Gallant Fish provides results driven internet marketing services with a core focus on search engine optimization, full spectrum digital strategy development, and creative web design. We build each and every campaign from scratch – because your company deserves the individualized attention necessary to establish, expand, or enhance it’s profitability online.

Our internet marketing services include:

• Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
• Pay Per Click (PPC)
• Competitive Analysis
• Local Search Optimization

The web is evolving…and so is your industry as you know it.  You deserve to have confidence in knowing you can leverage the web effectively for more business – and that your web presence is as unique, creative, remarkable, and powerful as you want it to be.

How can we help your company discover a more profitable era?

The best way out is to clarify the volume and accuracy (therefore quality)of the data you have access to…and teach people what to use as benchmarks for improvement.

Finding trustworthy sources of SEO advice online isn’t as difficult as it used to be. The bottom line is, most pro SEO’s have alot of respect for seomoz.org…especially the tools…specifically linkscape.  It’s still amazing to me to see this kind of data available on demand – and what makes it truly spectacular for client reporting (and benchmarking) is the simplicity of the visualizations (the linkscape visualizer is my absolute favorite).  Open Site Explorer, the mozbar, and moz labs pretty much gives you the upper hand when it comes to reliable link analysis on the fly – or during the competitive analysis process (sorry yahoo site explorer…you’ve been slacking recently).  But you have to consider the size of the Linkscape index:

Linkscape’s Index (as of February 16th 2010):

9.2 Trillion Links
0.4 Trillion URLs
69 Million Root Domains

…therefore the “completeness” of the data. It’s not to say this data isn’t accurate…because it is…it’s very accurate considering the scope of what we have access to considering Google gives us nothing. Still, there is a significant margin of error if you’re taking ALL the metrics at total face value.

But CMOs like benchmarks…the most reliable benchmarks they can get.

…and on that note, consider the size of the Majestic SEO index:

That’s a pretty significant difference.

And the data you can mine out of Majestic SEO, including a very accurate picture of your competitor’s top backlinks in addition to a list of referring domains, is pretty compelling stuff.

Majestic SEO is superior to SEOMoz’s linkscape with regards to link data. SEOmoz’s Linkscape  is superior to Majestic SEO with regards to illustrating link metrics in relation to the competition. But that’s not the point at hand.  What I am saying is that in tandem, contrasted, you get similar trends/patterns when it comes to anchor text variation, strongest links, and referring root domains – and that means consistency.  Consistency you can bank on when it comes to justifying your link building initiative to a CMO or CTO who thinks organic spend is a waste of time when PPC brings traffic immediately.

The logic has to be sound, whatever your argument may be, but there’s simply no reason to let someone call you out on link data and not throw the reality of link profile analysis in their face….not with SEOmoz and Majestic SEO on your side.

A really smart client once told me that SEO is “a battle of inches”.  I couldn’t agree more.  And it is all about those  very specific metrics…make no mistake about that.  What you, as an individual SEO, or as a company, have to do to improve those very specific metrics – that depends on your industry and the resources you have at hand.

You’re only as strong as your strongest link…and link building strategy.

Just because someone doesn’t understand what you’re telling them…because they consider SEO (or whatever you do) to be nothing but a bunch of very specific nonsense…remember it’s their job to discredit you and not spend money (to all you CFOs out there).

Don’t let them not deal with the reality of their own business goals – and do the best you can to put egotistical assumptions in their place.

A good dose of quality link metrics to the face usually clears everything up.

But do yourself and your company a favor – make sure you know what you’re talking about…and make sure you’re taking all the search ranking factors into account.

Domain Authority, Page Authority, Link Equity – and resources.

That’s how you justify the quality of your link data.

When the duplicate content issue on this blog got a bit out of control, our rankings all but disappeared in wake of a penalty and I just couldn’t put the pieces together. My future as an SEO, my credibility as a webmaster, my personal frustration tolerance, and my sense of pride for all things internet related had just about disappeared.  I kept building links…strong links…and wrote articles more frequently.

The problem got worse.

Then the epiphany came. Maybe wordpress isn’t as search engine friendly as I originally thought.

