What's good?

So if you've been paying attention, it's been quite a week in tech.

AI is absolutely devouring everyone and everything. And consuming our brains and whatever little attention spans TikTok hasn't taken from us.

Now there's a tonne of stuff out there from people way smarter than me and with way more time on their hands (JELLY!). So it won't take you long to find great write ups on what's been happening.

I lost 2 subscribers after last week's email.

That's a big deal, when you have a small list like mine.

It's also a big deal when you maintain a 50%+ open rate with your emails, like I do.

And it got me thinking - what did I do wrong?

What's good?

Ok so - I've done a few big SEO audits lately.

What surprises me is how bad their SEO is.

What doesn't surprise me is that they're all different businesses in different countries.

What's good?

Once again, the SEO world is on fire.

Because of something Google said.

Nothing new, really. Us SEO folks are fickle and a bunch of turncoats - at the best of times!

What do you do when you:

• see keywords that stick out like a sore thumb

• know you have to capitalise on them

• but don't want to break the law and/or the back of your brand and legal teams?

Let me tell you about my work on my first client in Dubai: Atlantis The Palm Dubai.

It's an iconic 5 star resort on the Palm Jumeirah. Google it, it's a fantastic place to visit.

What's good?

So I'm knee deep in SEO right now.

That shouldn't be a surprise for an SEO consultant, right?

Of course.

It's a simple question with even simpler answers:

1. Yes, send help

2. No, we good

3. I have no idea

Reply with a number and let me know.

Google's been on a rampage lately with almost monthly updates to the algo. It's been wild and yes, if you've been good, you should have nothing to worry about.

I bet you do.

We all do.

No this isn’t fat shaming or body negativity.

We all need to get into better shape.

I seem to make a habit of ghosting you, don't I?

Sorry.

But I promise, this has been a legitimate leave of absence.

So let me cut to the chase:

What's the first thing you notice about a website?

Is it the logo / branding?

Is it the nav menu?

Is it the imagery?

You can't change my mind.

SEO is not a once-off.

SEO is not something you set and forget.

SEO is not a casual fling.

People seem to think that SEO is a one thing thing.

Like, you set it and forget it.

And then everything just works.

Forever and ever.

Let me be super real with you folks.

Everyone needs SEO in their life.

SEO is important to every website in every way.

No matter your industry, no matter how huge your brand is and no matter how you source your leads, your website needs SEO.

It's time for me to be real with you on all things SEO.

There's always going to be cowboys spreading misinformation, sadly.

But there's always going to be people like me spreading the truth, gladly.

Let me clear the air and give it to you straight.

So the other day I was asked why I chose SEO and what makes it so special.

I kinda fell into SEO unintentionally.

But then made the conscious decision to stick with it.

And all because it simply made more sense to me.

OK so these are apparently some challenging times.

Not necessarily 'uncertain' times (if you remember when covid hit).

But no doubt there's a lot of nervous faces around because of economics.

I'm not a finance guy and I don't know anything about investments and stock markets.

It's time to let go of those vanity metrics you keep chasing.

They only feed you a false sense of success.

All of these things can be GAMED.

As in, they can be manipulated.

I remember in the early days of Facebook, how every conversation I ever had with anyone, always included mentions of Facebook.

It was like a comma - the word came up so often.

"I saw this on Facebook"

"So the other day on Facebook"

A lot of SEO folks reminisce about the good old days.

Back when SEO was "simple".

Was it really simple though?

Yes and no. You didn't need to do as much and you could get away with a lot of shady tactics.

"eat the frog"

I first heard this about 13 years ago.

I was talking to my wife (then fiancee) about how I didn't want to call these high maintenance clients because they always wore me down.

and I kept putting it off til later, which didn't help the situation at all.

Let me tell you about a person by the name of Ross Simmonds.

If you're in the SEO / Content space, you'll no doubt know who he is.

Ross is an excellent SEO and a trailblazing content expert. But what Ross truly excels at is "content distribution".

Ross is UNSTOPPABLE at distributing content. The man has no equal. No one distributes like he does.

So you know how I have an online store selling personalised baby gifts?

Almost all traffic is from Google, as expected.

Google is #1 in the UAE where we're based and where our customers are based.

But recently, we've gotten a lot more traffic from Bing, DuckDuckGo and even Yahoo (got a sale from there too!).

Lucky you! 3 emails in 1 week after a month of silence.

I couldn't help myself. I just had to send out more emails. I got inspired!

This one is short though, I promise.

I wanted to give you 5 quick SEO tips for you to chew on this weekend to help you achieve your SEO goals even faster:

So you know how I hadn't emailed you in a month, because I had nothing of value to share?

