But that’s not true.

In fact, Danboard faces the exact same challenges that you and I have to deal with when it comes to doing that magical OE.

After you read Danboard’s story I’m sure you’ll appreciate it’s not all cuddles from the ladies when you’re an international, yet fully recyclable, man of mystery – there are hurdles to, well, hurdle. You might even feel inclined to help Danboard out by sharing his story with your friends, and your friend’s friends, and maybe your grandmother, which is really easy when she’s on Twitter.

Danboard dreams big

Everyone said he couldn’t do it but he was a willful little fella and wouldn’t take no for an answer. He planned to set out and visit Europe, travel around like a real human, and then jump on a plane to New York to eat bagels and maybe, if he was lucky, get mugged. He was then scheming to slip down South to Mexico and find a white sandy beach where he could chill with some amigos and ride the waves.

He dreamed a lot. Even while grating cheese. He would browse the interweb on his oversized Kindle™ dreaming of amazing faraway locations where he could meet interesting people and take lots of photos.

But he had a few things he needed to sort out to make it happen. The house, his job, and his cute furry friends – who would look after them?

The house

Danboard lives in a house near the beach. He lives there with Mrs Danboard and a couple of dogs. It’s a lovely house that Danboard keeps in tip-top condition and he was super keen to find someone who would take just as much care of it while they would be away. He read in the paper that rental demand was high and, because workers were coming to his city to fix up the cracks, he was feeling good that they would find the right people.

But it’s only a few month away now and Danboard is getting worried because they haven’t found someone yet – can you help him? Or maybe take his car?

The cute furry friends

In this house live a couple of Hairy Maclaries from Donaldson’s Dairy. They’re cute and huggable but don’t like planes or flying so aren’t going with Danboard overseas. One of these wuppies is actually completely blind so it’s important for him to stay where he feels secure and comfortable – that means staying at home. But Danboard knows that the right person to look after the house will also love dogs and will make sure they don’t miss Danboard and Mrs Danboard too much. Danboard will make sure this person is duly rewarded for their help.

If you know someone who loves dogs as much as Danboard then let him know!

Danboard’s job

I know you think Danboard spends his time cruising the streets in his rag top, hanging out with beautiful people and signing autographs. But he actually has a real job. A real job where he sits at a desk and clicks a mouse all day. It’s specialised stuff and not just anyone can do it, which is why he needs a replacement. Well not a complete replacement, maybe more a partial fill-in, just enough so the big company Danboard works for doesn’t go bankrupt and have to fire all Danboard’s workmates. That would make Danboard sad, and big Ted would cry his eyes out like a big sissy – we don’t want that to happen.

So Danboard advertised on writerfind.com. He also asked his friends. He’s still looking so if you know someone who has moves like Danboard and can spare around 20 hours a week then message him, like with your computer or something.

Will Danboard go overseas?

I wish I could say Danboard went overseas and made his dreams come true but we don’t know. Danboard is still working hard to make it all happen. So hard he sweats around the office a lot more these days. Tiny beads of liquified cardboard. If you can help Danboard then you know where to find him. And when you help a Danboard you have a friend for life.

That translates into lost business.

So if you’re in business, even if you have no idea what a website is or how you might use it, you should at least have a basic website with a simple, easy-to-remember website name (aka domain name) that people can quickly look up when they get home, or get to the office. And with website packages starting from as little as $299 you really have no excuse.

Step 1 – Choose a good domain name

First of all, think of a good domain name for your business. The domain name is the address people type into their browser to visit your website, such as www.trademe.co.nz. Your domain name doesn’t have to match your business name either. Obviously if you have a well-known business name, such as McDonalds, then you will go with that but for many small businesses a domain name that relates to their industry is probably a better choice.

