AdWords conversion tracking is dead. No, Google haven’t removed it from AdWords, nor are they phasing it out. Yet. But if you’re using conversion tracking as your sole gauge of success, you’re doing it wrong! Why? Because AdWords conversion tracking is a highly inaccurate indicator; but not a reliable metric. The entire system is based on a cookie, and that cookie might not … Read More
SSL and SEO: Don’t Panic.
You may already be aware that Google sent enormous waves around the SEO world yesterday with their announcement that HTTPS is to be considered a ranking signal: There’s a lot of speculation on the impact and significance of this, so rather than you having to wade through the details, here’s my take on the matter. Don’t panic. There is nothing … Read More
Please don’t be our next SEO client
Nobody ever skips brushing their teeth. It just doesn’t happen. I myself have had long journeys crossing far too many time zones, where I’ve staggered into bed without showering or even washing my face, but my teeth always get brushed. Always. It doesn’t matter how exhausted, hungover, sick, miserable or tight for time you may be; you always brush your … Read More
AdWords conversion tracking is broken. Here’s why.
Most AdWords accounts use some form of conversion tracking as a metric of success, yet this model is flawed to the point of being meaningless. I’m not going to go into the specifics of why there may be a disconnect between the ad click and the conversion here, but if you want details read Tracking your AdWords return on investment. … Read More
How to find unbelievably effective keywords
Have you ever used a technique for years, only to find out that it blows people away? For SEO purposes I use a very quick and simple system to find the right keywords, that factors in how popular a keyword is with the level of competition. It only takes a few minutes and helps you tap into the gold that lies … Read More
Our SEO Demystified course is now live – with a 25% discount
After an insanely busy six months of work, our SEO Demystified course is now live. We’re running a 25% discount on the pricing – but only for the first 48 hours. At the time of writing this post we’re down to 1 day 20 hours. So what are you waiting for? It’s a great course and comes with an unconditional 30 day money … Read More
I’ve fallen and I can’t get up
SEO has somehow become the exercise equivalent of the online business. Young startups can worry about it later, and many middle-aged companies know they should be doing it, but somehow don’t get round to it. Until, that is, something terrible happens to them. This is the point that many businesses finally get around to taking their SEO seriously. When something like this happens it can … Read More
“This is a really important keyword to rank for”
The following conversation contains scenes of SEO nudity, and may not be suitable for the easily offended, the SEO ignorant, or most CEOs. Reader discretion may be advised. The names and personal details have been changed to protect the clueless. MeansWell: “Okay, but this one, this one here, this is a really important keyword for us.” Me: “Great, let me look into that.” … Read More
Why Google know best (better than you too)
The anti-Google brigade seem to have missed Google’s greatest coup: not only knowing everything about us, but now even understanding our intentions better than we do ourselves. For example when I search for Cloud Computing, of the nine standard results that Google show me, six are variations of “what is cloud computing“, even though I may have been looking for … Read More
What everybody needs to know about tracking
The era of being able to accurately track your online marketing efforts is over. Or more accurately: the era of thinking you could accurately track your online marketing is over. Only a few years ago, we thought we could track almost every single keyword that was used to find our websites. The reality was that we could track the keywords … Read More
