I was reading a thread at a big webmaster forum yesterday which made the claim that "SEO is dead." Now, it's hard to say whether or not the original poster was being serious or sarcastic, but he referenced some other news he'd been reading on a few authority sites that made the "dead" claim.

The notion was that, because of the prevalence of Web 2.0 community sites, the idea of needing to optimize for any of the engines was going away -- and fast. The idea was also put forth by another poster that, because of the huge number of content management systems that are already setup to be "search engine friendly", the need to have any additional knowledge to rank well was quickly diminishing.

My answer to all this? Poppycock.

First, while it is true that there are many CMS programs that are search engine friendly out of the box, on-page factors matter so little to ranking (at least in Google) that even if the on-page playing field was leveled, it would make little difference in the current search engine results.

Second, SEO is about far more than just what's on the page. The way you analyze what keywords are worth optimizing for, the way you write the content around those keywords, and the links you get to the pages that you want to rank for those keywords all have a large role to play in how much traffic you get from the search engines -- and that analysis takes specialized knowledge. Anyone can learn to do it, but it does have to be learned.

Third, and most importantly, Web 2.0 is nice, and sites that revolve around that kind of community are huge traffic mongers (e.g. YouTube), but there will always be a need for full-text indexing of the web.

So is SEO dead? Nope. It's alive and well, and will be for as long as people need to search for information on the web.

Everybody knows that purchasing a house is likely going to be the biggest investment of their lifetime. The saying is "You Buy A House, You Make It A Home." You should feel safer in your homed than you do anywhere else in the world. There's nothing quite so comforting as know that you have an adequate amount of mortgage protection insurance in the event of your untimely death.

When you buy a house it means that you've decided to make a long-term financial commitment. Unfortunately, you never know what the future holds. One thing's for sure though. If you'll go one step further and purchase mortgage insurance this will help alleviate the stress often caused by a weak financial plan. To say it plainly, if you don't have some type of mortgage life insurance and you die unexpectedly there's a good chance that your spouse and children will be forced to sell the house and move into an apartment.

Believe me, I know it's tempting to skip the insurance in an attempt to save money. However, perhaps it's time to do a bit of research. With the economy in the shape it's in nowadays there's a very good chance that you can get a better deal on mortgage life insurance that you might have imagined.

Think about it. You're committed to taking care of your family while you're alive, but what happens if something happens to you? Wouldn't you feel more at ease with a mortgage protection insurance policy as part of your overall financial portfolio?

Honestly, finding the right mortgage life insurance policy is not difficult. If you do your research on the internet it's really not even all that time-consuming. Trust me, the peace of mind you'll get from it simply cannot be measured in dollars and cents. Actually, it will probably turn out to be the best decision you've ever made in your life.

Once you know about common causes of back pain you may have a better understanding of how to prevent and treat it in the first place.

Losing a few pounds may appear to be a difficult option but of it can be well worth the effort to lose weight when you get some relief for that pain.  Minding your posture, training yourself to lift with your legs - these small changes can add up to big relief for your back.

But you may need to do more than all of this.  You take all the precautions possible and still you have back pain - after all, you can’t very well live your life in a recliner or refuse to pick up your children just to keep yourself safe from potential injury!  So when you have soreness and pain, what can you do?

RELIEVING THE PRESSURE

The muscles of the back are usually able to heal and repair themselves from minor injury, and sometimes the pain you feel is simply those muscles cramping up to protect themselves so that they can heal. Relieving the pressure on your back can help your body to heal on its own.

Of course, as we’ve already mentioned there is virtually no movement a human can make that doesn’t involve the back. Even while you are sitting, the back muscles are working to keep your upper body straight and supported.

Keeping this in mind, you realize how important it is to be in a reclined position that tilts your body back and relieves that pressure on your midsection.  When your feet are higher than your pelvic area then you have less pressure on your back and it can heal.  Many have found that stretching out on the floor with pillows under the knees can help tremendously, however, do not put the pillows under your feet.  This puts added pressure on the area of the hips and this causes the back muscles to tense up even more.

If you’re laying flat on your stomach your back is still working as the front of your body collapses and your back keeps you straight.  You can instead use cushions or pillows under your stomach and upper body area to support yourself so that the back is not working as hard.

HEAT

Why is it that heat can help to relieve body pain?  Simply put, heat draws blood to that area of the body where heat is applied and blood delivers important nutrients and healing elements.  When you apply heat to your muscles they relax because the increased blood flow forces them to “unclench” themselves, and especially in areas of the back can this be important.

