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The amount of links required to rank in the top 5 on Yahoo or just on the first page on Google for “public relations”  is in the thousands, which is why the first five results are mainly large portals, public relations society’s or content publishing sites like encyclopedias or news sites.  SEO involves outdoing the other people ranking for those same terms.  For rankings that high you’ll need a strategy above regular link building / promotion / regular SEO efforts – One of the following could be successful  

1. Create “link bait” or  something ( web tool, service, guide, set of articles) valuable enough to  and encourages hundreds of other websites to link to you voluntarily.
2. Publish a large amount of updated information (if you updated your blog daily for a long enough period of time you would have published enough information to obtain the required number of links with regular SEO efforts.)

Doing that will involve a lot of work and creativity.  If anyone reading this is interested I can help with a plan of attack if you’re willing to be that aggressive with your SEO efforts. 

If you’re looking to pay per blog posts -  you don’t have to maintain a specific list for bloggers who will write about your company for money, I go online to reputation based SEO and business forums and see who’s available.  I can usually get more links and higher quality links while remaining completely “under the radar” for maximum SEO benefit.  If they HAVE to know the specific bloggers ahead of time the commercial services (reviewme.com)  and (payperpost.com) work pretty well – much cheaper and better at generating valuable links and traffic than traditional link buying. 

Big Local Sites (make sure we’re in here, contact me if they require fees.)

• Big Book
• InfoSpace
• SuperPages
• Switchboard
• Yellow Pages
• Yahoo Local
• Smart Pages
• MSN’s Live Local.
• http://www.citysearch.com/
• InfoUSA
• Truelocal.com
• Yelp.com
• Insiderpages.com

Here are some resources for finding places to add local sites to: 

http://www.isedb.com/html/Web_Directories/Local_and_Regional_Directories/ 

More sites that could be useful for SEO 

http://www.wikio.com/u.s./states/california/los_angeles 

http://www.mozdex.com/community/ 

http://www.work.com/

Do you have a blog?  Has it ever been optimized properly?  Are you using WordPress with one of the default themes templates? 

Almost all the WordPress themes available are not properly optimized for the search engines and as a result will less of your posts will individual be index by the search engines and you’ll rec ive substantially less traffic, blogs can be  a great SEO tool if setup properly. 

In General language –

Modify the blog to better target specific keywords, resulting gin better search engine rankings.

Promote your blog to hundreds of different places online (search engines and directories) so more people can find it.

If you’re not getting enough traffic consider doing the following

• Feed optimization through various services (including feedburner)
• Rss Feed Submission
• Blog Directory Submission – Manual
• Blog Account setup at popular blogging search engines and portals (including technorati)
• Blog SEO plug-in Installation *Wordpress blog required (sitemaps, meta tags, technorati tags, large ping list)
• Modification of Blog theme for optimal SEO * WordPress blog required

Steps to help promote a blog 

• Blog theme modification;
• Blog SEO plug-in installation and optimal configuration;
• Feed Optimization, including feed management service setup / configuration;
• E-mail feed subscription options for visitors (if requested);
• Automatic and manual RSS feed submission to Blog Search Engines / Directories;
• Automatic manual directory submission;
• Account setups at popular blogging search engines and portals (including Technorati);
• Google sitemap auto creation & submission;
• Buttons added for easy social bookmarking & feed subscription sites.

Step 1 – Figure out what you want; this doesn’t have to be specific, but make sure you know at least some basic information and can give a detailed answer to the following pre-contact question: 

What do you want to accomplish with your website and what is your first priority? (top 4 answers: produce sales leads, sell products directly, promote a physical service or retail location, provide support/information for existing customers) 

Do you already have website copy or will it need to be written for/with you? 

Do you want e-commerce functionality and if so how many products/services do you want to sell (approximate number is great)? 

