I have a love/hate relationship with site replatforming projects: Migrating from one CMS/e-commerce platform/whatever to another is an opportunity. Great things can happen! Yay! Or, you can end up with a feculent pile of badly-written code and shortcuts that bogs down your business until the next time you replatform. This is my stream-of-consciousness list of things you must do for a stench-free project.
Continue readingEvery Shitshow is Different: Running An Agency In A Crisis
If you run an agency, you’re going to face tough times. There’s no avoiding them. These are my experiences and how I (and my agency) survived them.
Continue readingSEO 101: URL Permanence
If you create repeating, date-based content on your site, like an annual ‘best of’ list or buyer’s guide, use the same URL every year. Archive previous years to date-based URLs. That’s URL permanence. You’ll get more SEO bang for your buck.
Continue readingSEO 101: The Blank Sheet Of Paper Test
SEO Rule Number One: Fully describe your content.
Heck, that’s copywriting rule number one.
Everything that describes content should pass the blank sheet of paper test:
“Will this, written on a blank sheet of paper, make sense to a stranger?”
Continue readingMarketing Haiku, 2.0, aka I Still Have Writer’s Block
Yep. I still have writer’s block. I’m so desperate I’m rewriting old fluff pieces and publishing them in a futile display of attention grubbing. So here you go: More Marketing Haiku. I apologize.
Continue readingPutting The Brakes On Python
Python is a fantastic SEO tool, until it breaks your heart. Tools are tools and you need to pick your battles. Ask yourself these questions before you code.
Continue readingWhat’s A Good Outgoing Link? Use Common Sense
What’s a “good” outgoing link? The SEO world has generated a mindboggling mound of utter crap on this subject. I try to simplify and make sense of it all.
Continue readingTools I Use aka Dogs, Starcraft, and Atomic Leafblowers
Ho hum, you say. Stay with me! I promise cats, dogs, drugs, Starcraft, and atomic leafblowers. And yes, all the tools I use, from keyboards to calendars.
Continue readingAdvanced? It’s Not What You Think.
Advanced isn’t what you think.
“Skilled” isn’t the same as “advanced.”
“Skilled” means you know how to do a thing. Skills are crucial.
“Advanced” means you can recognize the bullshit, cut through it, and then apply skills to solve problems. “Advanced” is invaluable.
Continue readingSEO Copywriting: The Blank Sheet Of Paper Test (presentation)
Carol Schiller invited me to talk SEO copywriting at her class on Saturday. It was great fun, replete with Capybara. I focused on The Blank Sheet Of Paper Test: “Will this content, shown on a blank sheet of paper, make sense to a stranger?”
Continue reading