Darren Rowse is the blogger behind the scenes at ProBlogger.net and author of How to Optimize Your Blog for Search Engines, a much longer (and more informative) post that I am summarizing here.
We speak about many of these techniques from time to time but it is good to see the list in print!
SEO is often divided into two categories: on page optimization and off page optimization.

Off Page SEO Techniques

Pretty much summed up as incoming links, the best inbound links have three main qualities to them:

1. they are from higher ranked sites than your own
2. they are relevant to the topic you are writing about
3. they link to you using relevant keywords to your page
How do you generate these links to your blog?

1. Quality Content
2. Notify Relevant Bloggers of your content
3. Directories
4. Inter-link your Blogs
5. Buy Links
6. Swap Links

On Page SEO Techniques

1. Keyword Rich Content
2. Themed sites - we’re not talking WordPress themes but subject themes here. Own a niche rather than trying to be a blog of all trades
3. Site Engine Friendly Design
4. Interlink your Site
5. Blog regularly
6. Outbound Links
7. Keyword Rich Domain Name
8. Register your Domain for a Lengthy Period
9. One topic per post
10. Write optimal length posts
11. Avoid Duplicate content
12. Ping
13. Submit your RSS to MyYahoo
14. Quantities of Content
15. Submit to Search Engines - we say do this via a sitemap for better results!

This is a high level overview of things that need to be considered when trying to increase the search engine visibility of your blog. Darren goes into much greater detail including links and examples.
If I were taking my own medicine, I would not post this duplicate content (it has been edited and trimmed down slightly), would link to other relevant posts that are of the same subject as this one and would perhaps spend more time on links!

Before we get to the juicy content, I must give credit to Chris Richardson, Staff Writer at WebProNews.

Chris summarizes the feedback from various panelists (hyperlinked to their sites where possible) at PubCon Vegas 2006 - what follows are some quotes and paraphrases that go a long way to demonstrating what it is search engines are looking for:

• each page of your site is an entry point, optimize (title tags, keyphrases) for what each page targets - Greg
• strive for quality links over quantity links - the entire panel
• if you are targeting your site geographically, get links from local entities (Chamber of Commerce, local directories)
• NO LINK EXCHANGES (don’t even bother - Matt cutts)
• unique content is important (this and link bait are the prevailing themes of the Las Vegas PubCon)
• if you can get into the top 3 of Google Local, you will be on the front page of Google’s standard search if the query is geographically based… - Danny Sullivan
• when optimizing for Google Local, navigate to the Google Local Business Center - this was suggested by Matt as a source to assist with being indexed by Google Local’s index as well as a place to claim your business, similar to Technorati’s blog claim function.
• ditch javascript menus altogether… they are a red flag to ranking algos - Boser
• template-based sites may not rank well because they appear alike to the crawlers… - Tim Mayer and Matt Cutts both iterated this thought.
• Session IDs urls need to be blocked from crawlers because of duplicate content issues (don’t serve session ids to bots)… this
  was emphasized by Matt who said:

  “session ids can be poison for crawlers”

• if your site sells manufactured products, don’t use manufacturer copy… use your own descriptions - this was also stated by Heather Lloyd-Martin during the effective web copy session
• there’s no good use for 302 redirects, ever - the entire panel
• blog about your product or target area, this provide so much of the original content the search engines are looking for - paraphrased from Matt Cutts

This last point plays into the whole link bait theory that was incredibly prominent during this conference (I cannot count the number of times I heard this phrase…). Keep these tips and ideas in mind when you are conducting any SEO or SEM-related process.
They will serve you well.

