I haven’t been SEO’ing this keyword or anything, but it’s kinda cool. Show’s what relevant content, URL’s and title tags can do.

1. Registration

Where is the domain registered?
- It costs a good deal of money to transfer between different hosting companies (i.e. Namecheap to GoDaddy), so make sure you have an account with the company where the domain is currently parked.

When does it expire?
- If it’s right around the corner, you’ll have to consider that cost.

2. Page Rank

What’s its PR?
- What the seller claims is the current PR might not be correct. Double check with iWebTools’ Page Rank Checker Tool.

Is the PR valid?
- The only way to verify if the PR is valid is if it’s cached in Google. Test if it’s cached by entering “info:www.mydomain.com” (without the ” “) in a Google search. If a result is returned, the PR is valid. If there is no result returned, it might still have that PR, but there’s no way to verify it. Verified=Valid.

Is it fake?
- Fake PR occurs when a dishonest seller redirects the domain to another website with different PR. Instead of seeing the PR of the domain you’re researching, it would show the PR of the site it’s been redirected to. Check to see if the domain is redirected with this tool: If the domain is redirected, avoid it at all costs, and consider reporting the seller.

3. Backlinks

How many backlinks does it have?
- Check with Yahoo’s backlink checker tool. First-time users will have to register.

How many different domains do the backlinks come from?
- The more diversified the backlink profile, the better. If you have hundreds of backlinks, but they all come from one domain, your domain will be less likely to hold its PR.

Do the backlinks come from Page-Ranked sites?
- Consider looking at how many of the backlinks originate from Page Ranked sites, and what their Page Rank is. The more Page-Ranked backlinks to the domain, the better.

Are the backlinks still there?
- Sometimes when you’re exploring backlinks in Yahoo’s Site Explorer, you’ll find that some of the backlinks have been removed, or are from broken pages. Make sure the majority of your backlinks are still current. This research can take time, but it’s worth it.

4. Domain Age

How old is the domain?
- The older, the better. Google generally considers old domains to be credible and they have a better chance of maintaining their PR.

5. Other Factors

What’s the search volume for the domain?
- High search traffic is great for any domain.

What is the domain’s traffic?
- Free traffic never hurts, right? Throw some Adsense on it and maybe make some easy money.

Good PR and Domain Tools:

SmartPageRank - Evaluate the worth and quality of a domain.

iWeb Tools - A wealth of webmaster and SEO tools.

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But, here’s a great post about how (we think) Google ranks websites for keywords. I feel like my linkbuilding efforts have been in line with randfish’s suggestions, but there were certainly things I could do better. It’s a great read for newbies and experts alike.

To secure business, I’ve found that a “little break” goes a long way. That goes for both services that I provide and services that I solicit. Cheers to PPP for providing a truly free lunch!

Seriously. I have to bite my tongue not to have conversations like this with clients:

“Yes, sir. That’s right. We are fully prepared to handle all of your SEM needs. I was looking at the SERPs today and it appears that you could use a hefty dose of SEO to boost your rankings. At the SES convention I picked up some ideas that would be great for your firm. CPC? Oh, you mean PPC? CPC is so 1999. Yeah, I’d consider a revamp. Take a look at your keyword report QTR. I’ve noticed that your CPC is really high, and your CTR is down. Nah, don’t worry about your CPM. If you really want cutting edge I’d look into SMO, that’ll get you some serious exposure. Could you please hold for a sec, I’ll BRB.”

Gulp.

So try your hand at creating a lens. You’ll even get a cool title to brag to your mom about…LENSMASTER. And remember folks, as always, content is king.

But reading the E-Myth has gotten me thinking about how SEO factors into small businesses. When somebody starts a new company, they often end up “wearing a lot of hats.” They start off as a focused, highly skilled technician, and become a frazzled entrepreneur that is part manager, part accountant, part salesman, part technician, part donut fetcher, etc. That’s where the trouble begins. Lot’s of times, even if they’re blessed with the ability to do all of those things, they simply don’t have the time.

If you throw in “part SEO-expert” on top of all of that, things can get really messy. What I’m saying is that even if a small business can do their own in-house SEO, they might be wise not to. For small businesses it seems best to focus on their product and outsource all the tasks that are not cost-efficient for the company to perform itself.

Determining a good ROI on SEO for a small business isn’t easy, but it’s a task that’s worth the trouble (and perhaps essential).

Impossible, you say? Let’s begin at Google’s problematic foundation.

This day in age, Google tries to rank results based on the relevance, authority and quality of a site. They do this by, among other things, weighing the number and reputation of links that “point to” a given site. So, if 1,000,000 different reputable pages link to CNN.com, then, theoretically, CNN.com would rank well in a Google search. (Please pardon the overly simplistic breakdown.)

However, for a number of years now people have been able to circumvent the arduous process of building a genuine backlink profile by purchasing (rather than cultivating) their links. Through a number of different methods, any average Joe can go out and buy links that would normally take years of hard work and dedication to acquire. So when Google notoriously declared war on paid links, it was because people were employing them to achieve what Google would consider “artificial relevance.” Since decrying this practice, Google has devalued the paid links they’ve found and even set up a system to encourage individuals to report the paid links of others. Even if it is, as Cutts says, merely to “test out some new techniques” on paid links, it suggests the Google giant is concerned.

And guess what? That concern is certainly warranted. Despite its best efforts, Google will never be able to identify, track and eliminate all forms of paid links. I don’t care how smart their algorithms get; people will always be able to buy links. (And why shouldn’t they? asks randfish)

So here’s the kicker: As long as people can artificially influence the SERPs with paid links, the Google system will be flawed, and its authority will be compromised. Though I am certainly not the first individual to recognize Google’s Achilles Heel, I would like to make a stab at the consequences of its weakness.

Though it will take years (don’t worry, SEO folk), people will eventually begin to recognize that Google’s algorithms can be gamed, and its rankings can be artificially influenced. This will herald the eventual demise of Google’s supposed first-page credibility. This transformation will result in a paradigm shift of epic proportions. People will begin to recognize that paying for links is only evil in Google world, not in the real world. In the real world, visibility has been and always will be, ruled by the mighty dollar, not by a mighty algorithm. So as paid links effectively nullify the credibility of Google’s first page, the SERPs will be owned by the advertisers and businesses with the deepest pockets.

Sound depressing? It shouldn’t. It’s the same capitalistic principle that governs radio, print and television prominence as well. The good news for internet marketers is that web savvy individuals will still be needed to manage the millions of dollars that are pumped into SERP advertising.

So while Google valiantly tries to identify quality sites and combat artificial interference, it’s fighting a losing battle. Though quality sites will always exist, I’m suggesting that Google SERPs won’t last forever as a standard by which they are measured. The stone, it seems, is bound the fell the giant.