WordPress 3.0
One of my favorite lines from Steve Martin’s The Jerk is … “The new phone book’s here! The new phone book’s here.” His enthusiasm is so entertaining for something most people find so trivial. Well, that’s probably how I feel about WordPress 3.0. WordPress 3.0 came out recently and I’m really excited to check it out and find out how to integrate all of the new features. In the meantime, here is a video showing off some of the new things WordPress 3.0 will be capable of.
px to em conversion
I found a great tool recently and I wanted to share. A client of mine asked me to set my type sizes in my css as ems for this project and I usually work in pixels. A quick Google search later brought me to this gem – http://pxtoem.com/ It is fast and easy px to em conversion and I’m finding it to be incredibly useful. I hope you do too
p.s. It will even write CSS for you! Check it out http://pxtoem.com/
In metal type, the em was the height of the metal body from which the letter rises. (Measurement c in this illustration) wikipedia
Favorite Paid Keyword Research Tool
My good friend Mark over at SilverECHO asked me what my favorite paid keyword research tool was and my fast response is this…
Most of my favorite paid keyword research tools are actually free!
Mark asked me about WordTracker and I’ve heard good things about word tracker but why pay when you get an amazing free light version. They have a KILLER free plug-in for WordPress and FireFox. It totally rocks the party! http://labs.wordtracker.com/seo-blogger/
Another great free resource often overlooked is http://siteexplorer.search.yahoo.com/ Yahoo site explorer can show you a whole mess of stuff that can be really helpful.
Google has a ton of great keyword research tools and tips. Here are my top picks.
- https://adwords.google.com/select/KeywordToolExternal Also check out the beta tool.
- using link: or site: to see what google thinks of your url for example try site:practicallydutch.com
- check out the screen cap below. Take a peak next time under #1 – more options. My favorite is the “wonder wheel”.
- #2 is really helpful. Keep in mind the higher #2 is, the harder it is to rank for that term. If you are ever looking for a fast estimate on how hard a term is, under 100,00 is probably attainable quickly, over 1,000,000 – going to take some work.
To answer Mark’s question what is my favorite paid keyword research tool – I’ve been using this one called “Market Samurai” and I find it to be pretty insightful.
The other one I’ve used is SEONuke SEONuke is definitely a paid keyword research tool but it is SO much more than just that. Its nothing like Market Samurai and you could easily use both together. SEONuke is a monthly fee of something like $130 wile Market Samurai is a one time fee in the $150 range. Best news is both offer free full version trials. I’d look at them both and see which you like better.
Keep in mind – none of this software “comes with secret compiled data” – it is basically a GUI/filter of readily available data from Google, Yahoo or Bing.
- Remember that when writing for keywords, there are rules. If you don’t follow the rules, you are just spinning your wheels.
- Keyword writing isn’t a one time deal. You don’t just “optimize” the page and walk away and expect to rank well. You may if it isn’t a very competitive keyword , but for tougher keywords, you have to think long term.
- When writing for keywords, keep in mind the end game. It is no use being number one for your keyword if you don’t convert.
