Since 2007 the Internet Marketer’s Charity Party has been fund-raising for various non-profit organizations including Lance Armstrong’s LiveStrong, The Ronald McDonald House, Doctors Without Borders, The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, and The Denver Children’s Hospital. These events help spread awareness for their causes and are always one of the biggest Internet Marketing networking events of the year.

How does it work? Mainly through the sponsors. BOTW, Bing, and WeBuildPages will cover the costs of the party so 100% of the money collected will go directly to the cause. Attendees will have a chance to exchange ideas with fellow marketers or mingle with their favorite bloggers and Internet personas in a relaxed, enjoyable setting.

Previous parties have been nothing but successes, and this year it’s not too late to become a part of the fun. This August 18 from 8-11 p.m. come join the fun-fueled generosity with BOTW at ROE-SF. Each ticket is $50 and entitles you to unlimited drinks from 8-11. You can also buy raffle tickets for $1 each and enter to win an iPad or other donated prizes.

The Details:
Where: ROE Nightclub San Francisco – Map
What: Conference networking + open bar
When: Wednesday, August 18th, 8-11 p.m.
Who: Anyone who wants to have fun & support charity
Why: To help provide clean water to those in need

Buy tickets here!

I know good SEOs, but I am a modestly talented amateur at most. As such, this page is really an SEM 101 post, not a revelation from heaven. Maybe it’ll help somebody, but if not, reading it won’t make you walk away dumber.
———–

Then vs Now
In what now seems like the dawn of time, in the late 1990′s+ I took a site to PR7 thru trial and error. Back then, white-on-white keyword laden text was considered skill, not something to laugh about, and sending 50 adds a day to the same sources every day was “persistence”, not spam. Things I did then would get me banned by Google in a heartbeat today. At one point I had a lock on some SERP s I could sell for enough to retire on if it were done today. That was then, this is now, and the system is vastly changed.

Dusting off the Webmaster Suit
Recently I needed to rejoin the webmaster workld because a friend had an emergency that required assistance, both medical and financial. Her daughter was facing cancer for the third time and needed a bone marrow transplant. The insurance co-pay alone is predicted to run around $80,000… and I was volunteered (by my wife, who else?) as the guy to help make the financial side of it happen. Not having $80k laying around, it seemed that taking the case to the web was the answer.

Last week I built a site… Got-Marrow.org, for the purpose of fund-raising. My first website was built using Microsoft Word, and soon-after enhanced using MS Frontpage. You can laugh all ya want guys, but we didnt have WordPress, Dreamweaver, CSS, Joomla… and I wasn’t a code-kid who could write HTML code on sheet of text. This time I have WordPress to work with (thank heaven).

If You Build it, They Will Come
LOL. That is the movie version of the old saying… “Build a better mousetrap and the world will beat a path to your door”. Unfortunately it’s horse-hockey, and as a professor told me in a college marketing class, a helluvalotta guys with great moustraps died broke. A mediocre moustrap that can be found sells faster than a perfect one nobody’s heard of.

Using ALL the Golf Clubs
Being something of an addict to webmaster forums, I’m constantly amazed to see people get into heated arguments over whether you oughta use this directory over that one, or should you use Social Bookmarking or Blog comments… or are you better off using sig links or banner ads. To me that’s like asking if you should go to the golf course with a driver or a putter… or should you just take a sand wedge.

DUH! You go to the golf course with every club you can fit in the bag… and you’ll probably need all of them.

We have a limited time to work with in the case of the blog I’m promoting, so we’ve used a shotgun of SEO tactics that’d run one man ragged. Medical emergencies have a short timeline, but on the bright side, it’s easier to get volunteers to save a life than it is to promote a blog about Audio-visual Equipment Reviews. Manpower hasn’t been our limitation, we’ve had many volunteers and  LOT of donated directory links, sig links, FB mentions, etc.

What have we done? Just about everything that can be done fast and easily, and in large quantity. Sig links, Facebook links, a FB group, twitters, re-tweets, press releases on multiple venues, Digg adds, you name it… we have a guy doing it. We added a How Can I Help page and have volunteers and amateurs assisting. We’ll take more if you’re up for it.

