 | THE WEBSITE IS DEAD; LONG LIVE THE BLOG! | | | | What the new Google update means ... | Posted by Steffi Lewis on 10/11/2011 |
It's quite interesting watching Google. They regularly update their search engine algorithms and the latest one may toll the death knell for brochure websites as we know them. I've always said that the days of the website were numbered. Now Google finally agrees with me ...
 new google update means death of brochure websites
I wrote my first website back in 1994 for The Open University. It was for a course called MU120 and I'm pleased to say it was still active over 10 years later. I wrote it in a copy of Notepad using a HTML 1.0 guide - written by Tim Burners-Lee - and a short university style guide. It was very basic, but it did exactly what it said on the tin.
Moving my career through commercial web design, to ecommerce, to my first initial forays into blogging with my rock photography, I've seen many changes in the way websites are created and promoted. Yet they are still the same beasties as they were back in the early nineties when I was working with the OU. Yes, they may look a lot prettier and work across many desktop and mobile platforms, but they are still just brochures and unless you spend an absolute fortune on custom programming in an attempt to build a community, that's all they'll ever be.
However, up until now, good SEO could keep your website on life support, bringing in visitors from searches closely related to keywords embedded on your pages. Now - unless you start paying a fortune for Google AdWords or even more regular SEO - your beautifully designed brochure website is going to start dropping off the rankings until it disappears into obscurity!
Why? Because view for view, rank position for rank position, the new Google update will propel a regularly updated blog skyward in the rankings and send your website hurtling down into oblivion.
When people search, Google will now start showing newer, more recently posts - for a given set of keywords - higher up in the search results it returns. It sees this content as being more relevant to what people are searching for right now. If you haven't updated your website for months and months, it's going to disappear. Don't say I didn't warn you!
I am pleased to say that there is a simple solution for this new reality business owners find themselves in. You're looking at it right now and it's called sblogit.com. A fully managed blogging platform which integrates beautifully with all your favourite social media networks.
It's powerful, flexible, easy to use and doesn't cost a huge amount of money to run. It's a perfect alternative to your brochure site. It will improve your Google ranking organically by posting to it regularly and you need only spend around 20 minutes a week, coming up with some ideas and letting our Editorial team do the hard work for you.
You rough out your thoughts, we edit and publish a finished blog post, you login then click a few buttons and share it out to your entire business network. What's not to like?
So get rid of your brochure website and start blogging with us. Yes, of course - put your "about us" and "product & services" pages on there but you must prioritise the writing and - most importantly - do it on the home page rather than tucking it away in an unloved and forgotten "news" section. The other supporting pages will be clicked on if your visitors like what you write about and you'll build trust with them via your posts inspiring them to actually want to do business with you.
I've been shouting about the benefits of blogging for over a year and finally Google has heard me and updated their search algorithms. The website is dead; long live the blog!
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STEFFI LEWIS
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 | DIRECTOR AND SHARER OF THE BLOG LOVE LIKES: My friends, cats, spooning, good filter coffee, fast bikes, my iPad and iPhone, Jimmy Choo, Jaeger, Mercedes, Aston Martin, people who make me laugh hysterically, rock music, Sci-Fi, Chinese food, wine and Chocolate.
DISLIKES: Isms, labels, Marmite, Salmon, stress, early mornings, hangovers, people that make me sad, self-centred and selfish behaviour, Soaps and Reality TV.
VIRTUE: Effortlessly combines calming serenity & inspiring awesomeness.
VICE: Likes to party like a rock-star.
"Don't tell me that the sky's the limit when there are footprints
on the moon"
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