With the nearly limitless ways to connect online, we sometimes forget about the importance of offline networking. It’s seems quaint, even old-fashioned. I was discussing with a colleague the other day how her daughter, a recent college graduate, secured a position in her field at a company whose name you would recognize immediately. Despite the lingering recession and the lackluster employment figures, she was hired prior to her actual graduation date.
How did she do it?
Focus. Faith. Feeling.
First, she had clarity. She knew what she wanted, and she took the actions necessary to create the outcome she wanted. For example, she attended a state conference for PR & Communication professionals where a representative of her target employer was speaking and introduced herself. From there, she secured a paid internship at the same company to add to her prior internships at two high-profile non-profits. She’ll graduate with a 3.8 GPA and a degree in Public Relations.
I laugh every time I recall my Web developer telling me that one of her client’s thought that she was a search engine. I know that those outside the online marketing and SEO arena feel completely in the dark when it comes to search engine optimization. I know because I talk to business owners every day. And, I suspect, they will never understand how Google works or the definition of an algorithm. Why should they?
Web developers the world over have over-complicated SEO. My experience with developers is that they like to throw technical roadblocks in front of us mere mortals. There’s an intellectual arrogance about many developers that smacks of elitism. My sense is that they’re basically insecure because the truth is THEY DON’T KNOW EVERYTHING. And, neither do I.
What I do know is that when you make your client feel stupid or anxious, you are failing miserably, even if you have their website ranking for key terms. Read the rest of this entry »
A search and social opinion piece has been incubating in my mind for several weeks, first instigated by one of my favorite instigators, Aaron Wall.
In May 2011, Aaron pointed out yet another Google hypocrisy; Google admitted to brand bias in search results. He also details Google’s pro-brand history from 2003 to present.
For months, I’ve let this simmer, wondering how this would fit into any SEO strategy since my client roster doesn’t include any big consumer brand.
Then a month ago, Eric Taubert, an unconventional thinker, posted a TED video with the provocative title, “What Facebook and Google are Hiding From the World.” The speaker implores us (or anyone who spends any time online, which would be most of the world) to break out of the “algorithmic bubble.”
As someone who’s watched “natural” search become more and more unnatural, I was heartened to hear someone else recognize that the Emperor Wears No Clothes. These two gigantic portals, one a closed society (Facebook) and the other pretending its doors are open to all (Google) are collectively shaping what we see and, by extension, what we think.
When we allow Google to determine the direction of our queries, we risk letting a company, who’s tagline is “Do No Evil”, erect the technological equivalent of the Berlin Wall. How ironic?
When I say “pretend,” you only need to read Aaron’s thorough outing to see that the system is “gamed” or study the search engine results page (SERPs) for any competitive keyword query.
Google continues to push Adwords into first place positions funneling traffic to larger companies (read: brands) that pay more for their ads.
Smaller businesses will continue to lose out in competitive search spaces, which is not a news flash to most online marketers. If your business is fighting to be placed above the fold and in a first place position, you’re either going to have to pay for it or pick a better fight if you’re competing for high value keyword terms.
While Facebook used to be an economical alternative to Google Adwords, I had one client tell me that his Facebook ads are now three times as expensive as they were when he started his campaign a year ago.
I knew when I read the SEOBook article that Aaron was onto something; I just had to wait for a few more pieces of the puzzle before the cold scary reality set in:
Search engines don’t want to simply own your desktop; they also want to steal your money and own your mind.
Blogging has become the number one social media marketing tool today. If you’re serious about online marketing, your blog is your hub for all your inbound marketing efforts. You use it to push out content and your readers/customers amplify your words or message to their friends and business associates. Blogging is the best thing since sliced butter — until it’s not.
With the explosion of any new medium (although I would argue that blogging isn’t new), a number of compatible tools emerge. Just think of all the tools you have to manage your search engine optimization (SEO) efforts. Some of these tools serve us and some do not.
With the nearly limitless ways to connect online, we sometimes forget about the importance of offline networking. It’s seems quaint, even old-fashioned. I was discussing with a colleague the other day how her daughter, a recent college graduate, secured a position in her field at a company whose name you would recognize immediately. Despite the lingering recession and the lackluster employment figures, she was hired prior to her actual graduation date.