Do you have a plan in place for SEO and Internet Marketing? If you don’t, I would recommend a plan to allocate at least an equal budget for the web design and SEO/Marketing portions of your website.  What’s the point of having a website no one will see.

If you want to contribute to your company’s search engine rankings or if you’re a full blown do it yourselfer, you’ll need the right tools.  Here is an extremeley simple list of where to start.

SEO Studio Standard edition (http://www.trendmx.com/website-promotion-optimization-software/website-promotions.aspx 

Roboform prohttp://www.roboform.com/ 

RSS Submit – Ksoft (SEO Edition)http://www.dummysoftware.com/rsssubmit.html 

SubmitEazehttp://www.submiteaze.com/ 

SEO for firefoxhttp://tools.seobook.com/ 

Back Link Analyzerhttp://tools.seobook.com/ 

Google toolbar for firefox and IEhttp://toolbar.google.com/ 

del.icio.us bookmarks extension to firefoxhttps://addons.mozilla.org/firefox/3615/ 

StumbleUpon extensionhttps://addons.mozilla.org/firefox/138/ 

Furl Toolshttps://addons.mozilla.org/firefox/1781/ 

Digg This toolbarhttps://addons.mozilla.org/firefox/3040/

Here is an old e-mail I typed in a rushed hurry to a web 2.0 startup.  Even though it’s dated, I think the questions and general tone still has the same merit as when I wrote it.

I read the press release on your existing website.  I like the idea of (name removed for privacy) and personally I support anything that gives talented individuals new avenues to express and showcase themselves 

If you’re asking my opinion on whether I believe this website will be successful long term with millions of users and high profitability, – that depends.  I definitely recognize the potential for this website to “go all the way” and become a house hold name, but I personally think long term success will have to do with:

1. Your ability to brand your .com and cultivate a strong sense of “community” apart from existing social networks.2.  Your ability to keep a large, active user base when faced with future competition and the technical problems inherent with exponential growth.

Those questions lie outside the individual tasks I’ll be doing, but I can definitely help greatly with them.  For example blogs can be used to open up a dialogue between site owners and site visitors and help encourage the growth of a “community presence”. 

I do have one MAJOR question regarding one aspect of your marketing direction. 

Do you plan on having your .com work in existing social networks like myspace or compete with them?   

An example is, will users be able to imbed their online profile information specific to your site (Their videos, votes, and position in the contest) in their existing myspace accounts and other social networks or are you aiming on having them setup all their profile and personal information separately?  Or are you even planning on having bio pages and other web 2.0 features like bulletins, separate messaging, pictures etc? 

Another question:Who is your current programmer and is he/she up to the task of improving and updating the “back end” when the traffic starts to really increase? 

1. Public Relations Damage Control Basics
2. Public Relations Emergency FAQ
3. Top 10 ways to increase your PR online
4. Top 10 ways to minimize damaging PR (public relations)
5. How to stand out in a sea of competitors
6. Blogging for PR (public relations)
7. Press Release Basics
8. When should you send out a press release?
9. Public Relations in the Information Age
10. What does a PR firm actually do?
11. Why you need a professional PR firm
12. The difference between PR is everything
13. How to find a good PR firm.
14. What to look for in public relations agencies
15. Pitching your story
16. Crisis communication basics
17. Top 10 ways to generate free publicity.
18. Top 10 PR mistakes to avoid
19. When Pr is bad PR
20. Public Relations Media Kit 101
21. PR and your company back-story.
22. How to deal with journalists
23. How to find the right PR firm
24. How internet technology is changing the face of PR
25. Public relations online 101
26. the impact of blogs and participatory journalism on public relations
27. participatory journalism basics
28. Branding in the digital age
29. 10 most recognized brands and how they got there
30. brief history of public relations
31. Understanding the modern consumer
32. How PR and online marketing are related.
33. Fresh thinking in PR
34. Public Relations Needs for Large companies
35. Public Relations needs for startups
36. Top PR resources
37. Tools to track your PR
38. The PR value of pad casting
39. what media should your pr campaign target?
40. Know your audience, niche marketing for PR
41. PR Photos that get results
42. Electronic Media Kits 101
43. Electronic Media Kits for PR do you need one?
44. Alternative Audiences for PR

