I am completely baffled now by the web’s favourite search engine – google. Just two days ago I was saying how impressed I was that my Ecademy profile had appeared on page 1 of google so quickly. Imagine my confusion yesterday when there was no sign of my Ecademy profile anywhere on google. Today, Friday, I am back on page 1.
The reason for this magic that would certainly impress Paul Daniels is simple.
On Wednesday, I posted here on my blog, and on my Ecademy profile, that I had my first article accepted onto a well respected website. I am not too old yet to be excited by such a thing and when I was invited to put a little logo wherever I liked to show my status, and for people to go and have a look if they want, I put one here on the blog and another on my Ecademy profile.
It may be complete co-incidence but posting the little logo here actually pushed my blog up to page 3 on google, however, it completely removed my Ecademy profile from visible site.
Last night, as a test – readers who know me know how much I love testing things! – I removed the little logo from my Ecademy profile. This morning, mysteriously, my profile is back on page 1. Hmmmmm
Is there a moral to this little story? You bet there is.
If you are considering paying for the services of a company who “guarantees” you a page 1 or even a number 1 listing on google – make sure you have a play with your own site first. If such a little thing as a single small logo can have such a dramatic effect on my google positioning, you should at least have a tinker over a few days trying slightly different versions of your site and watch with interest!!
Rather than pay these companies, who rarely deliver on their promises anyway, use the money for more traditional marketing that isn’t subject to such weird, hidden and random formulas that google use to rate a site. Make sure your site is full of interesting, useful information that is 100% customer benefit focused, and says little, or nothing, about you and your business.
It is sad but true – people are only concerned with the benefit and value they receive from using you, not what you are called, how long you have traded or how pretty and expensive your graphics are.
~Ray