Category Archives: “How-To-Do”

Vanessa-Redgrave-and-Franco-Nero-in-CAMELOT.png

Etre – Slaying Your Dragon

Share Button

More art from Sir Thomas Mallory's King Arthur.

 Etre – Slaying Your Dragon or

Notes from the Round Table, Part 1

Invariably I find myself seeing, interpreting and casting things in epic proportions. Chalk it up to growing up raiding the shelves of the Limestone Elementary School Library from ages 8-12.

The subject of choice?

Arthurian legends were by far the most fascinating subject for me – no doubt a natural progression from growing up on the classic fairy tales – you know the ones – where the 3 little pigs actually cooked the wolf and ate it and then danced around!

St. George slaying the dragon. Another look.Sir Thomas Mallory’s tales had all of the good stuff – legends, chivalry, romance, good, evil, quests, good deeds, magic, treachery, drama, misdeeds, redemption, courage, honor, jousts – well you get the idea.

So being a longtime writer I am often surprised at what spills out onto the pages of the trusty journal. Rather than crafting and molding it – I often find it more interesting to just let it pour out.

St. George slaying the dragon. A third look.

Last night’s entry:

Etre

Of the many things we could be
In life we must choose paths,
We must learn how to live
And learn why we live
We must weigh wisdom and history
And live a life examined
In order to wring the most of our gifts
And avoid being consumed by our appetites

Each rise and fall –
If we’re lucky we learn
From the cavalier, from the
Heartbroken sot, the genius,
The fool, the fearless, the
Helpless, the hedonist, the
Sinner clinging to prayer,
The lover, the fighter
We must learn from the
Many facets of ourselves.

Of the many forms of success
That we attain – perhaps the
Most painful and most rewarding
Is that of personal growth –
To be more than we ever thought
We could be, to push ourselves
To new heights and be
Good enough to help others
Do the same. For nowhere
Would we be if not for the
Lovingkindness of others.

Helping others in our journeys
Is really also a gift of peace
That we give ourselves.

So light the light, forge ahead,
Shine the light, show the way,
Help the wayward, as we were
Helped ourselves. Be joyous,
Have peace, swing the sword
And slay the dragon.

Peace.

Joe Wooldridge
Saturday, June 7th, 2014 7:03am

More art from Sir Thomas Mallory's King Arthur.

 Okay, so what does the featured image have to do with slaying dragons? Well, that’s Vanessa Redgrave as Guinevere and Franco Nero as Sir Lancelot du Lac in the movie “Camelot”. I mean, hey – a man’s got to have some inspiration!

Pick up that lance, hop on that horse and go slay that dragon!

Share Button

Get Out of the Boiling Pot – Overcoming the ‘Crab Mentality’

Share Button

You know them. You have them in your immediate circle. You know who I’m talking about.

Them.

Those with the crab mentality.

Don't let people with the crab mentality keep you down.

If you Google the term “crab mentality” you will find roughly 193,000 search results. So we can’t pretend that it is not a prevalent problem with our fellow human beings.

So what do we mean by the crab mentality? And what could you hope to gain by identifying its presence in the behavior of others around you?

A person with the “Crab Mentality” is someone who employs a selfish, short-sighted thinking/acting strategy that boils down to the attitude of “if I can’t have it, neither can you.” We’re talking about people who will work hard – even go out of their way – to hold others back, denigrate and pull even their own family, friends and associates down rather than have that person(s) get ahead or realize their dreams.

Know anyone like this?

I do, and chances are that you do as well.

Picture a pot of water that a cook puts on to boil in order to prepare the crabs for dinner. An interesting phenomenon occurs as the water is heating up. These live crabs (at least the smarter ones) will endeavor to get out of the pot. But when one of them starts to escape – the other crabs will pull it back down to prevent it from getting free and escaping. Even worse, it takes on a more malicious tone as they will wait until the freedom-minded crab has almost escaped the pot before they pounce and yank it back into the boiling water. Those crabs know that they’re screwed if they can’t escape – but they just can’t bear the idea of someone else daring to dream of escape – of ‘going for it’.

Not cool.

Not only is it a selfish, jealous and harmful mindset/behavior – but if the crabs in the boiling pot all worked toward the goal of escaping, then they could manage to help each other get free.