The Response?
We started the site midweek. By the third full day we were getting visitors from 43 countries, and money was starting to come in. Not in huge chunks, but little donations add up. It helps that it’s pretty apparent that it isnt a scam site, and I’ve been hesitant to put adsense on it for fear somebody’d think it was an MFA.

That’s a hard call to make because adsense might help boost the bottom line for the cause, but if it jaded the view of onlookers it might have a reverse effect. That one is still under consideration. Bottom line, the traffic is growing rapidly and the site is indexed and starting to generate SE traffic in addition to the direct and referral traffic that started it off.

The Lesson I’ve Learned
There are a lot of folks in web forums that offer advice. Some will solemnly intone that directories are dead, or that Twitter has seen its 15 minutes of fame. Others will tell you their pet profile spam method is the only thing needed to move into the ranks of SEO.

What I’m seeing is there are more ways to boost a site than ever before, and anyone that doesn’t take advantage of as many white hat methods as possible is missing results he could have seen. We have not touched on any complicated methods… there are no radical link schemes, no fake forum IDs, no blackhat, just simple stuff that tends to snowball.

INCIDENTALLY…
Another thing I’ve learned in the process is that people in the webmaster community are pretty much the same across the world when it comes to humanity, and they’re generous to a fault in giving their time and skills. Can’t thank them all here, but they know who they are. I would be remiss if I didn’t at least mention the guys at the V7n forum community, cause they’ve busted their rears helping.

Should YOU have a similar project… Let BOTW Help
Don’t forget that BOTW offers a free add for Charity sites. Go to the applicable category and click on the BOLDED submit site button (not the light one at the top of the screen) and you’ll see …

That queue has been drastically reduced recently, but obviously still gets more spam than the commercial queue where we are required to respond in a certain timeframe. If you have a charity website sitting in the free  add queue…  you have my personal invitation to drop me an email.  I’ll see that it is tracked down and reviewed. If you’re willing to put in the time and effort to help, so is Best of the Web.

My thanks again to all who have assisted ~ Rob Jones

PROMO CODE: 25BUCKS

By the way, if you were already toying with submitting, this is a great chance to do it… as for example that drops the price on a BOTW Blog Directory submission to $50. A 33% break is pretty special. As far as the regular directory goes it isnt as large a percentage, but if a penny saved is a penny earned, Ben Franklin woulda gone nuts for this idea.

—- if you’re on a drivel free diet, snip here —-

Now that you’ve decided to save $25…
Let’s discuss what you should do with the extra $25 you *aren’t* spending. I’ll toss my top 10 suggestions, none of which involve sending it directly to me, though if you want to do that I’m game too.

Top 10 Alternative Uses for the Spare $25

• 10- Send $25 to Public TV and demand they play Monty Python all day Sunday in return
• 9 –  Get 25 items from the McD’s Dollar menu and invite co-workers to a black-tie dinner
• 8 –  Tip the fire outta that cute bartender… should pay for itself in free drinks later
• 7 –  Get the Celestial Steed and impress your World of Warcraft friends with the new mount
• 6 –  Pay full market value for all 2500 of my wife’s Beanie Baby collection
• 5 –  Make a downpayment on shipping 2500 Beanie Babies to someone really evil
• 4 –  Get that thing on late night TV that’s “Only $19.99!” and
  • finally make real Juliann Fries
  • fix those nagging scratches on the car
  • get those 6-pack abs you always wanted
• 3 – Upgrade to the Pro Account on Flickr and get unlimited storage
• 2 – Finally take that “defensive driving online” course that’ll lower the insurance rates
• 1-  Buy unexpected flowers in hopes of getting several of the above items later

If you have more to add, you’re welcome to put them in the comments section. Bound to be some stuff I missed. Aside from that, we hope you put the money to good use.

