The term “SEO” has retarded the evolution of digital marketing.

Well it’s been three years in the making, but I’ve finally put the finishing touches on my new book “Get Stuffed Google”. If you’d like to be notified about its release date then you can email me at [email protected], and I’ll be sure to add you to the list. It will highlight the importance of focusing on your business and not getting tied up about what you think Google expects from you.

What I learned

• Don’t focus on Google, build your brand
• What’s the purpose of SEO tasks?
• What Google looks for
• Follow the Google site template
• Google is a marketplace

Transcript

Hey, welcome back Rankers. How`s your 2020 going? Mine`s going really well. Why? Because I finished my book! Yes, it`s only taken three years, but I have finally, finally finished it. So pretty happy about that. Oh, lights. Hey! I`m pretty happy about that. Sorry about the studio lighting. It`s a bit on the blink literally. And for those of you who don`t know, I`ve been working on this for over three years and I`m glad it took me this long, because so much has happened in that time, and it`s allowed me to learn a lot more about digital business and where Google fits into that.

So the book is called Get Stuffed Google. I`ve had a little bit of feedback about that, and I know a lot of you are already on the list who has said, `Let me know when it`s out.` If you would like to know when it`s out then just email, [email protected], and I`ll make sure I get that.

But the gist of it is that we need to be focusing on our businesses and not focusing on Google. So it`s all about the things we`ve talked about, building the brand, and those sorts of things. But what`s occurred to me over the 20 years is that the things that we do for SEO are basically, mostly user experience. We just call them SEO tasks because they`ve come from what we`ve observed that Google looks for, and ranks sites well for. Just so happens what Google`s looking for is really good sites for its users. You have to be that really good site. For instance, if we know that speed is a signal, then we go and remove large images from the site. We get better hosting, we make the site go faster.

If we know that popularity is a metric, like how many people are pointing to you with backlinks or giving you mentions, we don`t try to fix that. We try to manufacture that. So we try to go out and get backlinks. Whereas those backlinks are just a lag measure of you performing because people like you. As I`ve said before, they`re applause. They come after the performance, right? And it`s because we`ve got this wrong-headed approach. And what Google`s looking for, Google`s actually giving us a template if you like, to a large extent, of what users look for, what makes a great user experience. But here`s the thing, it will only do that to reflect, or it will only do that and will reflect in your rankings. There`s a lot that Google doesn`t see or doesn`t care about, but you should as a business owner.

So everyone focused on SEO as a separate task rather than this underpinning, holistic approach to great technical performing websites, which is what we`re talking about. And you`re not going to be focusing on your brand, because you`re going to be focusing on tricks. So, that`s what this book is about. And with Google becoming a marketplace, it`s more important than ever to treat it like that.

So to give you one instance. Think of it this way, you go into a large department store, right? You ask the person at the front counter where the shoes are. She points out the area of the shoes, you go to the shoes, there`s not one single brand you recognise in that shoe department. You`d be a little bit disappointed, I think, right?

Why do we expect anything different from Google? Why do we expect your shitty little brand? Sorry, it`s an analogy, to rank high when no one`s ever heard of it before? Why would Google do that? Hopefully that`s helpful. If you would like to find out more about the book, just email, [email protected], and I will make sure you are on the list.

Off to the designers now, getting a couple of mates to read it. I`ll give you a release date next week, but it`s written so I`m happy. See you next week everyone. Bye.

Jim

Jim’s been here for a while, you know who he is.