Does this mean you can’t get free?

Hopefully not. But if you’re planning on making good on your escape to a better life (I.e. getting ahead, striving to achieve goals, building a dream, etc.) then you will be wise to take an objective look around you and identify those around you that would do their best to keep you down and prevent you from attaining a better life.

You’ll be surprised by the people who will make efforts to keep you from your goals. It could be a co-worker(s), friend(s), and oftentimes a family member(s).

Shocking, you say?

They may not always be aware of the motivations behind their actions. As the crabs exhibit, it evidently comes from a primal place.

The best you can do is be aware of those that are the crabs in your midst. The ‘sneaky ones’ are those who will put on the ‘encouraging face’ for you and then work in a clandestine fashion to keep your from reaching your goals.

Know the people around you.

Not sure who fits in the category? Just ask them. Ask what they think of your goals and your chances of success. If at all possible, limit your contact with the crabbies (not always possible). Definitely make a point to limit the impact that they can have on you as you strive to reach your goals. They will work to distract you, argue with you, create unnecessary drama in your life, put additional stress on you and throw obstacles in your path.

If you really want to reach your goals and escape the ordinary, you must shake off the crabs in your midst. You may have to actually FIGHT them off. Oh well, no one said it would be easy.

Go for it.

If you weren’t aware of this mentality being present among people you know, then now you can be aware and start to identify, and mitigate the ‘haters’. Here’s to reaching your goals!

Onward and upward.

About the Author: Joe Wooldridge is the Founder of a Digital Marketing Coalition company in Kansas City and Austin, TX called MYJOECARD.COM. Naturally this article is connected to Joe’s profile. It also links to Twitter if you’re into that.

Share Button

Taking the Leap of Faith, part 1

Share Button

Founding a business of any kind requires many things of the person ‘crazy’ enough to ‘go for it’. It takes a lot of guts to jump out there and say “Okay World, I’m starting a business named _(x)_, and we will be providing _(y)_ to the _(z)_ market”.

Taking a leap of faith.I’ve decided to start a series of blog posts devoted to exploring the many things that go into starting your own business. There’s a lot to it.

First, I admire anyone that has the guts to take the ‘Leap of Faith’ and start their own business – it is an exciting and scary proposition. In addition to starting my own business, I have had the pleasure of consulting scores of new entrepreneurs/business owners (and potential ones) in nearly every industry for over nine years.

There are many things that entrepreneurs have in common across all industries, the foremost being that for every business that you see – there is a person(s) with a dream behind it. Once you fully realize and appreciate what it takes to manifest a dream, you can’t help but appreciate the journey that someone has undertaken. I believe everyone should start their own business at some point in life – even a smaller business – just for the experience.

There is magic there when someone endeavors to make their dreams a reality.

I will explore some of the elements and milestones that come with starting and building a business. From Goethe quotes and interviews with local business owners – to ‘crazy energy’ and ‘war rooms’.

When I jumped in and started my company, I did not have all of the answers, I was not able to build a business plan for investors, it was impossible – as there were no other businesses like www.myjoecard.com with a business model to use for comparison.

What I did have was passion, drive and vision. I KNEW that the business was going to work. I was ABSOLUTELY sure. Once I took stock of my experiences, expertise and resources (I.e. the rest of my life), I knew I could make it happen – the idea was so compelling that there was no way that I could keep myself from ‘going for it’.

Everyone comes up with ideas at different times in their life for new products, services, types of business, etc., but it is the ideas that are tremendously compelling that ‘snare’ you.

One thought I wrote in my journal:

“You can’t start out with all of the answers. You have to go out and earn them.”

 

Share Button

Defining the Future – Kansas City’s Opportunity

Share Button

Dear People and Companies of the World,

Young and old, big and small – the future is ready, are you? It spreads in the daring minds of pioneers. Architects of the future are now increasingly valued in the World – more than at any time in recent memory. Those minds are being encouraged and fed greater resources.

Resources to build, room to dream, frontiers to conquer, sails to set and horizons to eye.

It is happening.

Today, explorers and adventurers have the ‘royal ear’ and the New World is here once again. It is our same old World seen through transformative eyes . . .

