Archive for the ‘Bored On A Saturday’ Category

SEO Has Made Us Lazy: Or…Why we are Losing our Hunter/Gatherer Instincts Because of Online Search…And Love It

Saturday, July 24th, 2010

The Internet has made life easier.

Duh.

With the understatement of the century now said we can ask a totally related but possibly unpopular question:

Could Search Engine Optimization (SEO) contribute to our loss of hunter/gatherer instincts and the downfall of society in return?

What?!

I can hear the gasps from readers already. I think it could be a legitimate argument someday, however. In a society that is as technologically advanced as the one we currently live in (though it can be argued that even today only about 365 million people have access to a computer…even more staggering is the idea that nearly half the world’s population has never even seen a telephone – think about that the next time you are using Google Maps on your iPhone) many people have forgotten that only a couple centuries ago (if that) our ancestors, while not having access to technology got by with grit, determination and hunting and gathering know-how.

We have lost some of that in the modern world…in fact, to say some of that is another major understatement. It would be an interesting sociological experiment to see how many people could survive without modern conveniences (and I don’t mean like on Survivor). I doubt many could…much less perform simple tasks like starting a fire without a match or even changing their own tire.

While technology has made life easier, it is easy to see that it has also made us much less self-sufficient as a species.

So…what does SEO have to do with this?

After the invention of technologies such as large farm implements which allowed people to grow large amounts of food and raise cattle and poultry people no longer needed to know how to hunt and grow food. Today, anything you need from food to clothing and even automotive services can be found at your local Superstore.

The most hunting and gathering most people in America today see is finding the last pack of toilet paper on aisle five.

But at least people still need these instincts to find information on the Internet.

Right?!

With the onset of SEO it is now easier than ever for Search Engines to find and provide information to their customers that is highly relevant to the topic or product they are trying to gather.

We no longer even need to hunt online!

What are we going to do in the event there is no longer an Internet…and, dare I say, no longer computers?

It’s a frightening concept.

Grab your bows and gather your arrows people! We need to re-learn how to provide ourselves with sustenance.

***This has been a public service announcement from SEO Specialties***

A Google Search for Your Site Name Will Not Get You Noticed

Saturday, May 8th, 2010

The other night I went over to a friend of my wife’s house for a reason I cannot remember (yep, it works like that).

This particular friend and her husband have recently started a website for their business. While sitting around their kitchen the subject turned to their website and how they were hoping to get more traffic and, in turn, business for their…er…business. At this point I got very quiet.

May reasons for this are two-fold:

  1. I like to see what other people know about SEO (Search Engine Optimization)
  2. When they first set up their website they used me for some free advice (yes, I’m like that and you should be too)

Her friend was talking about how they had gotten a few visitors but needed more. She then asked if everyone would please do a Google search for their business name so it would receive first page rankings.

Scooby Doo head snap

Now, if it would have been anyone else I would have corrected them as I am letting you know now that doing a Google search for your business name will not get you ranked for anything. This will happen automatically as long as your website is not doing any shady business.

And what about the keywords people are typing in for your service? Ranking for your business name is great, and if your well known even better. But if you are like them, and most of us are, you need quality SEO to get noticed by the general public.

I’m hoping most people know this but hearing them ask people that really got me wondering.

Then again…if many people do think things like this it means more of an advantage for people that understand the importance of search engine optimization

Title Tags Still Amaze Me

Friday, December 4th, 2009

And usually not in a good way…

One of the easiest and most effective tactics in a sites optimization arsenal and it is still amazing how many sites I come across with little or no optimization in their Title tags.

It doesn’t matter if you feel like you have competition or not. Providing your site with keyword-rich and relevant meta titles can make all the difference when trying to rank in the SERPS.

Yes…this is short.

Yes…it is Friday night.

Yes… I’m beating a dead horse.

And no…I shouldn’t have to.