While I did not make it to the most recent WebmasterWorld PubCon in Vegas, I thought you might want to read a summary of the event - as usual RustyBrick goes a fantastic job of summing things up :-)

November 14th:

1. WebmasterWorld Pubcon Kickoff Keynote Address - Guy Kawasaki
2. Feeds, Blogs, News, and Social Search (FeedBurner, Digg, Topix)
3. SEO and Big Search
4. Feeds and Other Alternative Optimization Opportunities
5. Link Development and Linking Optimization
6. Affiliate Strategies and Content Strategies
7. Feeding the Engines - Writing Copy
8. Corporate Mega Site SEO Management
9. Special Afternoon Keynote by Jon S Von Tetzchner of Opera

November 15th:

1. New Age of Web Advertising Keynote by John Battelle
2. Local and Mobile Local Search
3. What Every Webmaster Should Know: PHP, PERL, ASP.net
4. International and European Optimization
5. Search Blogger and Reporter Forum
6. Purchasing Links
7. Duplicate Content Issues (Yahoo & Google)
8. Super Session : Search and Research on a Rail

Cool Party: Yahoo! Rents Out Hugh Hefner’s Sky Villa in Palms Hotel

November 16th:

1. Special Guest Keynote - Danny Sullivan - Search Engine Land
2. Press and Public Relation Campaigns
3. Forums and Communities : Building and Optimization
4. Spider and DOS Defense - Rebels, Renegades, and Rogues
5. Interactive Site Reviews and SERP Quality Control Forum

If you were a personal chef in Toronto, how would you drive traffic to your website? I used the Overture Tool to do some keyword research which would shed light on how customers are searching for personal chefs - not just in Toronto but in general.

What I found is on par with what the search marketing industry is saying these days - people are searching local. Out of 68 phrases that people use when searching for a personal chef, 34 of those phrases involved a location such as Toronto or Ottawa as examples.

In almost all of the location based searches, the query went “personal chef location” such as “personal chef Los Angeles”. The locations were usually cities but there were a couple for countries (”Canada” and “American”). Ottawa was the one exception where people tend to search for “personal chef service in Ottawa” - the added word of service differentiates this query from the others.

What is the point here? If you are a personal chef with a website, it is incredibly important to optimize your site for the term personal chef along with the city you live in. Since there is not a great variety in the terms people use to find these services, you need to be in the top 5 for your targeted phrase. In a city like Ottawa, that may be possible - but what about Toronto? There are more than 5 personal chefs in Toronto so they can’t all be in the top 5 position of Google or any other search engine.

The answer? Get listed in the directories that appear for your targeted phrase. These directories include associations, local directories, yellow pages, ODP, Google Local and the list goes on. This is a fairly non competitive field compared to many other fields as many personal chefs do not even have websites!

Can’t get to #1? If you are stuck in position #10 right now, you likely do get some leads from your website. Follow up with these leads in a timely manner and you just may be setting yourself apart from your competition who may not return email at all!

Need help marketing your personal chef website? Contact us and see what we can work out in terms of payment :-)

With so many real estate websites competing for attention in the search engines, what can a real estate agent do to set their site apart from the competition?

A blog would be a good start because the nature of a blog is such that new information is posted regularly and it is appropriate for a realtor to provide personal commentary on a topic as well as generic facts.

Don’t know what to blog about? I have a friend who launched a Montreal Real Estate blog and started just by entering information that she learned in her real estate course and subjects that she thought would be of interest to her readers. As time went on she came up with new subject ideas to blog about based on the keyword phrases people entered into search engines before arriving at her site.

Examples of such phrases include:

• what i should know about buying a duplex
• buying duplex in montreal
• montreal duplex for sale needs work

A good agent should be able to take any of these phrases and write an article that is designed to be informative and yet will help to draw in additional search engine traffic.

Like all subjects in the world of SEO, this is no longer enough. In order to draw larger amounts of traffic, real estate agents need to start creating Link Bait on their website. What is link bait? It is a piece of content that is so juicy, numerous other sites can’t help but link to it.

Take a look at these five popular classifications for link bait hooks (taken from Famous Agents):

1. News
2. Contrary
3. Attacks
4. Resource
5. Humor

Read more about these link baiting ideas in the article 21 KEYS TO LINK BAIT SUCCESS by Famous Agents or see how they have added a sixth category of Link Baiting called Fear in the article Thousands of REALTOR Websites Disappear from Google.