New Kansas City, New Austin soon.

What will we call that place on the slopes? New Provo sounds nice!

Google is sending out the fearless, the bold, and are planting flags of the future in the Heart of America. A new product launching called Google Fiber – and running glass – fiber optic cable, to connect the World in ways in which we should have already been connected. As daring and bold as it is, what we are seeing is merely the groundwork for what is to come – people connecting, sharing, building new things – better things for a better tomorrow.

Ford, Chevy, Sony, Microsoft, Apple and Small Businesses – there are new ‘roads’ being built for your products and services. Get off your laurels – the time to act is now – and ever now.

Kansas City Areas Eligible for Google Fiber (as of 05/08/2013).

The only foes in this bright and exciting New World are those keepers of the old order – fat, complacent cats dining on old hoarded cheese. The Fiberbahn is being built, line-by-line, street-by-street, pole-by-pole, city-by-city, and mind-by-mind. When someone jumps in to build a better World, a better way – open your mind and wallet and get on board. Buy-in and build.

Enjoy being part of building and creating the new and improved – FOR REAL.

Don’t think 20% better, or twice as good . . . .

Think 100 Times – Faster, More Powerful. The old ISP and cable feudal lords know that the ‘gig is up’. Sad that someone entirely outside the industry had to come in and build a platform for the future – but there is much excitement, because a fiber-optic network is finally underway. The clamor for Google Fiber is resounding throughout our land – ask any city leader about the calls and emails that they get, saying “Can we get it? When can we get it??!”.

Indeed. Thank you, Google for having the vision and guts to begin building what will hopefully grow into a nationwide fiber-optic network. And thank you for choosing Kansas City as your first market.

The light is shining, the future is here – and it is double-parked . . . Let’s Go! Envision how our bright future will look and help build it.

There are no monsters in the uncharted waters. The Earth is not flat. The waters of the oceans don’t spill off the edge of the map into oblivion.

There are new vistas to behold, new ground to break – and it is all around you as far as you can see – wherever you are.

I see the pioneers of today building the World that they want to live in. Bob Bigelow is building a fleet for travel into space with plans for a lunar settlement and he is making progress. Ree Drummond, ‘The Pioneer Woman’ (and dear friend) has built a fairytale into a televised, and best-selling reality in Pawhuska, Oklahoma! I can’t wait to dine at her new restaurant that is in the works (from what a little bird told me).

I LOVE Ree, she calls me 'Josefus'!
I LOVE Ree, she calls me ‘Josefus’!

Google is laying a fiber optic network which will transform the way we live in ways that we are just now starting to imagine – and providing tools and opportunity – necessary means for us, our children and the leaders of tomorrow in America – to employ.

Build the future, think of ONE HUNDRED TIMES . . . Bigger, Better, Stronger, Faster.

Be part of a New Renaissance of all communications, commerce, products, services and their exponential impact of their application.

Leave complacency behind – on the couch, in the cubicle. Re-think goals, dare to dream ‘What if?’ and put on your running shoes and join in.

I’ll see you on the frontier.

– Joe

Share Button
2013 - Your Best Year Ever

Make Every Day Count in 2013

Share Button

2013 - Your Best Year EverI am going to endeavor to Make Every Day Count – day by day in 2013 – and track it. I want 2013 to be my best year so far in my life on a number of levels.

This is not my list of goals for 2013, this is my approach to attaining those goals (in addition to a written plan).

I figure if I can make a concerted effort to keep track of my daily efforts to make every day count – then I have a chance to really realize some dreams.

What would make the day count?

I guess that is a personal question (and dependent on one’s goals for the year). Here is my take:

1. Monday-Friday will be my primary work week.
2. Saturday will be for fun/rest,
3. Sunday will be for God/rest/fun.
4. I will keep a record of what I did each day to make the day count (some will be better than others).
5. If I am sick that day, I will consider resting, recovering and taking care of my health to be the optimum way to make the day count.
6. I may spend time working on Saturday/Sunday as needed for projects.
7. I may spend time M-F for R&R to counteract #6.
8. Fitness (stretching/weightlifting/running) will be a regular point to Make Every Day Count.
a. If I feel better every day then every day will be much more productive.
9. Spending time with family, loved ones and friends will be an important part of Making Every Day Count.
10. I will stretch my mind with reading, learning, music, art and travel.

