SEO (search engine optimisation) isn't quite the dark art that some would have you believe. As Google themselves put it they simply want to deliver the most relevant information when asked. Like a great librarian who knows every book in his library and who can offer you just the right book based on your exact request.
At Laban Brown Design we keep a track on our own competitors of course and make sure that our website design is not only up-to-date but is easily found for our chosen keywords. We track what's happening in our particular part of the world and we've noticed a big increase in 'dead sites' and blogs whose sole purpose is to point to a handful of keywords rather than readable content.
In terms of linking to specifically chosen keywords it's not a problem only this strategy leaves the user somewhat at a loss. Imagine if you were looking for a Design Agency in Essex or a Branding Agency in Essex for instance and found that your Google librarian lead you to a blog filled with keywords and links that eventually took you to an Agency website but was of little use to you as a first stop search result. Not ideal for the user.
A smarter SEO campaign would be to link to related websites that make sense and that Google will see as being a link worth having. For instance a perfect Web Design link would be to the Which Web Design Company site which Google would see as being of use to you if you were indeed looking for a great Web Design Agency. A link to Facebook is useful as it's the perfect location to learn a little about what an Agency is up to on a more day-to-date level and the search result would be a positive one.
So, if at the start of this new year, you're thinking of getting your SEO working more effectively for you then the Google SEO Starter Guide PDF is a good place to start. Follow this simple and free guide and you'll be on the road to search success - avoiding the creation of dead-end blog pages along the way...