for Keyword creativity in web design

    Keyword creativity in web design Posted by Ken McGaffin on 05 October 2006

    "Keyword Creativity" is the process of understanding customer behavior through keyword research and using the insights gained to drive the creative process.

  94. Illustration for Why keywords matter

    Why keywords matter Posted by Ken McGaffin on 23 November 2005

    Why do some sites get a lot of traffic and others zero, the following diagrams helps to show why this happens.

  95. Illustration for Keyword phrases in linking text

    Keyword phrases in linking text Posted by Ken McGaffin on 27 October 2005

    Often simple things really matter. And the use of keywords in linking text is one of those simple things that turn out to be hugely important. Linking text, sometimes called anchor text, is the clickable text that takes people to another page or resource. You need to choose that text carefully.

  96. Illustration for How to get links without asking

    How to get links without asking Posted by Ken McGaffin on 07 June 2005

    Sending out link requests is a time-consuming business. So wouldn't it be wonderful if other sites linked to you without being asked?

    Sound impossible? Well, it can be done and here are ten strategies to prove it.

  97. 6 powerful ways to find link building targets Posted by Ken McGaffin on 06 February 2005

    Finding quality sites to target is at the heart of any effective linking strategy. ‘Quality sites’ are not the ones that are easiest to get links from but those that will drive most relevant traffic to your site. In our last newsletter, we looked at how to maximize your link value to make your site more attractive to link targets. In this issue we’ll explore how to find quality link targets.

  98. The perfect link building strategy Posted by Ken McGaffin on 07 August 2004

    If you’ve gone through all the hard work of a link building campaign, you expect to be rewarded with some impressive links. The reality is that many people are disappointed with the trickle of links and the trickle of traffic that their efforts produce.

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