For those of you who missed the early days of search engine optimization and tons of manual link building.  Here is a guide I wrote years ago aimed at helping you build some quality directory links.  Note most these tactics are outdated unless used in combination with more modern techniques like social media marketing, but enjoy it none-the-less.  FYI, It’s not updated so be wary of using it as is. 

Types of Directories:

There are many different way to divide this up, but the easiest is to think of directories in two different types of directories that come in two different flavors,

The two basic types of directories are general and niche.  They appear in automated and human edited flavors.

Preparation:

To get the most out of directory submission careful preparation and attention to detail is required. 

Create the following: 

1. List of keywords separated by spaces
2. List of keywords separated by commas
3. Break both lists up into 250 character chunks.  Make sure TOP keyword phrase appears in every single chunk
4. Take the chunks you have and create additional ones with variation in the word orders and filler words thrown in (location, special words, and misspellings) Do not repeat the same words throughout all versions.  Create a least 10 different chunks and remember one with spaces and one with comas.
5. Now create 10 different titles with variation word order.  Put top keyword phrase in all titles, but vary the order including throwing in filler words in-between the top keyword phrase.  For example if your top phrase is “Las Vegas Tickets” some of your titles should have “Las Vegas Show Tickets”
6. Create 10 different descriptions using full real sentences.  If you want to list keywords use sentences like “We provides blank blank blank services to blank blank blank. 
   1. Do not put any keyword lists in here without working them into a sentence. 
   2. Do not use the same keyword order that appears in title or keyword list.
7. Make a list of 3-5 regional specific keywords phrases and 3-5 topic category keywords.
   1. Regional specific refers to the actual geographic location, an example of 5 good keywords for a business located in
      Los Angeles would be:

                                                              i.      Las Angeles                                                           ii.     
California                                                         iii.     

Orange
County                                                         iv.     
United States

1.  
   1. Topic Specific refers to the industry or general category a website might fall under.  For example a sample list for a web designer would include

                                                              i.      Web Designers                                                           ii.      Web Design                                                         iii.      Web Development                                                         iv.      Internet Services                                                            v.      Freelance Designers

1. Install an auto form filler.  An example of a good one is roboform (http://www.roboform.com/)
   1. Create a new identity on the auto form filler with the clients company name, a real persons from your company’s name, address, phone number, etc… Use an e-mail address that works because most of these directories will require confirmation and a lot of them charge some type of fee.
2. Setup Google preferences to display 100 results, reorder toolbars to make good use of screen real estate, if possible use a dual monitor setup.

Setup Reciprocal Links Page:

1. Setup a page that links from the main page of client site or within 2 clicks of main page.  An ideal place for this in the footer of document.  Do not name this page anything that has to do with links.
   1. Add 3 text paragraphs (real text, not spam content), a header tag, and a blank numbered list  (<ol></ol>) – see included example.
   2. *future note:  When ordered list gets to 40 you’ll add another page and repeat this process

Initial General Directory Submission (Gain 50 Links):

As mentioned previously, these links will mostly be from automated general directories.  Although they will claim to be human edited, without a pay for editorial revenue model, the editor will only check to see the site exists and is on the topic, so our sales filled titles and descriptions are excellent.  The top 5 free directories, although overworked and slow, still actually review your website and require objective language, so they will be skipped at this step. 