It will be interesting to keep track of this Making Every Day Count program. In addition to growth, joy and abundance – I want to enjoy KNOWING that I am not spinning my wheels, having unproductive days or wasting time.

If I am not sure of the inherent value of my endeavors or activities – I will gauge how I think I would assess the goal/activity as my future/older/higher self. As in:

1. How would I view/value this in retrospect 20 years from now? 40 years from now?

Figure I’ll sleep better and develop a greater hunger to Make Every Day Count as I go along. Probably become a heck of a lot more productive, happy, healthy and fulfilled.

I suspect if a person does this every day – they will get better at it.

Join me if you want to.

Love, Happiness and Success!

Joe

Share Button

It’s Time for the “Te-Vick” Offense in Kansas City: The Chiefs Gameplan for 2013.

Share Button
2013 Kansas City Chiefs - The "Te-Vick" Offense
How to fix the Kansas City Chiefs in 2013? Here’s a plan.

Oh, if they made me the decision-maker for the Kansas City Chiefs, here is what I would do.

  • It would win.
  • It would be revolutionary.
  • It would be exciting.

Some would hate it. Most would LOVE it. ALL would watch it. I’d sure love to see it.

The Kansas City Chiefs in 2013:

  • GM: Marty Schottenheimer
  • Head Coach: Brian Billick
  • Offensive Coordinator: Josh McDaniels
  • Defensive Coordinator: Rex Ryan
  • Offensive Game Plan: The “Te-Vick”
  • Starting QB: Michael Vick
  • FB/QB: Tim Tebow
  • RB: Jamaal Charles

Draft Plan:

  • 1st Round: O-Lineman
  • 2nd Round: O-Lineman
  • 3rd Round: Wide Receiver
  • 4th Round: Big Running Back
  • 5th Round: O-Lineman
  • 6th Round: Tight End
  • 7th Round: Fullback

The “Te-Vick” Offense:

The “Te-Vick” Offense = a nightmare for opposing defensive coordinators. A run-based offense of ground and pound running game with the backfield featuring Vick, Tebow and either Charles or a Fullback.

  1. Jumbo package on the field 70% of the time
  2. Multiple snap options at all times
  3. Tebow or Vick can go in motion
  4. Tebow doubles as a FB to run or block for Jamaal Charles
  5. Play-action and bootleg options for Vick
  6. Screens to Tebow/Charles
  7. Outlet passes to Tebow/Charles
  8. Bowe and New Receiver stretch field for long gains

A few thoughts on this game plan:

  1. No one is built to stop this type of attack anymore in today’s pass-happy NFL.
  2. No one will adjust their defensive personnel to stop just ONE TEAM on their schedule.
  3. Teams will HATE playing us because we’re physical.
  4. Defensive personnel are predominantly lighter, faster guys who are drafted for their speed and ability to cover receivers will get bulldozed and will start to wish they were somewhere else at about the 3:00 mark in the 3rd Quarter.
  5. Interest and Media Coverage would be INTENSE.
  6. If the first year is a sour one, then use our high draft pick in 2014 on Johnny ‘Football’ Manziel.

Clark Hunt, here is your winning plan. It wins. It is relevant. Fans will love it. Jerseys and merchandise will sell like hotcakes. Arrowhead will once again be the biggest and best BBQ party on the planet.

I can almost smell it!

Thanks for your time.

Joe Wooldridge
Future President of Football Operations
Kansas City Chiefs

Share Button
Google Fiber - THANK YOU

Fire Up A Torch. Light Up The Sky.

Share Button

Google Fiber - THANK YOUMy friends, there is a coming superstorm. Not a bad one, but a good one. An EXCELLENT one.

One that we will build (and in some cases are building, and have been working toward).

We have a World that is in flux in many ways – which is alarming, in that we have been sedentary for decades (centuries?). Joseph Conrad’s ‘Heart of Darkness’ was dispelled by global growth – a lack of question marks on the map – and more importantly, a lack of querying in our minds. The old ‘it’s all been done’, ‘I can’t make a difference’, ‘what can I do?’ fears and excuses are sad comforts that are easily cultivated in our minds and later manifest in our Worlds.

