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20 February 2012
SEO, cheating and acting a little bit psycho

Writing SEO content is a bit like a school assignment where you have to remember to use all the ‘describing words.’  Getting a site ranked highly by Google search engines is dependent on assigning it the right keywords, and it’s incredible how many people speak passionately about their products but forget to actually mention their names in the text.  I spent part of last week reviewing my own SEO – after all, I realised, if I’m working with you to maximise the potential of your website, I’d better get cracking on my own.  Once my new site is up and running in the spring there will be keywords flying about all over the place, but for now I’m happy that people can access my services via my carefully chosen wording without too much faffing around.

Certain events this week prompted a conversation about cheating.  What constitutes it and is it ever acceptable?  Have you cheated?  When Trivial Pursuit first hit the stores Gill and I spent a sunny afternoon lying on the grass, eating maltesers and memorising the first 20 or so cards.  Cheating?  Or learning??  That evening we played against Brian and his very clever university-challenge-type friends. We’d won the game before they even threw the dice and they thought we were amazing.  So if, 25 years later, we can still answer most of those questions, and several people still laugh uncontrollably when they remember our ‘skill and brilliance,’ how bad can it be?  (Brian and Gill are both laughing as they read this… I can hear it echoing down the Thames from the far reaches of west London and right round the M25!)  I don’t cheat now, of course (quick e-scribbled note to Deedub, the cake lady and naked scrabble buddy) but all I’m saying is, sometimes you have to look at the whole picture.

I’ve been a bit hyper this week, apparently.  A couple of boxes of Krispy Kremes and hand-made Dorset chocolates probably didn't help.  Steven thinks I’m juggling too many oranges, but sometimes that’s the way it goes.  We didn’t go out for a Valentines dinner as I had a deadline to meet for some non-paid charity work that had to be fitted in after dark, so he owes me.  Actually it’s our wedding anniversary today so it will be double portions of pink wine tonight.  Ben recently described one of his university friends as nice but psycho – ‘Just like you.’  Marvellous!  I’m sure we’ll get on famously…  As all you business owners out there know, when the work’s there, you smile and get on with it, right?  Even if working all hours does make you a teeny bit crazy…  And as Roddy Frame so rightly put it (or still puts it, in my house): ‘If we weaken we can call it stress, you've got my trust, I've got your home address.’  I may not have your home address but I have your Twitter handle – and you have mine.  So feel free to use it… @WeekendWitch