Is SEO an Art or a Science?
I’ve been asked a lot of interview questions in my career, some more creative than others, but few have ever stumped me as much as this one: Is SEO an art or a science? Think about it for a minute. You may have a strong opinion one way or another; I know people who fall [...]
Guess Who Owns Information Online
I’ll give you a hint: It’s not you. The AP is making a big hubbub about fair use of its material. The music industry is waging war against the Pirate Bay. What the people behind these headlines fail to realize is that, on the web, information cannot be contained. It flows and propagates, spreading across [...]
NumberNeal Responds to Digg Bans: Insights in Community-Based Website Strategy
Earlier this month, popular social news site Digg banned a number of its users, citing script abuse. This sparked an outcry from the Digg community, including the following video letter from power Digg Neal “NumberNeal” Rodriguez (the same Neal to whom I recently offered some SEO career advice): I only started using Digg recently, so [...]
A Value-Based Approach to Website Strategy
If you examine a website closely enough, you can almost always identify some form of commercial interest behind it. This is often overt, as in e-commerce websites or content sites with advertising. Sometimes, however, the commercial interest is more subtle. Ward on the Web, for instance, is a professional blog devoid of advertising. Because its [...]
Don’t Attack Your Critics; Empower Your Advocates
“If you have no critics you’ll likely have no success.” – Malcolm X It’s a fact of life. The more successful your website, the more likely it is to receive criticism. As Malcolm X points out, this can almost be regarded as a good thing. After all, nobody would feel the need to criticize unless [...]
7 Essential Tips for Corporate Blogging
According to JupiterResearch (via Search Engine Watch), 34% of large companies and 15% of Fortune 500 companies blog. That’s quite a bandwagon. Before you jump on board, though, you should know what you’re getting into. Here are seven essential tips to keep in mind as your company enters the corporate blogging arena. Don’t be afraid. [...]
Launching a Successful Website, Step Seven: Growth
You’ve come a long way since you first envisioned your website. Ever since it launched, it’s been fulfilling its intended purpose beautifully thanks to solid construction, an enticing brand, and diligent maintenance by a team of experts. Congratulations; you’ve come farther than most ever do. Whether or not you stop here is really up to [...]
Launching a Successful Website, Step Six: Maintenance
“Good decisions are not made; they are managed.” – John Maxwell Maxwell’s point is that just making a good decision is easy. However, most people fail to live up to their good decisions. Only those who stick to their goals with consistency can ever achieve them. That is to say, the decisions that bear fruit [...]
Launching a Successful Website, Step Five: 3, 2, 1… Lift Off!
Every step so far has led up to this: Launching your website. Of course, the technical bits should already be taken care of, leaving only the launch itself. If your site is small, this can be as simple as turning the key and hoping for the best. More than likely, though, you’ll need to spread [...]
Launching a Successful Website, Step Four: Building the Site
You know what you want to build, you’ve got the experts to build it, and you’ve decided on a brand. The stage is set, so now it’s time to see your vision brought to life. Proper website creation can follow any number of different models. Like me, you may be going into the process with [...]