Snap your fingers and dispel those lies. Do it now.

The World needs people that are, as the Chili’s say, are ‘Wide Awake Now‘.

Wake Up!

Start making a difference. You are a generator of storms. We are all builders, creators, explorers, pioneers, inventors and innovators. Marianne Williamson is right – Our greatest fear is not that we are powerless – but that we are powerful beyond all belief.

My experience is that activating that power in oneself happens when we begin allowing ourselves.

Allowing.

To dare, dream, plan, build, achieve, create.

No one can keep us down but us. Let’s allow ourselves to experience a full life and fix this World as much as possible.

Right now there is an election going on that people are all in a furor about. But this is not about politics. Every time someone starts getting ‘bent’ about politics, it just makes me think about how disarming the idea of choosing someone else to make decisions for us can be. If we all dared to make the World that we live in a better place – then evil men would be eternally discouraged and confounded.

I like the sound of that.

Every day that sun comes up, the turnstiles turn, people die, people are born, and the status quo rolls on in a slightly different iterations.

I’m all for kicking it into a better gear.

Conrad’s Heart of Darkness has returned like a wicked multi-headed Hydra.

It aint no big deal.

We’ve been slaying beasts and overcoming ‘insurmountable’ problems for as long as anyone has been paying attention. It is what we do.

What heads on the hydra?

  1. Global economic fears,
  2. Global environmental fears,
  3. Conspiracy fears,
  4. Health-related fears,
  5. Fears for our safety, livelihood and future.
  6. Et al and ad naseum.

I’m not buying it. Make a play for all of the brightest minds and light will shed (thank you again, Anthony Keidis).

The mythical beasts have returned in digital forms. The Medusa holds us paralyzed in her gaze through TV screens, live feeds of varying nonesuch-ery and sales pitches. The evil creeping up has been creeping up slow and digging its tendrils in for a long time. Certain unnamed industries have used a steady hive of smartly-dressed, sexy sirens in Washington lobbyists to turn the eyes, blind the minds and darken the hearts of our good men that we keep VOTING for. Those poor, over-paid, over-sexed and over-privileged lost sailors.

We must retake the World for tomorrow by waking up today.

I pride myself on having a television that is far older and crappier than the one in the lavatory at the local sports bar. Yes, I admit I will follow a certain long-maligned local NFL franchise and my Alma Mater in certain sports. Not saying that we don’t need some re-creation and entertainment. But let’s wake up and not be blinded, used, misled.

Dearest Mankind, we can handle ANY problems that come our way. We have to believe, we have to try, and we have to wake up and pay attention. We are capable; we have been blessed with endless gifts. You can’t tell me that one person can’t make a difference. Sure, more helps. But we all have to start somewhere. If we start lighting torches and lanterns, we kill darkness around us and provide light for others so that they may light their torch as well.

It is not about a political party affiliation. It is about who we are, what we do, how we see ourselves and how we can choose to change the World by starting with ourselves, our outlook, our decisions on what we will think and what we will do with our time and abilities.

They say that is cheap, but I am lighting my torch. I want to spread light, to shed light, to help wake people up. I dream of seeing a World of empowered free-thinkers.

Let’s wake up and slay some dragons. Our ancestors climbed mountains, slayed beasts, overthrew tyrants, sailed seas, conquered the wild, trekked forests and deserts and tundras.

We can do the same. Let’s allow ourselves. Let’s have REAL ADVENTURE and build a better World.

Forget online fantasy role-playing games that eat up your time. Disengage from any scurrilous activities that are beyond engaging us – but engorging us . . . hello Mr. Eight Fantasy Football League Teams.

The World is for doers. For dreamers. For those that dare.

So wake up and un-plug. Dare. Dream. Do. Grow. Learn. Create. Build.

That person in the mirror is a dragon-slayer – and we’ve got plenty of dragons in our new Hearts of Darkness.

The World in flux? How about the WORLD ON FIRE WITH LIGHT!

You want opportunity, challenges, adventure, drama, romance? It is all there in front of us – ALL YOU WANT.

So, here I am spouting off, running around with my torch, looking for dragons to slay. I need some help. That darkness closes in a bit at times. It also brightens the heart when I see other points of light.

