30 Day Challenge To Get Your Business Online

**workshop** · 17-Jul-13, 05:11 PM

A lot better than off the net. But as with everything, you need to know where to throw the hook.
Local knowledge is everything and a stainless steel braai makes it a perfect evening

**workshop** · 17-Jul-13, 05:54 PM

Originally Posted by workshop

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

Yes: Google likes big. But why post if you have got nothing to say?
Yes: The spider will visit you more often. But that doesn't help you in the serp's

Google likes big. That is true. So common practice turns this into an unwritten rule which gets translated to mean that you have got to keep updating your site.
Yes? No?

**Dave A** · 17-Jul-13, 09:11 PM

Originally Posted by workshop

So common practice turns this into an unwritten rule which gets translated to mean that you have got to...

The source of many a dogma, to be sure.

**workshop** · 20-Jul-13, 05:38 PM

The problem with all dogma is that when one loses sight of the essentials it starts to get complicated.

Originally Posted by Dave A

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

).

And as it becomes more complicated, it simply becomes a game where each player pits themselves against Google. And the more they win the wider that divide becomes. Which is damned silly.

What we should be doing is sticking to the basics, demonstrating how simple it all really is. We should be reinforcing the importance of working with Google, of nurturing and growing what we start. Google has no interest in micro managing anyone's portfolio. They don't have to. Time does it for them. So there is no need to get shifty eyed, to talk in whispers and assume airs and graces. Authority this and organic that is nothing but hot air and gobbledy gook.

SEO is common sense, ethics and a personal commitment.

**workshop** · 23-Jul-13, 06:34 AM

There was a time before the Big Moment when Google advised webmasters to go forth and add their web sites to listing directories. But this was way back then. Things were nice and simple in those days. But then came the flashy suits, gold teeth and sweat shops. There was Adsense, the link pimps, Page Rank and the fast talking marketing gurus. Full of bravado, the noise was deafening. They, the market, lost all sense of sense of respect, responsibility and restraint. That was until one memorable night when Google mounted an ambush and swept them all off the board with a couple of deft key strokes.

There was silence. For a while.

And today those self-same experts are back, charging those self-same clients to remove all the links they placed to create an unnatural linking pattern. Nothing has changed. Nothing ever will change. Google does not penalise anyone for links over which they have no control. Right or wrong?

**Dave A** · 23-Jul-13, 08:15 AM

In any war there will always be some level of slaughter of innocents.

**workshop** · 23-Jul-13, 09:29 AM

No innocents, just greed and short sighted thinking. No slaughter either. Just fast talking and sleight of hand.

The fundamentals haven't changed. Google has just got smarter, making it easier to pick out what is relevant and what is not. SEO is something anyone can pick up and master over time. Common sense, determination and patience is all that is needed. Google does the rest.

**lance71** · 25-Jul-13, 07:58 AM

I would just like to give you all an update on the progress of my site.

Although I have increased in the rankings in Google, I have also increased in the amount of traffic I am getting, yesterday had the most in one day being 7 visitors (I know not much but its looking better)

Now just to convert these into sales.

**workshop** · 25-Jul-13, 08:52 AM

If you get sales you will be lucky. Expect to get an enquiry when you least expect it and you can't go wrong. But don't make the mistake of thinking you are going to hook a fish for a little while. Most of that traffic is noise rather than buyers looking for the services you offer.

However it's probably time to give some thought to structuring your site. This is where it gets difficult. What I am interested in is building a site for Google. Whereas you want to convert the genuine visitors, you do get, into sales.

Originally Posted by Dave A

After 1, I'd strongly recommend:

Content tag: Treat it as an advert that will appear in the Google SERP listing and will help people to decide whether to click your listing or someone else's.

You need to consider things like design, your info tags and sales psyche. Whereas I will have you spinning in circles creating page after page and fine tuning the way you arrange your title tags.

**lance71** · 26-Jul-13, 07:35 AM

Yes that was going to be my next step, asking for any advice on the design of my site that would increase traffic turning into sales.

I have recently added a call to action on each page with a contact us now button.

Also another update - i have received 2 enquiries so far from my site this week

things are definitely looking up.