Here are some other things to consider when deciding on your domain name:

• Keep it short – this makes it easier to remember
• Include a word that relates to your industry e.g. joesplumbing.co.nz
• Make sure it’s easy to spell – it’s more likely your customers will reach you
• Don’t infringe on copyrighted words
• Avoid hyphens or underscores e.g. the_plumber.co.nz
• Here are a few more suggestions for choosing a good domain name

When you’ve got a shortlist of suitable candidates, you then need to make sure they’re actually available. Visit a domain registrar, such as www.discountdomains.co.nz to check they haven’t already been taken by the competition. This is a good reason to setup your website now, rather than wait.

Better to do it now than later

Like a lot of things in business, it’s easy to procrastinate. You’re just too busy looking after your customers to get on to things that don’t seem to be that urgent. But the longer you wait, the less likely that great domain name you’re thinking of will still be available, particularly as other small businesses catch on and sort out their own website as we move deeper into the online space.

The sooner you start, the better it is for your search engine rankings too – Google gives more attention to older, established websites rather than brand new ones.

So don’t put off getting your own affordable business website – the whole process is really easy, takes us only a few days and can all be done via email if needed – simple!

Step 2 – Contact us

Once you’ve chosen a good domain name for your business and made sure it’s available then the next step is to contact us. We can take care of the rest and have your new website up and running within five working days.

Then with your shiny new website published, you can update your business signage and get new stickers for your vehicles and round up all that lost business!

We’d never camped there before this year but rather than struggle to find a dogsitter at short notice we decided to go camping somewhere we could take the furkids too. It’s always a risk camping somewhere completely new. There are no guarantees it will be the pleasant stay a camping trip should be. You could have the campers from hell next door, rocks for grass, exposed to the elements or 3rd world facilities. Fortunately our Mt Thomas camping experience had none of that and we’d be happy to go back sometime.

Getting to Mt Thomas Forest campground

While the official DOC webpage for Wooded Gully Campground (WGC) provides some useful information, it’s not overly helpful in terms of getting there, in fact they’re actually wrong. It does provide the NZTM2000 Grid reference but I have no idea how to translate that into a dot on the map (or even a lat/lon) so here’s the map to get there.

View Larger Map

My tablet doesn’t have 3G or GPS so I was a bit stuck once I got to Rangiora but the local Henry’s were kind enough to draw the last part of the directions to the campground.

The Wooded Gully Campground

WGC is a standard DOC site with minimal facilities but it has four flushing toilets and running water which is more than ample for quake-hardened Cantabrians. There’s also a creek, so if the camp runs out of water (like it did just before we left) then you can boil water from there. We arrived Christmas eve so there were plenty of campsites to choose from, and we picked what we think is the best spot just by one of the main firepits and not far from creek. It was relatively flat and looked out over the trees so you got a real feeling of serenity and solitude.

One thing it doesn’t take long to notice is something that blights a lot of beautiful spots around NZ, and that is sandflies. They attack the minute you step out of the car, hungry for fresh blood and unless you’re coated in insect repellant, have a diet rich in Vitamin B and are surrounded by a group of nudists, you’re gonna get bitten. They were worse than our sandfly experience at the actual Sandfly Point in Milford Sound, but fortunately we came prepared with repellant, citronella candles, fly spray and a smoking fire, which meant it kept them bearable. In fact by day three we hardly noticed them.

While the DOC website says $6 a night, the sign at the campground said $5 and the DOC warden who checked our tent ticket on day two was happy with $5. $20 for the two of us to stay three days in a well-cared campground is good value by anyone’s standards.

What to do around Mt Thomas

Queenstown it isn’t but personally high-adrenalin activities aren’t the reason I go camping. Lazing around the tent, eating when I feel like it, and in general ignoring any preset timetable or routine is my modus operandi. However if you can’t bear to sit still there are walking tracks in the area, including a trek up to the top of Mt Thomas, which takes approximately two hours. The happy campers who set up next to us on day two, who we nicknamed the von trapps on account of their love of singing together, in groups, as one big happy family, ventured off into the hills at one point, leaving the camp eerily quiet (to be fair they were actually good singers).