1. Go to http://www.seocompany.ca/directory/free-web-directories.html if that URL stops working find another updated list of free web directories (note: for now skip the top 5 free directories that should include DMOZ and JoeAnt)
2. Open each site in a new window/tab and submit a free listing to each one using different keywords, titles and descriptions through the different listings.  Note that some require keywords to be separated with comas and others insist on spaces.  USE DIFFERENT RELEVANT CATEGORIES FOR EACH DIRECTORY – DON’T ALWAYS PICK THE SAME CATEGORY.
   1. Use the auto form filler to fill out information, you should only be cutting and pasting titles, descriptions, and keywords. 
   2. DO NOT TYPE the information or this will take forever.
   3. The idea at this stage is quantity, if you run into problems just skip that directory and continue on, these are free directories so most of the links have only a small value, but the total sum of this work will be extremely valuable.
   4. If listing requires reciprocal link place it on linking page described above, upload, and then submit.  Remember, in this stage time is key, so go as fast as you possibly can.  The goal here is quantity, if you run into a problem or error, skip and go on.  Some of the directories will requires you to setup an account, have your auto form filler fill in all the details submit, check e-mail login, and submit link.

                                                              i.      Sites requiring a reciprocal link use a bot to check to make sure it’s there.  The bots don’t/can’t usually understand tags inside the link, so on the reciprocal links page add rel=”no” to the anchor tag of any required reciprocal links so they look like this <a href=”theirlinkhere.html” rel=”no”>link text goes here</a>  Your effectively taking their page rank and relevance while rendering your link to them worthless in Google rel=”no” tells google to ignore the relevance of that link and not to pass pagerank to it 

Paid Directory and Premium Free Directory Submission (Gain 15 trusted, high quality links):

As mentioned previously, these links will mostly be from human edited general directories.  The website will actually be reviewed by a professional and most of them require objective language. 

1. Set aside a budget for directory link buying. And then go to this list: http://www.seocompany.ca/directory/web-directories.html If this list is no longer available locate updated paid directory List, also add the top five free directories to the list (dmoz, joeant etc)
2. Sort List by Alexa Rank or if the above list is unavailable use Page Rank or whatever you can to see directory popularity without spending too much time., Determine how many links you can buy with your budget (buy at least 10 links)  Make a list,
3. Copy and past the 10 titles, descriptions and keywords you created above into a new document.
   1. CHANGE THEM TO BE OBJECTIVE – take out all sales and pitch language.  Change every single one.  Everything has to be objective, you can still use keywords, but nothing saying “we’re the best” etc etc
4. Visit directory, and pick different categories, vary the objective titles, descriptions and keywords for each paid directory.  Spend some time on this step, actually glance over their guidelines. Pay the fee and submit.

Local or Regional Niche Directories (40 region specific links):

1. Take your list of 3-5 regional keywords
2. Go to Google and search for “ regional keyword board category submit url” and/or(depending on how much time this takes you) “ regional keyword broad category add url”  Note:  broad category is usually “business” or “services” so for a web designer in los Angeles you would search for:  Los Angeles Business submit URL  Los Angeles Services Add URL, California business submit url, California business add url. Go through each of your regional keywords this way.
3. Go through results
4. Submit URL to appropriate places.  Use objective or sales descriptions where appropriate, also you can mix and match between the two by using an objective title with a sales filled description.
5. About 50 % of these sites will require reciprocal links, if checked by a bot add rel=”no” to tag to link like above, if the site is very legitimate and powerful, it may be better not to do that.  It’s important to very everything so you don’t want an entire page of rel=”no” tagged links.

Topic Specific Niche Directories (40 topic specific links):

Repeat steps for local niche directories, but use topic keyword list.  Search for “topic add url”  “topic submit url” 

Useful links and resources: 

http://www.seocompany.ca/directory/top-web-directories.htmlhttp://www.seocompany.ca/directory/web-directory-lists.htmlhttp://www.seocompany.ca/directory/free-web-directories.html 

Important Notes: 

The general consensus among SEOs is that’s it’s better to build links gradually, so if a website is brand new, do not initially get this many links pointing toward it.  Better to just do a few steps in here and have the linking look more natural.