“Search is the world’s largest focus group.” A while ago, someone said this to me (I can’t remember who, but buy yourself an eclair if it’s you: you’ve earned it), and it struck me as pure brilliance. We tend to get so focused on the challenge of showing up in search results that we frequently forget that we’re bringing real people with real needs to our website, and unlike other traffic sources, these people have already told us exactly what they’re looking for. Searchers are an analyst’s dream because of this fact: in many cases, we know why they came to our site, and this helps us put their actions into some sort of context.
Clients can easily become obsessed with on-page SEO, constantly tweaking title tags, headings, and on-page content. While these activities are important at the right place and time, people shouldn’t get obsessed with it. Do the necessary work up front, make some decisions, and then move on.
He had a particularly nasty run-in with the insanity that is outsourced customer service.
I personally try to avoid dealing with any company that outsources their customer service, which is one of the reasons I happily jumped ship from Bell to Cogeco a few years ago.
A side note regarding the snapshot Twitter image: If you can’t maintain a Twitter presence to cover some general customer support, you should probably make that obvious somewhere in the profile information.
A Sunday post on YOUmoz (SEOmoz UGC) outlines some of the traditional (read: non-internet-based) methods of promoting your website within particular geographic areas.
I can’t help but chuckle a bit, of course – all of these methods predate the web by a good number of years, and it’s a bit funny to see the recommendations pop up on a forward-looking search optimization blog.
The tactics have their use, of course, and can be very effective at standing out within particular regions. But there’s nothing new about them – they’re tried n’ true methods of promotion and advertising that have simply been ignored (for far too long, in my opinion) by web-types such as us.
YouTube is rolling out support for streaming 1080p video, and here I am, a chump on dual 19″ LCD’s with a beastly old Sanyo box sitting in the living room. I think I need an upgrade!
Many companies will have their own copywriters, but writing online is clearly very different to writing offline material – so it’s always useful if you can provide copywriters with a list of guidelines which can help them to optimise copy for the search engines and an online audience.
Some good stuff right across the board, regardless of whether you’re a copywriter, blogger, indy web developer or small business owner just trying to make the most of your web presence.
Why does Google dominate? Easy – It’s not just a search engine, it’s a cultural thing, too. The almighty GOOG is a part of everyday life, and this collection of snapshots is one hell of a testament to it.
If you’re anything like me, you’ll often have great ideas when you’re nowhere near a computer: in the shower, out for a walk, laying in bed, etc.
These moments can really suck, because no matter how hard you try, you’ll likely forget whatever great idea you had.
The solution? Start recording your ideas as they happen, and stop forgetting them!
Great Ideas: Gotta collect em’ all!
The practice of collecting thoughts as they occur is a fundamental part of Getting Things Done (David Allen, 2002), a system I was introduced to back in September. The primary purpose of the GTD® system is to increase productivity and reduce stress, but a huge side benefit is simply having a common area to dump all your ideas into.
A post on DailyBlogTips (How Do Your Come Up, Store and Organize Ideas for Blog Posts?) also has some good feedback in the comments from folks who have their own methods of keeping track of ideas as they occur, be it through emails, drafted posts or good ole fashioned pen & paper.
It’s all common sense, but one of the biggest problems is finding the tool that fits your personal requirements.
My suggestion? Use Google Tasks.
I use Google Tasks for all of my side projects and day-to-day task management. If you have yet to find a system that works, give this a try.
Why do I use Google Tasks? Multiple lists, calendar integration and mobile support are the primary reasons.
No matter where I am, I can whip out my phone and quickly type in a reminder. The newly-created “task” will automatically sync with Gmail, any due dates will appear on Google Calendar and everything will be reflected on iGoogle.
And since I use 5 different devices (my office workstation, my home PC, my laptop, my netbook and my iPhone), this centralized system is a huge help.
If you’re in a similar situation, this could be an ideal solution for you.
Here’s a quick introduction to Google Tasks, directly from the folks at GOOG:
This is especially true when it comes to creating a web presence.
Here’s a scenario:
A business that specializes in large appliance sales & repairs has decided to launch a website. The goal is to increase overall revenue and profits. The strategy is to attract users (and potential customers) to the website by providing reviews of every product sold, as well as giving advice on do-it-yourself repairs and maintenance while simultaneously pushing professional services (see freemium).
How does it incorporate both strategic thinking and strategic planning?
The plan is laid out, but the reception of the public and the activities of the competition are uncontrollable. Knowing how to respond while continuing to work towards the objective is a balancing act. Strategic thinking and strategic planning are crucial here.