Best wishes ~

There’s always the choice of doing the Bob Hope thing for the troops, but let’s face it, the USO wouldn’t actually have us. Granted a couple of us may sing a bit, but in my case at least if I ask for requests the most common one calls for a song I don’t know that’s apparently named “Wouldja Please Siddown and Shuddup”.

[I've checked, isn't in the karaoke catalog, maybe I'm spelling it wrong.]

Barring developing better pitch and a knack for tap dance we hit on a plan to go with our strengths. BOTW is known for two things… a great directory and some Kick-A T-shirts. [You can order those however you want.] As the editor still has ties back to the directory, staff got a list of the folks in her unit and put together their own version of the familiar BOTW long-sleeve T for the whole crew.

This one’s sure to become a classic. Pics are below. Feel free to gawk in muted wonder at the glory.

On the downside, the unit got scattered all over the theater before a group shot became a possibility (who knew the military would put their operations ahead of a good photo op?), but through the magic of the internet we finally got our hands on a picture of our own intrepid warrior to provide proof that they got there. I understand some of the editors shipped cookies too, but I’d have doubts about what percentage of those made it all the way.

Name of the unit and the editor with-held just in case this might be interpreted as an advertisement by a serving member of the military, but regardless… hey youngster… you know who you are, as do we, and we just wanted to let you know we miss you and appreciate you.

Regards from us to ALL those who stand guard while we sleep.

We look forward to your safe return.

So why not make it mandatory?
The simple answer is that we provide a service, and it just isn’t an issue to us. We’re happy to help, and making sure it goes to the right place is part of the editors job anyway. The point of this post is to help if YOU want to state a preference. We’re fine either way. The absence of a category selection will in no way affect the probability of site acceptance. Acceptance is determined by the content of the site.

Nor will submitting to a category we think isn’t suitable adversely affect acceptance. If the review editor determines it is more appropriately placed elsewhere, they will put it where it goes. That said, we do make an attempt to accommodate if there’s a judgment call to be made and you have stated a preference.

How DO we tell BOTW which category we want?
In order to automatically have it submitted to the category of your choice, go to the category where you think it goes and hit the “Submit Sites” button (in the upper right corner). Follow the prompts from there, and the system wiill tell us where you want the site.

But how do I decide which IS the right category?
As stated, in a directory this size there almost always is more than one place a site could reasonably be placed. Let’s use as an example, a Family Law attorney in Los Angeles. The method I utilize to seek placement is to simply open BOTW and implement a user side search. The techs recently enhanced it and it is easily the quickest way to find a good spot for a site. I’d type in “family attorney los angeles” (without quotes) and see what the results are. From there I narrow down by looking at the contents of the most logical categories that appear in the results.

Regional vs Topical
Like most general directories, our primary two “trees” are “Regional” and “Topical. Looking down the matches in the example above, you’ll notice choices that seem right on both sides. This will not be true for every site… for example a site for an online shopping service IS best placed in an appropriate category of Shopping & Services while a brick and mortar retail store is best placed in the Regional category for the city in which it resides.

Why? Because users across the world may use an online shopping site, but seldom go online to decide whether to drive to the store in Denver vs one in Miami. Regional is generally the best fit for a brick-and-mortar operation. [And don't forget to put those in BOTW Local too... the more hooks in the water, the more fish on the table.]

The lawyer example is intentionally selected because it IS an ambiguous call. Granted, nobody will typically try to decide between a family lawyer in Miami vs Denver, but that isn’t the way the choices will be set up because in this case there’s a Regionalized Topical category that’s tied to Regional through See-also links and @links. Whether something resides on the  Regional or Topical side is a non-issue if they are tied together properly.

See-also’s and @links?
If you look closely you will note an @ symbol on the end of the name of some of the subcategories you might choose. Though it will physically act like a subcategory, it is really just a navigation link to get you to the right place (ie – either the correct Topical or Regional subcategory). An @link tells the user “this is a natural subcategory” and takes them there even if it isn’t physicall below it on the directory tree, while a “see-also” link tells the user “if this topic is of interest, here’s a related place you should see”. They’re similar in use, but not exactly the same.