Sure there’s lots of plugins to maximize on-site SEO , fantastic control over URLs, phenomenal syndication capabilities, and a slick CMS – but it’s all a fallacy with regards to the  natural structure of a wordpress blog.

I spent a good two days beating myself up before my research instincts kicked in.  The solution was right in front of my face the entire time. I even remember having read several great posts on the subject.

By not heading the words of advice from talented people like Michael Gray and the generous writers mentioned below…you’re shooting yourself in the foot on the wordpress SEO front. Literally. Read these articles in this order ( I recommend opening each of these as a new tab on your browser) and you’ll have the full solution in no time.

How to make a wordpress blog duplicate content safe

WordPress, duplicate content, and wrong SEO plugins

Webmaster world – WordPress and Google: avoiding duplicate content issues

Webmaster world – Good basic solution to resolve wordpress duplicate content issues

Webmaster world – Robots.txt to fix duplicate content issue

Duplicate content cure for wordpress plugin review

WordPress no duplicate content plugin

WordPress duplicate content issues and solutions

Reducing duplicate content issues on wordpress blogs

Michael Gray on how to make wordpress SEO friendly

I’ll post a follow up to this post once we rid ourselves of this pesky duplicate content issue. Hopefully i’ll have an interesting case study start to finish by the time its over. If anyone has any other resources they’d like to share on resolving the wordpress duplicate content canundrum – please feel free to email me or drop them in the comments.  Anyone who posts a “valuable” resource link will have the nofollow removed from their comment!

Successful project management comes down to the efficiency of your development cycle.  Establishing protocols, implementing collaborative communication tools, and proactively discovering new production resources will help drive a project forward…but will they help you manage everything efficiently?

As with any collaborative work environment, communication and peer to peer interactions play a huge roll in driving a project from start to finish…but there are several tactics i’ve identified, through trial and error, which can help translate your project management objectives into actionable steps.

Develop a realistic timeline for the implementation of your project

Web development projects are malleable by nature.  As much as I strive to help clients set realistic benchmarks and timelines – the little things always seem to get in the way. A bug here, missing content there, epic inter-departmental war on the client side between marketing and IT – it’s always something.  The trick is to plan ahead for these sorts of production obstacles…and that comes down to setting contingents in the initial stages of the project.

Phase development can help to substantially reduce the amount of time spent waiting on a response from a client or developer. Break everything down into stages – use diagrams if you have to – just make sure whoever’s involved in the project understands who does what, when, and who’s accountable for deliverables. Collaborative communication tools like basecamp (hopefully google wave in the near future) and TeamViewer make this much easier than email based solutions.

Making sure everyone involved in production provides feedback at the beginning of a project – or their phase of the project – with regards to their capabilities, resources, and deadlines helps everyone plan accordingly.

Establish all communication channels between management and development

Whatever the case may be…project managers must collaborate with their resources effectively.  This often comes down to the strength, accessibility, and practicality of communication channels. Some people work best when receiving direction verbally…others in written form.  Based on my experience…WRITE everything down and keep directions, solutions, and protocols in a place which is universally accessible.  Creating a central reference point for a project helps everyone involved answer questions independently…and places more emphasis on the development of the project rather than the planning.

Creating a centralized reference point for project collaboration also streamlines the development update process.  When everyone is centralizing their tasks, accomplishments, hurdles, or completed assignments – it’s easy to consolidate daily production updates and send them off to the respective client.  In some cases, its even a solid idea to get your clients involved…so they can monitor the production directly.  The downside to allowing direct client interaction from the development side is the resulting micromanagement.  Everyone likes to throw their opinions on production procedures into the mix when they have the opportunity….which isn’t a bad thing…unless the opinions are coming from someone who has no grasp of how to manage multiple communication exchanges during intricate development cycles.

Looking for ammunition to convince your marketing team they need a social media strategy? Having a hard time explaining why a defined social media strategy is so important? Know you need a plan but need examples to solidify your strategy?

Welcome to the SEO Sumo Social Media Case Study Round Up! The goal here is to catalog the social media case study resources which offer tangible results-oriented strategies.  Lessons learned, successes, failures…it’s all here.  This will be a running list, so feel free to propose additions.  Here’s a few of my favorites to get things started.

