dannyashton.com

Well a friend of mine Janusz Jezowicz has created a tool that will make life a hell of a lot easier for link builders out there.

You can try the the tool out for free right now! Back Link Tracking

I think the tool uses Google alerts and offers you the ability to track an unlimted number of websites - which is nice! To get an idea of how it presents the data check out this demo screenshot for the website techcrunch:

As you can see in the above image, you get a graphic representation plus a number of metrics relating to how useful the link is. As we all know - not all links are created equal!

This is a great tool and I hope to incorporate it into my link reporting.

In the past I have used digg and Reddit to promote content for a number of clients that I have worked on. To be honest I found digg highly problematic to get stuff on the front page. I know that I should have spent more time “interacting” with the system and its users but it used to just annoy the hell out of me. To be honest my main problem with digg was that I just didn’t enjoy using it.

Some of the greatest success I have had in the social media arena have been using Stumbleupon. I was impressed on how the content played such a key role in the success and more importantly I actually enjoyed using the system. This meant that I started to gain friends and through experience learned what worked and what didn’t.

The next social media site to hit the front-pages is called Mixx and today I decided to set up an account and give it a go!

{Click the image below to view a large screenshot} 

Mixx visually looks very similar to digg but with one main difference - Mixx has no advertisements. I doubt this will be the long term strategy but it’s nice to not have the ads obstructing my view.

The homepage has links to the most popular photos, stories and videos for that day. It seems that Mixx is trying to give all forms of media an equal footing from day one.

The one thing that stuck out for me was how well the social aspect is incorporated within the system. I have already managed to gain a number of friends - check Danny Ashton: Mixx profile.

Of course only time will tell if this will be the next digg…

Finally I have moved to WordPress.

This took a little longer than expected due to my host making a few mistakes.. but hey no point crying over spilt milk. I had to move to wordpress after Link Baiter Lyndon told me to be a “proper blogger”. To be honest I have been a big fan of WordPress after using it for a couple of my own personal projects.

As this is my first post, I want to take some time to share my top 5 favourite SEO resources.

1. First on the list is Sphinn- A digg style site for SEO’s to share their favourite SEM related pages. This is my first port of call to find the latest from the world of SEO.

2. This blog from Hamlet Batista is relatively new to me but its great. Gives me the same kind of feeling that I got when I first read Blue Hat Seo[another great seo blog that looks at some advanced techniques].

3. John Andrews blog gives a far more mature look at the SEO industry which is a real breath of fresh air.

4. The SEO guru- This blog is from a Old Skool SEO. He gives a no-bullshit look into the world of SEO. Some great tips on how to sell SEO to clients.

5. Cornwall SEO blog - A great insight into the world of link baiting. I have also had the honour of meeting Lyndon in the real world.

Moving forward I hope to blog about the following topics:

Facebook- I am currently looking at application monetisation and experimentation with flyer targeting. I hope to include all my progress whether it positive or negative.

Affiliate Marketing - I am in the process of using an old domain for a specific niche. I will be putting into practice some of the techniques that I have learned over the past 18 months.

Working within an Advertising agency - I hope share some of the knowledge that I gain from working in an old skool agency background.

I hope in time that I will give back something useful to the SEO blogosphere.