Grand terms, yes. Why not.

It is only our World, our minds, our lives and our futures.

Strike it up!

If I can help – let me know. There is a lot going on out there. If you have a retail business and could use some exposure, branding and extra traffic (Internet or ‘foot-traffic’) – I will help. If you made it through my ‘rah rah’ blog post, the least I could do is offer to help.

Just let me know you’d like to help spread some light, slay some dragons, have some adventure and build your business a little more.

What will I do to help? I will advertise your business at no cost. As long as you are willing to help me as well – help me spread some light – and make a decent offer (discount or promotion) for our Cardholders.

That’s it.

I’ve been inspired by many to try to spread light. I get inspired by people and company led by people that dare, dream, do, build, create and do things for the right reasons. I’m talking to you, Google.

Yes, a lot of people like to gripe about an industry leader. But this one actually builds things and GIVES THEM TO THE WORLD.

I like that.

  1. An excellent search engine that organizes the World’s information and puts all of it at your fingertips? (Google)
  2. An incredibly detailed, feature-rich global (and then some) mapping system?(Google Maps),
  3. An awesome email system? (Gmail),
  4. Et cetera.

They just keep going.

What I love is their latest gift to the World. Google Fiber.

This has been needed for so long. I’m doing EVERYTHING I can to help make this latest Google ‘gift to the World’ get built and spread as quickly, and effectively as possible.

  • Gigabit Internet Speeds Upstream and Downstream? OH YEAH!
  • Crystal-clear HD video-conferencing? OH YEAH!
  • Speeds that are 100 TIMES FASTER at a better rate than companies that just want to keep out any new competitors, continue to screw their customers and NOT work to build something better? OH YEAH! (Yes, Pete – I heard you).

Well, I’m drinking the Kool-Aid.

It can’t be any cooler that Google Fiber chose to start in Kansas City. They have decided to LIGHT UP A TORCH that can light up the sky and help make the World a better place.

It starts here. I’m helping them. I am helping spread the word.

Thank you, Google Fiber for coming to Kansas City and firing up that big, huge torch. I see the light. Better things are coming.

Booyah!

And I’m out.

Joe

Share Button
World's Top Search Engines

The importance of proper SEO grows daily

Share Button

World's Top Search EnginesYellow pages? I am sure some people still use the yellow pages to find what they need. I just don’t know any of them. Like it or not, the relevance of yellow page directories has come and gone.

So where does a business spend their marketing dollar to get the best ROI?

Increasing their visibility for WHAT they do in search rankings at the World’s leading search engines.

This doesn’t mean trying to employ some strategy to trick Google, Yahoo! or Bing into putting their listing at the top. That will not work. Even worse, if it did work – it will only be for a matter of hours or a couple of days before the algorithm update – which will relegate the cheating strategy site to search oblivion.

Just two days ago I met a potential client who was imagining a strategy of using a lot of little sites in an effort to dominate Google’s rankings! I couldn’t believe that someone had suggested this to them! I wasted no time telling them to ABSOLUTELY AVOID any such strategy.

They were aghast at the news.

Which brings me to the topic of educating business owners about organic search engine optimization. A good portion of delivering quality SEO is educating the client on the right approach – and mindset of the approach – as well as working to ‘undo’ or delete whatever bad SEO strategies that have affected their rankings negatively.

It is amazing how many people don’t understand that they will be penalized for deceptive, shady strategies and/or duplicate content/duplicate listings.

Another common hurdle is trying to educate the business owner who wants to be ranked number one for their town, plus all other surrounding towns and areas in organic rankings. This simply does not work.

Here’s why:

  • The best search engines provide the best quality of search results.
  • Quality of search results depends on three things:
    1. accuracy,
    2. relevance,
    3. value.

So here’s the deal – here’s how to get and keep the best possible organic search rankings for your business:

  1. Accurately represent your business on the web,
  2. Provide value for site visitors.

Yes it is a good idea to be social and use social media to connect with people. Making your business accessible through the latest social media platforms says a few things about your business, namely that A) you are a vibrant and relevant business, and B) you are open to connecting with consumers on the Internet.

Having a well-defined presence at Google+, LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, etc. also helps establish the accuracy and relevance of your company’s brand.

