30 Day Challenge To Get Your Business Online

[workshop]

aaah.....but that depends on what you mean by SEO. And this is where it gets tricky. What is SEO and what is not? If you are trying to improve your visibility in the search results you don't want to be chasing paper in the wind. Traffic and click throughs are not SEO, in my mind. You optimise a site to improve your ranking to get visibility and to get traffic as a result. This is one step removed from what I understand SEO to be. Is the distinction important? I believe it is.

[Dave A]

Traffic and click throughs are not SEO, in my mind.

True, if we ignore that every click is a vote for your "ad" and will help promote your "ad" up the SERPs.

Probably should have made the "if" bigger.

[workshop]

You have personally seen serp's move due to click throughs? I haven't put it to the test. But would be most surprised if it makes any significant difference. All it would take to get to the top is a clicking machine. To me SEO is what you can see. What you do, to get to the point where you start experiencing organic growth.

Content tags like graphics and design are nice. But they are no more than filler, "good practice", add ons;, not essential to the immediate task. Most people tend to lose interest if they don't see results. That is why I believe you want to cut to the chase, focus on the essentials and to then start filling in the gaps when you have customers looking at the menu at the door. There is nothing worse than playing to an empty house.

[Dave A]

You have personally seen serp's move due to click throughs?

Indeed I have. No-one has ever mentioned the influence of click through rates on SERP rankings before?

[workshop]

So if I carry Adwords on my site and someone sits and clicks on them, I am going to get paid by Google and the clients site is going to rocket through the serp's? No ways. Google is cleverer than that. So I build a "robot" to cut from IP address to IP address and being an ethical sort I will go to great lengths to make it look organic and edible. I am afraid I must see it before I believe. No doubt this is a convinction which might consign me to the bottom shelf to shovel coals for eternity. But I do like to know what it is I am spending my money on. And that is a difficult one to put to the test.

[Dave A]

Are we talking about Adwords, or organic search? Let's not confuse the two.
Also, Google has been well aware of click bombing for the longest time and has taken extensive measures to identify and discount its effects.

When it comes to bots and blackhat SEO issues - I think for the purposes of this thread all we need say is:
It exists.
Search engines hate it and do whatever they can to penalise it severely once discovered.

I am afraid I must see it before I believe.

No problem. Please don't believe me and proceed accordingly. In fact, use a lousy description that no-one will click and see how that improves things.

(You really haven't thought this through, have you)

[workshop]

(You really haven't thought this through, have you)

To the contrary, I think of nothing else. But my personal experience tells me a different story.

Most of us are obtuse. Despite everything I do, to put them off, they still ask questions, they still make enquiries. Enquiries that convert into sales. It is the way things work for me. I can do almost everything that needs doing with little or no help from anyone else. That does not however mean that I do not understand that I can do better by listening to and learning from others.

This is where there is a common disconnect.

When it comes to bots and blackhat SEO issues - I think for the purposes of this thread all we need say is:
It exists.
Search engines hate it and do whatever they can to penalise it severely once discovered.
[/SIZE]

Do we refrain from unsound practices because of the threat of being penalised or because it is just plain dumb? There is a difference.

Where do you draw the lines? Where does Google draw the lines?

[Dave A]

Do we refrain from unsound practices because of the threat of being penalised or because it is just plain dumb?

As someone who would personally prefer search results to point to the best information rather than the most artificially promoted information, I fall in the latter category. Unfortunately some have no such concerns for the bigger picture. (Or even concern for the consequences of penalties, for that matter - but what else can anyone do when it comes to these folk ).

Where do you draw the lines? Where does Google draw the lines?

Billion dollar questions...

ps. It looks like you missed something I left for you.

[workshop]

ps. It looks like you missed something I left for you.

I concede.
You are right I missed it.
But despite everything, it still doesn't mean you are not wrong

Let's try another one:

"You have to post four times a day to get Google to take notice of you"

Everyone has different ideas about all these things. And it all gets quite confusing, if you know no better.

[Dave A]

Is the fishing in Knysna good at this time of year?