07.28.05
Of Dogs and Cats
Much has been said about building up your profile within the search engines. As I mentioned way back in my first post, was also the reason why I created this Blog.
Article writing works incredibly well to promote yourself online. I used to write at least one SEM related article per month to keep my “googling” consistent with the profile I would like of myself on the web. When you do Google my name it returns various SEM related website postings of all my articles, which is great! I just wanted a haven on the web that would be all about me, my views and a place where I could consistently post my articles as an(nother) authority in SEM, thus my Blog.
What I have noticed however is that since creating my Blog the overall indexing for my name has subsided. This goes without saying as you obviously need to keep up the work to consistently rank well on Google! And this is what SEO is all about – in a nutshell really. Keeping up the work consistently. Which is why I desperately need to get my article writing back on track.
Things that have been discussed recently:
- Duration of domain name ownership and whether it has any influence on your ranking within Google. Really. It is hilarious to watch people come up with new conspiracies every year. Eventually you learn to just relax, let them all have their panic attack, get on with it and eventually seeing the dust settle back in the SEO world. Not that I am saying that this new thought is not plausible, there is some plausibility to it.
And its all due to that little rainbow coloured monster called Google.
Google recently (a few months ago) released their history patent algo. In a nutshell it equates how long a domain name has been owned and how long a domain has run with content etc etc. In this article the author suggests that the longer your purchase your domain for in advance the less chance your site will have to be penalised by the “time” algo.
Sure there are some plausible ideas there. But if you are going to purchase your domain for that amount of time, do this from a branding perspective due to commitment to your brand. It does not always have to be due to the new algo’s. And just paying a few years upfront for your domain is not magically going to propel you to the top. Tomorrow the algo may shift and then what?
- Mike Grehan’s (second) article on PageRank is a bunch of laughs. I could not agree more! There are actually people out there that view this little tool as the be all and end all of SEO! What a laugh.
- This guy’s article has some substantial meaning to me at this point. I revise SEO prices at least twice a year. And double that for the South African market! Lol But this article takes it a step further by saying, sure, go ahead and take the cheaper SEO company, but remember you’re going to get what you pay for! SEO might not be the cheapest SEM service out there – actually hold that thought, it is one of the cheapest SEM services out there, which is strange, because it is also the most time consuming service and probably the most under appreciated service of the lot – regarding the amount of effort you have to put in to see returns. Clients don’t often comprehend that. Time costs money. And if you want a good SEO /SEM strategy you’re simply going to have to cough it up.
Now before you go and misinterpret that, let me spell it out again. I am not saying go for the most expensive service out there – that would be silly. Assess the services you will get in return for you money. Only you can decide whether you are getting the ROI you intended. If you are feeling that you’re not, discuss this with your SEO, perhaps there are underlying issues as to why your site is not performing as it should. If optimised correctly, it’s all worth it in the end.
On a personal note:
I am beginning to feel like I hardly have enough time to get through everything that I would like to do. So many plans, so little time!
Joey’s mentions “Earthdance” in his post today, it’s just made me realise how close it is. Only two months until the outdoor parties start again! Better start practising that Poi! Yeehaa!
I have been feeling quite sorry for our pets the last few weeks, we’re hardly ever home! Usually the dog is the one that is always in trouble, but lately the cat has been acting up in all sorts of ways! Its quite funny, so if you see any spelling mistakes in my posts its due to her walking up and down my keyboard as I try to type
We have this CD at home called Tenacious D. Maybe you’ve heard of them? It’s kind of like stand-up comedy meets punk rock. Well, it’s absolutely hilarious. If you don’t know them, sorreeee for you! Go download some of their clips now! Disclaimer: I will not be held responsible for anyone who may take offence to their lyrics lol
PS: I must confess, I did not choose this lot, it was my co-conspirator’s choice.