Anyone who is capable of running their own business is capable of understanding everything they need to know about operating their own website profitably.

My name is Ross Lasley and I am The Internet Educator. My goal is to empower entrepreneurs by providing them with the information and resources they need to have successful websites. If you are an Internet Entrepreneur who is frustrated by the web, and people that don't speak your language, I am here to help you.

 

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Office Hours

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The calls are free, and I'm happy to chat about anything related to your website, your business, or the dietary habits of the Redfoot Tortoises here on the farm.

Every Thursday, from 4-5PM EST: (207) 684-4000

 
Bridging the gap between knowledge and understanding
   
November 23rd , 2010 Volume 3, Issue 22

In this edition of Web Enlightenment we'll be talking about Sand Castle SEO and what you need to know about it.

This newsletter focuses on giving you practical, interesting insights into how to successfully use technology as a tool to improve the way you do business. Bridging the gap between knowledge and understanding that all entrepreneurs have will help you make money online.

Please hit reply and tell me your favorite Turkey Day side dish. I answer every email sent to me.

All the best,

Sand Castle SEO

I love building sand castles.

I like the kind where you drip wet sand to make big towers that look like melted candles.

I like the kind where you use plastic forms to build whole little villages, I imagine tiny townspeople going about their day.

I like castles that are built from scratch and by hand.

But the whole time I am laboring to create such enjoyable wonders I see the ocean behind them.

Coming.
Slowly Coming.
Marching onward toward my work.

Many folks use sand castles to teach children about impermanence , and it always surprises me how we kind of forget that lesson as we grow up. No matter what you do, no matter how big a moat you make, no matter how much you wish it were not so - all sand castles end up looking like this eventually:

So by now you may be asking yourself what the heck this has to do with Search Engine Optimization (SEO)?

A lot.
An awful lot.

As you probably know Search Engine Optimization involves two basic activities - altering your site to make engines happy and communicating (submitting, linking, etc) with the outside world to make search engines happy.

The purpose of this activity is to increase the amount of quality traffic coming to your website.

That one sentence is so important for Internet Entrepreneurs that we're going to say it again - the purpose of SEO (and all web marketing for that matter) is to bring traffic to your website. That really is all you absolutely need to know about it - you either have more traffic (yay) or less (sad).

So folks all over engage in assorted SEO activities for awhile - and the they stop. And then they start again. It gets treated like a typical cyclical marketing project where the task gets completed and we leave it alone until it needs to be done again.

Any suggestion that "marketing is a process that never stops" tends to be met with a very skeptical response - and for Entrepreneurs it feels like (and sometimes is) a sales tactic that folks use.

But lingering in the back of your mind is the reality that SEO is in fact really an ongoing process and that things are changing all the time in the land of the engines.

Here's the bottom line: working on SEO is like building a sand castle in that the ocean (engine changes, your competitors) is always coming. It will knock over your work and you will need to do it over and over.

The next time you talk to your web marketing folks ask them about activities that need to be done over and over and how it's going building that sand castle - they will be very grateful that you have accepted the reality of web marketing.

Thanks to my friend Rob Bunting for making this analogy when we spoke and inspiring this edition of Web Enlightenment

Everything you ever Wanted to Know About Search Engines - Seminar

Search engines are critical to the success of any website, but they are very confusing to most business owners. In this session you'll learn all about how engines work, the battle between marketers & engines themselves that is the root cause of why things change so often, making effective efforts, paid marketing methods (CPC), and what you should do.

What: Everything you ever wanted to know about Search Engines Seminar followed by Yummy Lunch/Question Session

When: Friday December 3rd from 11AM – 1PM
Where: Augusta Armory on Western Avenue. Directions Click Here.
How Much: $60, $50 for subscribers of Web Enlightenment, covered by money back guarantee. Credit Cards are accepted.
How to Sign up: Click Here to Sign Up Online or call Ross at 684-4000 or reply this email.

The cost for the session is $60 ($50 for Subscribers like you) which includes your lunch - and like everything I do these seminars are covered by my 100% guarantee. If you don't like it, you get your money back.

Can't make it? (we'll miss you). Here are some other upcoming Events you might enjoy:

The Internet Educator · 128 Buckwood Rd · PO Box 720 · Manchester, ME 04531· (207) 684-4000· Ross@TheInternetEducator.com

Copyright © 2010. The Internet Educator. You may freely reproduce this article if you do two things - include this notice and a link to www.TheInternetEducator.com. If you want extra credit and good Karma send me an email and let me know about it as well.