Rankings = Marketshare in 2012

What are some good guidelines to use when discerning the good strategies from the bad?

  1. Always strive for accuracy . . be WHO YOU ARE, and WHERE YOU ARE.
  2. Adopt the point of view of a search engine and then reflect on that before getting excited about some ‘special strategy’ that someone told you about.

RE: #2 above . . .

Yes, you need to look at things from Google’s point of view. Consider that Google is working every day to sift through a gargantuan amount of information from innumerable sites that is growing every day. In order to be THE BEST search engine in the World, Google has to sort through this mass and deliver the most accurate, relevant results that have the most value for their search engine users. So how does Google do this? Many ways, including:

  1. Continually updating the value of a complex, top-secret algorithm that ranks all web sites/pages/content to determine and deliver the highest-quality search results.
  2. Continually tweak methods for identifying ‘webspam’ and removing the offending webspam publishers from the indexes of their datacenters.
  3. Continually update the datacenters with fresh, relevant content that is being delivered ’round the clock’ by billions of spider bots that crawl and index the information available on the World’s servers.

In addition to those efforts, new efforts are being made by the Big Three (Google, Yahoo! and Bing) to improve the formatting of the web by integrating semantics through use of microdata and mutually agreed-upon protocols as in http://www.schema.org (see my blog post on The Semantic Web), which will dramatically increase the overall accuracy of information on the internet.

Quality SEO is not rocket science – but more common sense. With Google, you are either part of the problem or part of the solution.

My advice?

Be part of the solution.

The job of a quality organic search engine optimization consultant is to:

  1. Quantify your company as it applies to search,
  2. Define the parameters of your company and how they should be represented online,
  3. Research whatever current presence your company already has online (which you may or may not be aware of) – and remove any negative elements,
  4. Assess the needs of your company’s Internet presence – including social media outlets, and necessary site elements,
  5. Develop a plan to showcase your company in the most accurate light and most accessible fashion,
  6. Implement this initial plan for your company’s Internet presence, and
  7. Work with you on a plan to remain vibrant and relevant to the online community (which may include social media, adwords campaigns, email marketing and blogging).

Q. Can you do these things for yourself?

A. Yes. In fact, an effective and winning strategy will most likely require your participation.

Q. Should you hire a professional SEO consultant to make sure that your company is optimally presented on the Internet?

A. ONLY if market-share is important to the success of your company, and the success of your company is important to you.

In 2012 – and the future – how important is the Internet to the success of your company and to garnering a respectable amount of market-share?

  • Consider that 2012 is the year when overall ad spend for digital marketing (Internet) eclipses the amount spent on television advertising and print advertising.
  • Consider that hiring a reputable SEO professional that can show you recent examples of their SEO results, and comes highly recommended is as important as choosing the right doctor, dentist or surgeon.

The doctor is in! We look forward to helping your company have success online. Please call 913-271-2955 or contact joe@joewooldridge.com for a free consultation and quote.

Share Button

Web Analytics: On-Site Analytics In A Nutshell

Share Button

Web Analytics - On-SiteIt starts with data. Internet data. Get it, measure it, analyze it . . . and report it.

Why?

Well, to be better, My Dear Watson. More specifically, make your website and product/company better.

Part of that improvement lies in helping to measure traditional advertising campaigns and to hone your digital marketing campaigns for optimum effectiveness.

*business research and market research*

By properly implementing Web Analytics you will have access to valuable info:

  • # of visitors
  • # of page views
  • # length of visit
  • # traffic flow
  • # most popular links
  • # geo location of visitors

Off-Site versus On-Site Web Analytics.

Off-Site Analytics measures potential audience (I.e. your site’s opportunity, visibility and ‘buzz’) on the Internet overall (and Off-Site Analytics is not today’s main topical focus).

