Beyond the Rhetoric

The following post is sponsored by Apogee Search

There’s been a backlash lately about sponsored posts, and while I have no problem with them so long as proper disclosure is made at some point, there is a growing contingent that wants to know up front whether a post is sponsored or not. There are even those who are against sponsored posts altogether, but you’ve got to face it: affiliate marketing and paid posts are the wave of the future, as they can easily make a blogger — big or small — much more money than Google Adsense.

Anyways, today I’m going to take a look at Search Engine Optimization (SEO). As a freelance writer, part of my business is search engine optimization, not only for my own website and blog, but also for my clients and customers. Even work that is not specifically SEO-oriented, like news I write for Mobile Magazine, has a significant SEO element to it. After all, search engines are one of the greatest sources of traffic.

If you’re new to the search engine optimization game, it can be pretty darn daunting. There are countless terms and phrases out there that would make no sense to the uninitiated, just as the concept of “email”, “IM”, and “blogging” would be foreign to anyone who has never encountered a computer. Luckily, Apogee has an excellent search engine marketing glossary on their site.

When I started blogging (and monetizing), I had no idea what was the difference between CPC and CPM. Until I came across this glossary, I didn’t know what a link condom is or what is meant by Google bowling either. Now I do.

I know I still have much to learn and all this SEO terminology is a good place to start. After all, how else can you expect to understand what everyone is talking about?

Filed under Sponsors, Stuff.