It has been a while since I have updated my SEO quest.  The reason I document it is perhaps my experience and ramblings will help others.

The last time I posted I left off about setting the foundation.  My foundation has been extremely helpful to my success and I now number very well for all my keywords.  There are plenty of keywords that are 2nd and 3rd page but I believe the majority are top 10.

Last I looked I command 3 or 4 #1 spots in Google and actually several more that I don't even know about.  I just learned about another today when I check the keywords info coming into my site.  However, while being number one is nice, I am still remaining focused on my major keyword terms.  I have scratched the top 3 spots several times and each time I have seen a definate uptick in my phone ringing.

Lately, my work has been mainly to obtain links and learn how to get GOOD links over just average junk.  It isn't easy at times but as you research getting links, you will find plenty of strategies.  There are literaly thousands of link directories.  You can supply information to companies for a link.  I have even indulged in a few authority blogs for the specific communities I am involved in.

The ironic thing is, it is easy to get weak links.  But by focusing on the links that matter the most, I help myself immensly.  The other day I was contacted by a TV show, nationwide to possible be on air for a real estate update on Riverside County.  They have seen my name come up repeatidly as an authority voice in my area, so they rang me up.  I am now getting requests for a couple of places for specific information that their readers are asking for.

These links matter because they actually lead to things.  In the event that Google really starts to dissect links in the future, my links will not only hold water, they will have additional and long term value.  When I first begin getting these links I did some directories and anything I could just to get on the internet map so to speak.  However, I stopped doing that months ago as I have learned more about it.

So my advice for this blog report  - if you have your keywords mapped out, your on-site optimization complete, and a road map to expand your webpage, you need to start working on links. Make sure to use your keywords in your anchor text of course and when creating links, try to make partnerships that matter in the long haul for you.  The Menifee CA blog I have been doing has been easy, fun and eventually will win a client for me in the future, if not more than one.

Another thing I may have forgotten to mention is tracking.  I personally don't value website stats unless I have a couple months of activity to look at. So get your stat tracking up early and make sure you put the scripts on every page on the site.  I personally use Google Analytics, Statcounter, and Hit-tail.  I haven't bothered too much with hit-tail but I wanted to give it six months of information gathering.  So start the clock ticking now!

I am also migrating my site to a new version of www.superlative.com template.  Let those guys know I sent you if you decide to give them a go :).  I am pretty nervous about this because I am doing pretty well SEO-wise, but I think this will expand my success in the long term.  So, I have them working on site conversion for me now and will also be integrating a new MLS interface in an effort to increase my returning visitor percentage and to get things moving into an Auto-drip campaign.  I am sampling different programs and will be happy to share my thoughts once I have seen the results a bit.

Yahoo continues to ditch my marketing and SEO efforts for some reason.  While I number perhaps 20 or so top 10 Google spots, Yahoo has me for only a few.  MSN on the other hand is my friend and I am thrilled to have stuck at #1 and #2 spots for my major keywords. I look forward to the day that I make a come back in Yahoo, but with Google controlling 60% of the market, I am pretty happy :).