Last but not least, you may want to check out 106 Content Ideas for the REALTOR who has Nothing to Write About. Here are my top picks from that list:

1. Home prices in local market

2. Local subdivisions/ farm area prices, solds, actives, pendings, etc.

3. New construction plans in area

4. New businesses coming to area

7. Create a helpful checklist for buyers and sellers

9. Mortgage rate updates

10. Dangers of certain types of loans (such as interest only, certain ARMS, etc.), and why they are not for everyone – be careful not to buy more house than you can afford

11. Advantages of going through a mortgage broker for your next loan as opposed to your local bank (i.e., more options for finding a lender to say yes, potential for better rates, competing lenders so can find the best program for your needs)

12. Buying your first investment property

13. Dos and don’ts of buying investment properties

14. Should you rent it or flip it?

15. What you should know about home inspections

19. Simple repairs to help your home show better and sell faster

22. Landscaping can make a difference

23. What is curb appeal?

27. Local shopping and attractions in the area

28. Guide to dining out – rank all the restaurants in your area (let the restaurants know about your ranking guide and see
if you can get a link from them)

30. Anything newsworthy in your area (fires, road construction, crime reports, job markets, etc.)

31. Anything controversial in your area such as upcoming elections, debate about a subway/rail system, problems at a local nightclub, road noise from new freeway, new housing development with controversial architecture, etc. (best to take a somewhat neutral stance by posing questions to the reader rather than just stating your opinion – you don’t want to offend anyone, but people do like a good debate)

33. What homeowners can do to save on energy costs

34. Remodeling ideas to instantly increase the value of your home

35. Resources and tips for hiring contractors and actually having a good experience

41. Buying a resale home versus a new construction home (or completed spec home)

44. The new craze in buying Office Condos

45. Things you must know to successfully sell your home on your own (great bait for FSBOs – overwhelm them with so much powerful info so that after reading it, they will WANT to hire you to sell their home)

48. Plan a neighborhood block party or kid’s parade and then write about it, send flyers out, take photos, etc to get the word out – see if the HOA or local chamber or other organization will link to your site for more info

49. Travel tips for visitors to your area (great for out-of-town buyers)

58. Have webcam feeds from local points of interests such as ski resorts, traffic monitors, etc.

59. Create a quarterly crime report – gather the data from local law enforcement offices and break it down by city, area, subdivision, etc.

63. Moving resource guide (resources for buyers moving in from out of the area, for local moves, and for sellers moving out – all are potential client bases for you)

64. What should I offer for earnest money and down payment when buying a home?

67. Three Biggest Seller Mistakes (typically, these are Price, Condition, and Marketing – they must price it right, have it in good condition, and market it well – this is where you can talk up how your marketing program beats the competition)

69. Subdivision Reports (you could have one page for each of the popular subdivisions in your area or more specific to your farm area – title the page with the name of the subdivision and talk about the amenities, location, local shopping, attractions, home prices, architecture, HOA info if any, builders info, types of housing such as single vs. 2-story, homes with pools, etc.)

75. Attend local zoning commission meetings, council meetings, school board meetings, etc. and write recaps of the meetings

86. Interview three of your best local home inspectors. Come up with a common list of the 25 Most Important Things a Homebuyer should watch out for when buying a home. You could also come up with a list of the 10 Most Common Code Violations found by local inspectors.

87. Give your readers a space of their own to ask you questions. Post the questions and answers on your site. This allows reader interaction and avoids the one-way conversation. It can also get you links from both the reader and others who like your answers and want to reference your information.

88. Keep a Toolbox on your site. These are tools that your readers may want to use on a daily basis, and thus link to your site for easy access. (Some examples are a calendar, scheduler/planner, link to mapquest, local yellow pages, local & national news sites, weather sites, local newspaper, reliable online dictionary/thesaurus, computer troubleshooting site, local sports teams, movie reviews/local theaters, community newsletter,…)

105. Comment on other blogs. Once those blog owners notice you when trolling through their referral logs, they will likely return the favor. (This, by the way, is a legitimate reciprocal link.)

So much to digest! Even if you implement one of these a week you will be well on your way to driving additional traffic through Link Baiting!