I wasn't lying.

I drew a blank and couldn't think of anything to talk about that you could actually find insightful.

This doesn't mean I don't have ideas. I just didn't have them at the time.

The last time I emailed you was 1 month ago.

I've been a bit preoccupied (sorry).

But, the gap between emails has been somewhat deliberate.

The reason for the drop in comms is due to me not having anything of substance to talk about.

Ok I'm sorry.

This was meant to be a personal email tying in my passion for SEO with the current conflict that's occupying the media with loads of good SEO advice.

But I realised it would be in poor taste, despite my pure intentions.

You don't need me to tell you that war is not good and that we all deserve to live in peace.

I've been running my own online store for just over 3 months.

I should correct that: I'm running it with my wife.

And that's an important distinction.

Not because she may read this and send a shoe flying my way.

Let me tell you something folks.

If you want to make better decisions with your digital marketing, you have to learn about attribution.

There's a lot of nuance and context around this.

BUT

What's good?!

I'll tell you: people emailing me to start sending my emails again.

It was less than 5 people mind you.

But I was surprised! Even Justin (the creator of Buttondown, the email service I use) emailed to check in.

So I've launched an online store.

Of my own.

With my wife.

And let me tell you, it's a next level thrill.

Hey,

I have some news for you.

At the end of 2021, I will be shutting down this newsletter.

It's been fun and I put a lot of theory into practice.

Linkbuilding is a funny thing.

It's such a controversial topic, in its own way.

Some argue that it should be two words. Some say it's fine as one.

I should say, no one can find your website easily.

That's the difference.

The reasons are many but it is both technical and non-technical.

The technical issues can often be easily fixed (though sometimes there's something really stubborn that refuses to co-operate!).

Ok so you know that Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp stopped yesterday.

It was out of action for me for a few hours. Some have had issues for less time, but for most people, it was out a while and caused a few problems.

But you know who didn't even flinch when all things Zuckerberg fell over? The people who listened to Wu-Tang Financial (and me).

These people diversified their bonds. Or in digital marketing speak: they diversified their marketing efforts online.

I get asked about domains a lot, and what impact it will have in terms of SEO.

The classic SEO response is: it depends.

I always recommend a ccTLD (country code Top Level Domain) ALONG WITH a .com

Why?

Here's an abstract nugget of SEO advice for you.

Is your business present on multiple social media platforms?

Chances are you have a presence on at least 3 platforms. You could be like me and be present on 10+.

Either way, there's something each platform has in common: a bio section.

Ola!

I was browsing the website of a popular restaurant chain in the UK and was keen on their menu.

They had different menus for each location so I chose London for the fun of it.

Filename: London_Menu2020.pdf

You know that famous ship repairman story?

The one where a ship engine had failed and no one could fix it.

The one where an old but experienced repairman was called in.

Ola!

It’s been a while.

I could ply you with all sorts of excuses but honestly, from the bottom of my heart, I just got a bit lazy.

I did have other legit reasons but frankly, I should have prepped for moments like these.

Ola!

It’s been a while.

I could ply you with all sorts of excuses but honestly, from the bottom of my heart, I just got a bit lazy.

I did have other legit reasons but frankly, I should have prepped for moments like these.

I’m putting the finishing touches to an ecommerce SEO guide.

And everyone can benefit.

Even if you don’t run an online store, it’s got enough for you to learn from and apply with your website.

The concepts are the same no matter the niche.

You know why you’re not getting anywhere?

It’s because of effort.

And the

When it comes to your keyword list, are you thinking beyond the obvious?

Let’s say you run an online store selling things for men like wallets, bags, sunglasses, belts, cufflinks and the like.

Naturally you’ll optimise for the obvious:

OK I really need to get this out of my system.

It’s about people claiming that linkbuilding is the most important ranking factor when it comes to SEO.

Would you be interested in seeing my SEO tips on TikTok, Instagram Reels and Snapchat?

Peace, Jaaved

I was explaining what I do for a living to someone who had a very basic idea of SEO.

They had it all twisted though.

They thought I had this weird control over Google.

And that what I did was some kind of black magic.

Lucky you, getting TWO emails from me this week!

So what’s the special occasion?

After my last email about the CONTENT, I got an email from Alex in Dubai.

There’s a few common problems with every SEO audit I do.

But only one of these things cause people to have a real meltdown.

“tell me something I don’t know”

You know what doesn’t get enough love in the SEO world?

Content.

Technical SEO has seen a resurgence in recent times with literal communities being built around it.

Keywords are the cornerstone and quite possibly the foundation stone of any online strategy.

I’m going to stake my claim on that. Feel free to @ me!

Knowing what keywords to focus on guides everything you do.