VO-BB - 20 YEARS OLD!

[Mike Harrison]

I've read some of your pros and cons on SoundCloud, regarding its reliability, etc. But, however we choose to use it, do they allow linking to our own websites?

Thanks.
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Mike
Male Voice Over Talent
I have taken leave of my sensors.

[Jason Huggins]

They do allow it. I personally haven't used it, but I have been to a number of casting sites that use it for all of their demos. I (not being a web guy) am not really sure how the mechanics of it work, but I do know it is possible to have a hundred audio files hosted on SoundCloud, and to have them all organized in a good looking player on your own website.

Actually...here is their html5 player:

http://soundcloud.com/101/websites

[Mike Harrison]

Thanks, Jason.

Actually – assuming subscribers get their own page on SoundCloud – the linking I was hoping for was not to have SoundCloud host the audio for my website, but to have a basic text link to my site on the SoundCloud page.
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Mike
Male Voice Over Talent
I have taken leave of my sensors.

[markt]

I'm glad you brought this topic up, Mike. I've been fiddling around with the idea of going with all Soundcloud and getting away from the website thing. I wonder if that's possible, or even a good idea, as long as all my information is in the same place as my audio files?

Granted, a website is good for all of the basic information, but it seems that increasingly, all a client(or potential clients)want, is a quick and easy way to get to your demos without having to get bogged down in all of the yada-yada on a website. Whadda you think?
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"Dammit Jim, I'm a voice actor, not an audio engineer!"
Leonard McCoy

[Yonie]

I think that Soundcloud is an incredibly boring place if all VOs started using it; not to mention the lack of mind-penetrating awesomeness that's your personable firebrand.

[Jason Huggins]

Personally, I've always thought soundcloud looked a bit amateurish...but that's just me. I don't think a client would rather go to a soundcloud page than a well designed, clean, concise website. I have my demos on the first page, right there to be clicked. Got an html5 player that works on any system. Never had a complaint.

Mike, I'm not sure about the link on the soundcloud page. I'm pretty sure you could put it in the contact info, but it may not be prominently displayed on the page.

[Mike Harrison]

Agreed, Jason. I do have my own site. My thought is to have just some of my stuff on SoundCloud, and anyone who happened to stumble upon it there would (hopefully) find the link to my own website and find more info.

And, Mark, yes. I think it's extremely important to have your own website. Provided you can SEO it well, it will do some of your marketing work for you. It's a business card and/or demo CD that floats around without your having to physically hand them to people. This is not to say it replaces other marketing, but it can certainly be a big help.

And, having links to your site appear on other sites (like SoundCloud) if possible, adds SEO value.
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Mike
Male Voice Over Talent
I have taken leave of my sensors.

[heyguido]

Meh....

In the old days, SEO was easy.... And easy to game. Fill your page with the right keywords and you could push your site to the first page of results. Soon, everyone and his brother filled their pages with laundry lists of keywords and tags, but little relevant content.

Then, the prevailing wisdom said links are the answer.... So, everybody jumped on the links bandwagon. You link to me, I'll link to you, and we'll all be rich.... But still, you couldn't count on search ranking to bring you what you really needed.

These days, the Goog has been busy. With the advent of Panda and Penguin, it's becoming tougher to game the system.... And real, relevant content is winning the battle. It's about value, quality, authority, and authorship.

A web page with a few demos and your contact info is nothing more than a billboard. A link to your page from Soundcloud or a p2p site is nothing more than an arrow pointing to a billboard.

It's when you can provide real value that your page begins to stand out. When others recognize that value by linking to it, you'll rise further. When your reputation makes you an authority, and you share your expertise with others.... Well, I think you get the point.

There are no shortcuts. Only snake oil.
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Don Brookshire
"Wait.... They wanna PAY me for this?"

[Lee Gordon]

[Mike Harrison]

Great comments, Don and Lee!

Yeah, Google began realizing already five or more years ago that webmasters were padding their pages with keywords but with little content, and they actually stated that sites where that was found would be 'penalized' by dropping in ranking. They stress content that is written for humans to read, but there is some flexibility.

And, here I am, talking about the importance of having links to your site on other sites, and I'd completely overlooked Lee's great suggestion.

Thanks, guys!
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Mike
Male Voice Over Talent
I have taken leave of my sensors.

[heyguido]

Actually, Mike.... That www link @ the bottom of each post you make will do it, too.... And any time you say something intelligent and useful here, you develop both authority and authorship.

You're doing it right, and you didn't even know it.

Now add a regular blog to your site, link to others who do the same, and encourage them to link to you when you say something smart or helpful.... Join a Google+ group or two that is relevant, and share there, as well. (Google seems to like Google+ authority) Soon, you should be able to see positive results.

It's not as much rocket science as it is common sense. It does take time and effort. You'll have to decide if it's more effective than other approaches to marketing in terms of return. Do clicks equal checks? Only if your site motivates surfers and searchers to become buyers.

And that's a whole 'nother story....
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Don Brookshire
"Wait.... They wanna PAY me for this?"

[Mike Harrison]

[Bruce]

[jsgilbert]

I have a WordPress site, which I recommend highly for many reasons, not the least of which is SEO. Yeah, I know about all the reports of hacking, but that is generally with very large sites with tons of exploitative code or sites that haven't been keeping their WP version and/or plugins up to date.

Go to http://jsgilbert.com and you'll see on the left hand side is a player for my demos and it is a soundcloud player called Soundcloud is Gold. (free)

And I will agree that SEO is a tricky thing and more often than not, setting out to get yourself high rankings is going to fail for one reason or another. That said, WordPress allows for easy placement of keywords andtags and also has easy plugins to create both and xtml site map and a Google site map, both of which the bots like very much.

Many of the templates are highly tuned to assist with SEO and it is somewhat easier to avoid being mistaken for a black hat operative when you use WordPress and approved plug-ins.
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j.s. gilbert

js@jsgilbert.com
www.jsgilbert.com

"today is the first day of the rest of the week"

[heyguido]

Actually, J. S., your site is a great example of just the kind of things I'm talking about. (and WordPress is a great way for the untrained to get started... Screw the hackerz)

In just a few minutes of browsing the site, I see dozens of great instances of how to do it right.... Without offending the bots, or running afoul of the dreaded Panda and Penguin. (Matter of fact, if it's alright with you, I'd love to use your site as an example next time I'm talking about it to a group)

There's plenty of content.... And in your rambling, "aw, shucks" way, you manage to cover most of the high points for useful keywords. You link out to relevant and reputable sites and articles. Your blog and its archives help to establish authority and historical authorship. Your tags, headers, and, even page titles- are well thought out and helpful to the bots. You don't miss an opportunity to talk about what you can do for your audience.... AND you can write.

Either you've been paying attention.... Or you're a natural. Nice site.... Really. (And the Soundcloud player is just fine with me.... Works much better with Chrome than the Flash player on your demo page )

I could go on, but an overly long post would be attention whoring.... And we know how that goes over with some people.... Anybody who would like to know more can PM me, and we can talk privately. I could go on for hours....
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Don Brookshire
"Wait.... They wanna PAY me for this?"