In both cases they are just structure that makes sure the user can find what they want. To those not in the directory business that may seem a little convoluted, but basically it is just a way of keeping structure navigable. The alternative would be to always have overlapping but totally separate subcategories, and it’d make it harder for users to find the material they seek.

Continuing with the family lawyer example:
You’ll notice you eventually end up making a decision between a regionalized Topical category…
Society: Law: Services: Lawyers_and_Firms: Family_Law: North_America: United_States: California:
or placing it in the Regional category strictly for Los Angeles legal sites…
Regional: United States: California: Cities: Los Angeles: Business and Economy: Legal Services

Cool, a choice. Which of those two is “better”?
Depends on who you ask. BOTH work. I’ve seen some people show a knee-jerk preference for Topical, but in the age of contextual search engines (and directories play a part in contextual search results) a listing in Regional is highly effective place to be.

Bottom line… in this case it IS a judgment call, so stating a preference will assist us in making the call.

Hope this helps, and happy submitting.

We also offer multiple site solutions for customers with 20 or more sites, and recently we’ve added “bundled discounts” for those that wish to use a multi-prong approach for even better results.

Moving to the Next Level: BOTW CATEGORY SPONSOR
One way to enhance visibility beyond those means is a BOTW Category Sponsorship. Category Sponsors are displayed at the top of a relevant directory category, and to drive even more targeted traffic, Sponsors now appear alongside BOTW Local search results and the recently enhanced BOTW Directory search results.

Making a Good Deal a GREAT Deal – Give it away FREE
Right now your first Category Sponsorship is FREE for 30 days and afterward bills monthly at a 30% Discount! This offer is valid only if the sponsorship is ordered during the month of March. To take advantage, use Promo Code “THIRTY30″. Thirty percent off is pretty darned good… but getting to test it out for FREE first makes it a no-risk proposition. Nice bonus.

Note to Resellers: Here’s an opportunity to have fun. How hard is it to give away FREE ads? Enjoy.

RECAP: Promo Code THIRTY30 gets you…

• 30 Day Free Trial – (a $50 value)
• Premier placement in a relevant category.
• Featured visibility alongside the search results of the BOTW Directory and BOTW Local.
• Control your marketing message.

Caveat – Quality and Relevance Count
In order to present users the most relevant sites available, sites in the BOTW Category Sponsorship Program must meet the same editorial guidelines for relevance and quality as listings in our directory.

Are YOU Ready for the Next Level?
If you’re ready and your site qualifies… here’s where to get started!  BOTW Category Sponsorship

BOTW Local Premium listings 50% off thru February 28

Is a Physical Location Required?
The BOTW Local service is designed to help users find local vendors for products or services. It does provide a map to those operating out of a brick and mortar location. Still it is a simple fact that many legitimate vendors and service providers do not operate out of an office or storefront, so a P.O box IS accepted in lieu of an office location.

To view the site see: http://local.botw.org

To upgrade an existing listing in BOTW Local:

1. Sign in to your existing BOTW Local Account
2. Got to “Manage Listings” section
3. Start activating the added features available to Premium listings
4. When prompted, enter promo code to save 50%

Promo Code: YOUSAVE50

BOTW Local – Designed to Drive Traffic

A Botw Local Premium listing is a good tool to help you drive more people to your website and increase awareness for your business. For more information on the benefits of a Premium Business details page, visit http://local.botw.org/premium.

Sign up today and save 50% – you pay only $15.

Regards ~ The Best of the Web Team

New industries entirely online came of age. People that once went to the mall to get ready for Christmas began to go to “Google” and “Amazon”.

We learned a lot of new words… Adsense, SEO, PR, Digg, Facebook… and we learned new meanings for old words. “Twitter” went from a sound to an action. “Text” went from a noun to a verb. Spam was once somethiing you didn’t want on your plate, now it’s something you don’t want in your inbox, directory, or forum. Now if you talk about anticipating “caffeine”, you probably aren’t on your way to Starbucks.

