Category Strata Management

Link building maintenance is the latest sub-specialty of the search engine specialist. It used to be that the major hurdle most businesses faced was getting a website created and launched. In the dawning days of the Internet, just having a site catapulted a firm’s marketing savvy factor over the wall, positioning them as daring early-adopters. And then the Internet actually caught on, and business owners soon realized their websites needed to be more than a single static page they designed and wrote themselves. With the advent of Google came a new quest – to make it to the top of page one for the search engine results, and along with it, a new skill set was developed: search engine optimization and marketing.A large piece of SEO/SEM is link building, and just like brushing your teeth, this is not a task you can do once and be done with it. A link building strategy is a long-term deal. Essentially, the way link building works is a lot like feeding a stray cat. Google’s bots are the cat, and your links are kitty food you leave in strategic places online to get Google to purr, rub against your ankles, and mark you with the honor of being on the first page. Just like with a stray cat, it can take a while for the bots to notice the food you leave out. But once they find it, they start expecting it on a somewhat regular basis. Night after night, the cat comes looking for food. But cats (and Google bots) being finicky as they are, have some mysterious and seemingly arbitrary rules about what they’ll eat, how often they want to be served, and where they’ll eat from. Displease them, and you’re likely to find yourself in the bottom of a cat litter box (except with Google, it’s called “The Sandbox”) where you’ll be lucky to ever see the light of day again.There’s a delicate balance called for in link building maintenance. By publishing content and creating backlinks too often, you risk being spurned as a spammer. The penalty, much like being skeeved by a cat, is banishment. By failing to publish sufficient new content and creating backlinks too slowly, you risk handing the top spots on Google for your keywords to your competitors on a silver platter. Cats aren’t known for waiting patiently for what they want. They just move onto the next person who’ll feed them. Your regularity of link building maintenance is just as important as where you put those links. It used to be that unrelated sites could swap links and shoot to the top of the search engine results. Site owners and webmasters spent thousands of dollars buying links from indiscriminate sites – the more links, the better. Now, Google’s much more particular about those links. If they’re not on relevant sites, they are worthless, and even harmful.An expert in link building maintenance must remain committed to staying current with the trends in the SEO/SEM industry. While Google’s ways can be mysterious, one thing is clear: moderation is better than overload. Neither neglect your link building practice, nor go into overkill – either one can fling your site into oblivion.

With gas prices on the rise and the recent trend toward local and organic foods, many people have been returning back to their own yards as a source of produce. Growing fruits and vegetables at home is not only a great way to eat fresh and healthy but can also be a relaxing and enjoyable pastime. For those who rent their homes, a goal of home-grown produce can sometimes seem unattainable. However, there are many ways to start your own mini-farm while staying within the guidelines of your home’s property management.You may be pleased to find that your property management is keen on the idea of a small, sustainable garden near your home. Some apartment complexes contain plots of land that serve as community gardens for their tenants. A space for tenants to grow their own vegetables can be viewed as a plus for those searching for a place to settle down. These areas provide a zone for friendly neighborly interaction and can help build a community spirit. If you live in a complex with some open space, consider suggesting a shared garden to your landlord.If space for a full garden is limited, you may be able to use part of a flowerbed to grow smaller plants. A corner of a garden can easily hold small plants like peppers, cherry tomatoes, and baby carrots. Larger plants can also be grown in smaller quantities; try to look for those that yield fruit often instead of those that need to be harvested at the end of a season. Blueberry and blackberry bushes are also great sources of fruit that can blend in well with the other foliage around your house. Of course, you should approach your property management before making any major changes; try coming up with some ideas of plants that grow locally before asking permission.If you don’t have access to a flowerbed or your rental area is in an urban area without much green space, there are several ways to grow plants from containers and planters. One popular device allows you to grow tomatoes upside-down. Soil is suspended from a container hung from a pole, usually over a grassy area. A hole in the container allows plants to grow down and out of the bottom. The device is unobtrusive and easily removable. Many different types of vertical planters exist as well. These planters are designed for urban environments and provide several pots arranged vertically in one compact container. If you live in an apartment, window planters are an easy way to grow beans and peppers.Wherever you live, a simple but satisfying option is a herb garden. Plants like cilantro, basil, and mint are very easy to grow and can add a fresh kick to your cooking. Most herbs are small and do not take up much space. Any of the spaces mentioned are suitable for these small plants, though planters and pots can often keep the fast-growing herbs from overtaking a garden or smothering a neighboring plant. Plus, maintaining a simple herb garden might convince your property management that you’re a great candidate to upgrade to a larger garden.There are many other ways to start a garden; it’s only a matter of finding which work for you and your property management. Just get creative and start simple- your fresh veggies await you.