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Best of the Web (BOTW) is currently offering free listings in their new blog directory. This definitely a link worth getting, even though it is a directory listing. BOTW is one of, if not the oldest directories on the web, and all submitted websites are human reviewed. So it should pass on some link value along with extra traffic.

The only catch is that your blog must meet the following criteria before it will be accepted.

• The blog must be up and running 24/7
• The blog must contain unique content, as determined by a BOTW editor
• The blog must not contain any parts under construction
• All links on the blog must work
• The blog must have a history of 6 (six) months or longer
• The blog must be kept current, and have active participation
• The blog must be in the English language (or have an English version available)
• The blog must support multiple browsers and capabilities
• The blog must not contain any content, products, services or other information that may be illegal to sell under any applicable law, that may infringe or violate anyone’s rights, or that BOTW believes, in its sole discretion, is unacceptable.

This is yet another golden opportunity to get some FREE link love for your blog. I am not sure how long they intend to offer this, so it would be a good idea to sign up soon.

SEO’s today generally agree that using meta tags to improve your search ranking is an old school (1990’s) approach to SEO, and tests, like the one I found on SEO Chat that was conducted by Jennifer Sullivan Cassidy, have proven that the most prominent search engines no longer use meta tags to determine the relevancy of web pages. The question now is “Should we do away with them altogether?”

My response and I’m sure many would agree would have to be, “absolutely not.” While optimizing your meta tags may not be an effective way to improve your rankings (I find it hard to believe that search engines totally ignore them), they still serve a couple of purposes.

Meta descriptions, for example, are used to describe your pages in the SERP’s. While not a ranking factor, this is extremely important. You do not have to be a marketing genius to realize the importance of a good description. By utilizing catchy/compelling descriptions you can effectively increase your traffic and steal some from the surrounding SERP results.

Meta keywords are not as important as the descriptions, but it is still a good practice to use them, especially since MSN still uses them to determine search relevancy. The trick to using keywords is moderation. If you use too many, your sight may be penalized for spammy keyword stuffing. Use only the keywords that are necessary.

Jennifer also notes that her curiosity was sparked when someone claimed that their search ranking improved after they removed their meta tags. This may have happened because their meta tags were spammy and they were getting penalized by the search engines.

If you haven’t reviewed your meta tags lately, it would probably be a good idea to do so now. This is just another piece of the SEO puzzle.

Evidently, the AP feels that much of their information is being diluted as it is disseminated throughout the web, and the original content creators are not getting the credit that they deserve for their work. So, in an effort to solve this problem, they have struck deals with both Technorati and Topix.net that will influence more writers/bloggers to cite AP stories in their work.

By simply citing AP stories in your posts, Technorati will link to you and any other blogs which cite AP stories, and if you’re a blogger looking for some link love, this is a golden opportunity.

The AP hopes that this will allow them to tap into the growing blogosphere and drive more traffic to the websites of the newspapers who contributed the stories.

Check out Peter Svensson’s report for all the details.

Finding companies who are SEO candidates isn’t all that difficult. The hard part is selecting those who not only want your services but also are easy to work with. It’s a classic case of quality over quantity.

I have had several clients who started out with huge money making potential and then turned into even bigger burdens. With this in mind, I’ve decided to create a short list of questions that I consider every time I evaluate a potential client.

1. How deep are their pockets? This is important for obvious reasons, but do not let large bank accounts cloud your vision. Often times the company with deep pockets will be much more difficult to work for. You have to ask yourself if you are ready for the challenge.

2. Will having this client improve my reputation and bring me more business? Sometimes you have to consider more than just your potential monetary gain from a client. Having a big name client may be beneficial; also, because of the reputation that you gain and people that you meet through them rather than how much money you will make directly from them.

3. Will they take up large amounts of my time without generating a comparable amount of income? Some clients are demanding and extra particular, and they will soak up large amounts of your valuable time. Avoid these guys.

4. Will their interests conflict with the interests of my other clients? Conflict of interest is just one of many reasons to keep client lists confidential. Your clients need to trust you, and knowing that you work for their competition would probably adversely affect their trust in you. They only need to know that you deliver the goods that are promised. If there is a chance that your new account can hurt a current business relationship, you must carefully weigh the consequences before making your decision.

Keep these questions in mind when you evaluate potential clients and you just might avoid some headaches.

Does every one of your websites have a link at the bottom of the page that says “this site created by yourbusiness inc?” If so, you may want to consider using different text around your links or maybe even an image from time to time to make these links appear more natural to the spiders.

This same concept can also be applied to the text links located at the bottom of each page. Your goal should always be to squeeze the most value out of every link that you have. Being creative and changing things up a bit from page to page will give your links a more natural appearance, thus making them more valuable.

Every little bit of link juice counts.