When your back is in pain you don’t want to go overboard with the heat and of course there are injuries and other ailments that won’t be responsive to heat - for example if you have a herniated disk that’s not going to be healed with a heating pad! - but often muscles that have been overworked and strained can relax with a simple application of heat. If you’re at work all day see if it is somehow possible to arrange a heating pad behind you for the duration of the day. If you notice that your back is starting to tense up then lean back and stay that way for a few minutes so that the heat has a chance to work.

Even though they are not boiling, care needs to be taken when using heating pads on bare skin. It's not safe to sleep on top of one or to have it turned up too high.  Keep a piece of cloth between your skin and the heating pad - if it doesn’t have its own cover be sure to use a thin towel, sheet, or shirt.

Moist heat can also help the body to relax as the moisture loosens the muscles and skin as well.  You can get a thin towel or washcloth wet and put it between the heating pad and your back.

Having a hot shower or bath can be a big help in relieving that pressure.  A shower massage especially can work those muscles like a massage and force them to loosen up and soothe back pain.

STRETCHING

When those back muscles want to clamp up sometimes you need to force them to relax so as to cut down on the pain.  Stretching your back and your sides is a great way to reduce your pain.

However this calls for extreme caution.It's possible to do more damage by overextending yourself.  It’s also important to make sure that you’re stretching properly so that you don’t put added stress on your back. Without the proper support many bodybuilders and fitness enthusiasts actually do a lot of damage to their back when stretching and working out.

Usually it’s best to sit on the floor and put your hands behind you and just stretch your back slightly.  This will give it support as you pull those muscles loose.  Moving forward carefully and slowly until your body is extended out in front of you can also loosen those muscles.

Flexion and extension

In terms of stretching, flexion means bending forward and extension means moving backwards.The release of pressure on the vertebrae when you stretch forward helps to alleviate pain caused by grinding between them.  Sometimes just standing with your feet shoulder-width apart and bending straight forward to touch your toes can help to alleviate back pressure and pain.  You need to watch your posture even as you do this so that you’re not curling yourself up and putting more pressure on your spine, but a simple stretch like this can help to loosen those tight and sore muscles.

Be careful when bending backwards that you watch your posture and make sure you don’t overextend.  Some have a tendency to think of a particular area they want to touch or span they want to reach, but you need to be mindful of your body’s own flexibility.

EXERCISE

Does anyone really like to exercise? Sure, there are obviously some who do but not everyone is like this.  Most people see exercise as a chore to be dreaded and would rather spend their free time stretched out in a favorite chair in front of the television or movie screen.

There are innumerable benefits to regular physical activity for humans, no matter what your physical situation.  Exercise increases blood circulation and the blood is what brings nutrition and oxygen to every cell in the body.  The digestive system, skin, bones, and major organs all benefit in this way from increased blood circulation. Exercise makes the heart and lungs work harder which in turn makes them stronger and a person is less likely to suffer from asthma, shortness of breath, heart disease, and conditions such as this.  Regular exercise also helps to keep one’s weight under control and there are many benefits to being at a healthy weight.

But exercise can help repair back problems and prevent a person from having painful back problems. How is this possible?

The first connection has to do with one’s weight; as we’ve mentioned excess body weight means more stress and strain on the back as it needs to work harder to move that weight around and to keep the body steady and upright.  Many who are overweight also find that their posture suffers quite a bit as this excessive weight pulls them forward, and this too keeps the back muscles tense and painful.

There is more to the association between exercise and back problems than just weight.  That increased blood circulation means that your back muscles are also getting those important nutrients and healing agents that are delivered by the blood. Oxygen is one of the most important ingredients the body needs and uses when healing a wound or injury, and oxygen is delivered by the blood.  When your back muscles are overused, injured or tense, that oxygen is desperately important for it to heal itself.

Exercising also keeps those back muscles loose and relaxed.  When you walk or cycle or do anything else along those lines, the back muscles are worked and forced to loosen up.  This means that they’re relaxed and less likely to be pulled or cramped when in use.

Just as happens with other body muscles, they become stronger when exercised.  When the back muscles are stronger they’re more resistant to pulls, tears, and overuse.  Regular exercise is good for the back muscles in this way and can help to alleviate pain from these types of injuries.

When a person exercises regularly their bones get stronger. This may be because the blood circulation also helps the bones to strengthen themselves, and if the bones in the back are strengthened then the back has better support.