Effective Use of On-Site Analytics

On-Site Analytics track and measure the site visitor’s journey from the moment they reach your website. With On-Site Analytics, you can see what works – and how well (measure ‘drivers’ and ‘conversions’);

  1. Define what is important to your organization.
  2. Set goals.
  3. Develop a digital marketing strategy to achieve goals. *Note: unless your organization has an endless supply of money, you will want to measure the Return On Investment (ROI) from investing in the following digital marketing channels (I will address Digital Marketing ROI in another post):
  4. Implement On-Site Web Analytics:
    • Decide what you want to measure and how you want to measure it.
    • Configure Google Analytics (or other) to track all relevant assets (pages, files, pdfs, podcasts, videos, links, contact forms, etc.).
  5. Start a digital marketing campaign(s) (I.e. Email blast, Adwords Ads, Banner Ads, Pop-Up Ads).
  6. See what assets or landing pages are driving the sale – or phone call/email that leads to the sale.
  7. Compare this info with key performance indicators (jargon for performance measurement).
  8. Take the information gathered from your efforts, interpret it, adjust your organization’s digital marketing strategy accordingly.

How can your organization best apply On-Site Analytics? /UGLY BABY ALERT!/

Be prepared to learn that you have an ‘ugly baby’ for a website (and possibly an ‘ugly baby’ for a digital marketing campaign as well!). That’s okay. The whole idea here is to reach your organization’s goals. The improvement of certain aspects of your website and your digital marketing campaign will move your organization further along the path to reaching its defined goals.

Now that you have gathered Internet data on your digital marketing efforts:

  1. Verify the accuracy of the data. (I.e. Compare your website’s data as shown through Google Analytics, to direct analysis of the raw server logs). What is it they say? Trust, but verify.
  2. Ensure the validity of the reporting (ideally two reports; the first being a snapshot of data relevant to focus; the second being an overall site metrics. The combination of these two allows context and perspective).
  3. Interpret the data.
  4. LEARN from the data. (What worked? What did NOT work?)
  5. Identify issues, roadblocks, challenges.
  6. Adapt (improve strategy).
  7. IMPROVISE/INNOVATE (improve, change, create or eliminate) your:
    1. tactics,
    2. functionality,
    3. products,
    4. services.
  8. OVERCOME CHALLENGES. If you don’t fail, you can’t learn. Remember that every digital marketing campaign fails to a certain degree. Embrace the experience, dissect the elements that are lacking, and pay attention to what your audience is telling you.
  9. Lather, rinse, repeat.

Evolution of Web Analytics.

The definition of Web Analytics and On-Site Analytics continues to evolve, and the methods and tools used for Web Analytics continually evolve. To ensure optimum accuracy and effectiveness, your organization needs a resource (person) to be continually integrating new techniques, tools and functionality of existing tools.

Dynamic Evolution: Digital marketing continues to evolve, as does traditional advertising, the mobile web, competing platforms, emerging technology, how people connect/share and overall consumer habits. Effectively utilizing Web Analytics to measure your organization’s performance will require insight, peripheral vision within your org’s industry, anticipation of future tech, recognition of emerging trends, impact assessment and adaptability. Change is the only constant.

Joe Wooldridge is a Digital Marketing Generalist, currently working on MyJoeCard.Com in Kansas City.

Share Button

Web 3.0 – Preparing for and building the Semantic Web

Share Button

Web 3.0 – Preparing for and building the Semantic Web

Ready to help manifest the future of web? Get ready for Web 3.0 – The Semantic Web

In web 3.0 you will need to build your site and web applications to deliver content in a semantic, organized format. We’re seeing this progress as Google, Bing and Yahoo! have embraced the microdata formats from schema.org.

This is the future of being found on the internet for what you do. It is time to build your site for web 3.0 (the semantic web). Start now by using schema.org’s microdata wherever and whenever possible.

Kate Ray provides this great video re: web 3.0 w/ transcript, interview bios, etc. Need info on building a site or incorporating semantic web elements into your organic SEO strategies? Contact Joe Wooldridge at joe@joewooldridge.com and stay tuned to www.joewooldridge.com.

Web 3.0 Interviews with:

  1. Tim Berners-Lee
  2. Clay Shirky
  3. Chris Dixon
  4. David Weinberger
  5. Nova Spivack
  6. Jason Shellen
  7. Lee Feigenbaum
  8. John Hebeler
  9. Alon Halevy
  10. David Karger
  11. Abraham Bernstein

Joe Wooldridge is a digital marketing generalist, currently working on www.myjoecard.com.

via Web 3.0 on Vimeo.

Share Button