Deck from "SEO Tactics 2011" session at HostingCon 2011 in San Diego, CA on August 8.

1. Is SEO dead or is it still relevant? SEO and the Hosting Provider

2. Is SEO is a waste of time? No, it isn’t. If you think so, you’re probably doing it wrong. It’s not difficult and it helps, so why not? Ultimately, you’ll have a better website For the user For conversions For the future

3. What’s the Same Properly constructed websites with logical internal linking and good content still most effectively communicate your message to the Engines. It’s about effectively communicating your message to the Engines now, not just crawlability. Links (obviously) still matter Content (obviously) still matters

4. What’s Different Now Panda – Punishes duplicate content (or non-value adding content), poorly written content, crappy sites and sites full of seemingly unsupervised or unmonitored UGC. Social Media – Important but often poorly executed. It’s NOT just about engagement. Why leave money on the table?

5. Strategies and Tactics Clogging your site with crap content isn’t going to help. Using content that could be seen as “boilerplate” isn’t going to help. Buying links or spamming forums won’t save your crappy content. “Pretty websites” actually DO matter now, but properly built is still just as important.

6. Strategies and Tactics Hire/find a GOOD writer and provide him with a GOOD message. Develop an editorial calendar so there are relevant, useful things to write about and push them out regularly. Link to your own content, within your own site liberally and using good anchor text. If you’re going to allow your users to generate content for you, you HAVE to have an editor actually critique and approve the content before it goes up.

7. Strategies and Tactics Differentiate yourself! You are (or should be) more than just a price point. Don’t hope the consumer figures out why you’re better… explain it to him in detail Educate the Users, but not behind closed doors. Show potential users how well you treat current users! Don’t assume potential (or current) users are idiots. If you treat people like lusers, then lusers you shall attract.Write about tech topics that show why you’re good (or better/the best), but don’t write like you’re talking to 5 year olds or try to write over the customers’ heads to prove you’re smarter than they are.

8. Strategies and Tactics All of this out in the open education will: Generate the unique content that you NEED Differentiate you from others Naturally (organically) attracts links Help customers build an emotional bond with your brand.

9. Strategies and Tactics Do your Keyword Research. It’s still really important. UI matters now. Is your site easy to navigate if you’ve never been to it before? Is your call to action clear and OBVIOUS? (Do you even have a call to action?)

10. Strategies and Tactics Quit spreading your content all over multiple domains. Keep your content on a single domain, on a single sub-domain. We want a single mountain of links and authority, not a vast field full of ant hills.

11. Social Media Strategies Always link back to the Mother ship. Social media sites/outlets come and go, but your website is the only thing you can truly control, so it should always be where the social sites link back to. Engagement doesn’t matter if it’s not generating traffic.

12. Social Media Strategies Always link back to the Mother ship. Social media sites/outlets come and go, but your website is the only thing you can truly control, so it should always be where the social sites link back to. Engagement doesn’t matter if it’s not generating traffic.

13. Social Media Strategies Know your target audience and play to THEM. Make sure you’re enabling your evangelists. Those social media buttons on blogs actually *do* something, so even if it offends your sensibilities, you should utilize them and encourage your brand evangelists to do so as well. Don’t leave money on the table.

14. Points to Remember A good writer is worth his or her weight in gold and a good message is invaluable. Don’t be a commodity. You reduce your service to a price tag and clients will always be more loyal to their checkbooks than to you. Help your evangelists evangelize.

15. Thank you! Carolyn ShelbyTwitter: @cshelEmail: carolyn@cshel.comWeb: http://www.cshel.com