The national media scoffed at “bloggers in pajamas”, and lost. [Now they're establishing their own blogs and playing catch up.] Where once having a website meant your company was “cutting edge”, now NOT having one means you just aren’t considered. For the most part these changes occurred over the course of the last decade.

Moving into 2010…
In a decade of change, Best of the Web has played its part. We went from an early awards program to a directory helping map the best sites on the net. We added a UK and Ireland Directory, a Local Directory, and other products.

Now we’d like to play our part helping folks get their website and their products in front of more people than ever. BOTW now has more than 20 million listings spread across the Web Directory, Blog Directory, UK Directory, and BOTW Local. We are happy to offer a promotion good through the end of January: SAVE 20% on All NEW BOTW Submissions and Sponsorship Advertising.

When prompted, enter the following Promo Code: NEWYR

Save 20% on new:

• Directory Submissions – Discount the annual or the one-time review fee and get listed in the Internet’s Oldest Directory.

• Monthly Sponsorship Ads – Save on the monthly rate for all new sponsorship ads.

• Blog Directory Submissions – Feature your blog and save on the annual review fee.

• Blog Advertising – Discount on all new sponsorship ads in the Blog Directory.

• Premium Local Listings – Discount the monthly and annual rate for your Local Business Profile listing.

• Bundled Marketing Package – Get your US Business listed in BOTH the Web Directory and BOTW Local for a fraction of the cost. Save 20% on the yearly fee!

The code may be used multiple times for multiple products and services in January. The code will expire on January 31, 2010 so act now to get a jump on the new year.

Happy 2010 to all from the Best of the Web team!

SCAM ALERT:

An individual is advertising unrealistic discounts on BOTW submissions at Digitalpoint in THIS THREAD and THIS THREAD. The same offer is also shown at webhostingscoop.net in THIS POST. The poster at Digitalpoint goes by the name Arale, and may be employing shills to “verify” his service.

Best of the Web wishes to warn potential submitters that BOTW has no affiliation with the service shown. The BOTW referral ID of the original poster of those threads has been identified as an individual whose submits are removed from the directory as it is part of a known scam.

Anyone that responds to that offer or similar offers by that individual elsewhere with intent to obtain a listing at BOTW does so at their own risk. Again, it is NOT associated with any legitimate BOTW offer and will not result in a listing in the BOTW Directory, the BOTW Blog Directory, or any affiliated product.

~ Thanks

Rob Jones
Best of the Web Directory

This is the third year in a row for us (hey, if it works, why not?), and this year our beneficiary will be the Toys for Tots program initiated by the US Marine Corps Reserve.

Toys for Tots Program – http://www.toysfortots.org/
The Toys for Tots program has been an ongoing event since it’s conception in 1947. The objective is to…

…help less fortunate children throughout the United States experience the joy of Christmas; to play an active role in the development of one of our nation’s most valuable resources – our children; to unite all members of local communities in a common cause for three months each year during the annual toy collection and distribution campaign; and to contribute to better communities in the future.

Though many toys are collected through local drives and public participation, the need often outpaces supply, and then some just find it easier to donate cash so the funds can be targeted where needed most. Our children are the future, and helping them have a great Christmas in what may have been an otherwise rough year seems a worthy goal.

For some examples of some lives impacted by the Toys for Tots program, see actual accounts posted on their site. These show that even a small positive influence can leave a lasting impression on a child, and motivate her or him to pursue a path to a productive adulthood.

The Players:
Return of the Botw Boys
In addition to sponsoring the tourney, BOTW will have 4 team members playing in the tournament… Greg Hartnett, Brian Prince, “the Good Rob” (aka Rob Schmidt*), & Adam Sussman. * Last we heard Schmidt was still claiming his previous high placement was “luck”. Those are the guys to watch, the ones that say they’re good seldom are.

If YOU are interested in playing…

…Or just being a guest, see the Purpose Inc Texas Holdem Poker Tournament at Pubcon page to register.

If the lure of the cards isn’t enough, remember that players and guests also get free drinks… Nov. 12th from 8:00 p.m. to 2:00 a.m. Mirage hotel.

Go sign up… you can help a worthy cause.