The Social Media Case Study Superlist

The Interactive Insights Group put together one of the all time greatest resources for finding inspirational social media case studies.  Worth a thorough read if you’re scoping out competitive social media marketing strategies.

35+ Examples of Corporate Social Media in Action

Mashable’s powerhouse list of extremely successful social media marketing case studies.

A list of social media marketing examples from Peter Kim

The most complete resource i’ve found on social media marketing case studies and examples. Listed alphabetically by brand.

The Social Brand Index

An index of brands actively engaged on the social web.

300+ Cases and Examples of Social Media Marketing

Pretty much exactly what it sounds like.  A great resource for surveying the effectiveness of social media marketing by industry.

The Hot List of Social Media Case Studies

A running list of social media case studies – updated as more success stories hit the market.

The Full Barack Obama Social Media Strategy

A really solid presentation detailing the intricacies of the Obama social media strategy.

The Impact of Corporate Culture on Social Media

An insightful investigation of how corporate culture has shaped the implementation of social media marketing initiatives.

6 Social Media Marketing Case Sudy Lessons from Hubspot

Hubspot is one of the leading providers of “inbound” digital marketing solutions.  Here’s their awesome round up of case study lessons.

13 Enlightening Case Studies of Social Media in the Classroom

It’s great to see how academic institutions are picking up on social media integration. A solid and insightful article.

Social Media Case Study: Broadcast vs. Engagement in Forums

This article highlights how engagement varies depending on the scope of user engagement.  Solid reference for making a case for SMM.

26 Social Media Marketing Examples in detail

An OCD approach to identifying social media marketing case studies.  The perfect balance of practicality and SMM implementation is explored in this article.

Local Social Media Marketing in Action

Real world examples of how social media marketing improved business for a few local businesses.

A look at NASA’s Social Media Program

Michael Gray’s thought provoking overview of NASA’s social media program. This article is one of the best overviews of how a social media strategy at the government level should be managed.

The White House 2.0

The U.S government’s take on social media integration.

I blame corporate America for the ruining the term ASAP.  It seems that every one needs everything IMMEDIATELY these days. Is it a sign that business is actually thriving and the recession is a hoax? Or is it the repercussion of pitiful time management skills and procrastination? Either way – it’s time to face fact – cutting it close can cost you.

Running a company during a recession, let alone an SEO Company in Miami, Fl, presents a dynamic variety of challenges – from account management to technical implementation, the challenges grow more intricate every day. But if it’s one thing that has saved me, time and time again, it’s proactive organization and efficient communication. Staying on top of a project by using collaboration tools, communicating efficiently with email or IM, and even discussing ideas verbally rather than online – are all enduring tactics which pay dividends. Still, urgency looms…and the dreaded “ASAP” sends our harmonious operations into a tail spin.

And I ask myself, why?

With meticulous planning, due diligence in production scheduling, and proactive management…how do these little ASAP emergencies keep emerging? Is it a product of our willingness to accommodate our clients needs by any means available? Are we not using the most up to date collaboration tools on the market? There must be a reason…

oh wait…maybe its not us?

I try to keep faith in the capacity of corporate America to stay organized, adopt innovative marketing technology, and participate in the ongoing conversation on the perception of their public brand. Somehow…when i see things like this, this, and this…my faith slips away a bit.

What happened?  Surely this evident decline in corporate responsibility and internal organization is the result of poor management, a lack of resources, or inter-departmental mis-communications.  Or maybe, it has more to do with motivation.

I care about my job. Passionately. I strive to preform to the best of my ability so my clients and my partners can trust that when i say i’m going to do something…they know I will. I set deadlines, manage projects, and dedicate time to research new tactics so the people I interact with professionally can benefit from my knowledge. I take my commitment to excellence seriously. My motivation is natural because I care about what I do…and I realize my actions have a direct effect on the people who count on me.

If procrastination is the product of disorganization, and disorganization is a personal choice (and it certainly is), then motivation is the key to resolving the impending sense of urgency and doom created by leaving things to the last minute.

As a small business owner who strives to run a tight company – my motivation to work efficiently and practically will never be influenced by people who don’t operate in a similar fashion.

Save the ASAP for the real emergencies.