There are some designated fireplaces and we were fortunate to be parked right next to one so got the full camping experience including toasted marshmallows, sizzlers in the pan (including rescuing the odd one out of the ashes) and the sheer joy of smoke-induced watering eyes. For a towny, setting up camp and getting a roaring campfire going is what it’s all about.

There is the creek that you can cool your feet in, or it’s a 10-minute drive down to Ashley Gorge for something you can actually swim in.

Since dogs are allowed on a lead, we took our two small ones and I think they really enjoyed the change of scenery and smells. With their extended leads they could wander around the tent as they pleased, or just find a shady spot to catch some zzz’s. Who says dogs don’t know how to go camping?

Recommended campsite

Without the sandflies it would have been perfect but even so the beautiful scenery, good facilities and well-maintained camping area make the Wooded Gully Campground a great place to visit for a few days, and a great option for dog owners looking for somewhere to share the camping experience with the four-legged friends.

If you have any questions about the campground, or want to share your experience, add your comment below.

In the aftermath of a breakup it seems that dwelling on the good times can help ease the pain. And that’s easy to do when we it was just over a week ago when we first met. Love at first proximity with your intelligent key. I wasn’t blind to your faults – your seats didn’t fold down, you had no towbar or roof racks – but nothing I couldn’t live with.

I’m not normally one to rush these things but I took you to meet my parents on the first day. Too much? Possibly but they wanted to see you again so first points to you. Driving home there was no denying we were getting noticed and I knew it wasn’t me they were looking at. A 2010 Toyota Camry Hybrid with a colourful paint job featuring rainbows and sheep you were more than just a little showy.

We were inseparable. Where you went I went. I got to know how to press all your buttons. You learned all about my favourite music. Into town, off to the gym and rocking up to the office – you were a head turner and I was quickly getting used to it.

Taking it to the next level

With your potential there was no way I was content to just commute to the office with you. We were destined for bigger things. Friday I got away from work early and collected what I needed for a weekend away. We hit the road, making our way to the other side of the country. It felt good to be sharing all the amazing beautiful scenery of the Arthurs Pass with you on our first (and apparently our last) trip away. You handled the twists, turns and stops along the way. You weren’t afraid of the dark or the swarms of night bugs we drove through.

We spent two days mesmerised by the dramatic West Coast scenery, from the spectacular heights of Denniston, the incredible sights of Punakaiki, my old primary school in Westport, to the laid back beach life of Tauranga Bay, we soaked it up. You were pretty fussy about where you drank, so we made sure you didn’t get too thirsty, and heaved a sigh of relief when we got to the Shell garage in Greymouth.

Sure I was meant to use your Garmin GPS camera to catalogue our adventure but tripped at the first hurdle when I realised I didn’t have a journey ID. But I admired your gadgetry nonetheless and maybe next time it will be different.

You have a lot going for you Freeona and I’m sure you’ll have plenty more fun-filled weekends ahead of you. Remember what goes on tour, stays on tour.

Living up to your promises

It was your freeway freeness that attracted me initially but was it just smoke and mirrors? Well yes and no. No charge for the car. The petrol was free. But then there’s the insurance. You can choose to not take the excess reduction charge of $27+GST a day but it means if you damage the car the excess is $3450. If you can live with that hanging over your head that’s fine but I didn’t want it ruining my time with Freeona. So I took the cheaper option of taking out domestic travel insurance (which covers rental car excess) – $30 for the whole week. That meant Freeona was a lot closer to being the free ride she promised to be.

I felt a little sad the day we parted. I took you to the airport. I’m not even sure I said goodbye. The driveway looked empty without you. I know one day we’ll get back together but for now it’s ‘thanks for the memories’ and I hope your future suitors take good care of you.

This post wouldn’t be complete with a big thank you to Air New Zealand and their partners (Shell, Avis and Telecom) for making this fun, flirty, if not brief, time with Freeona possible. Keep the free love alive!

You might not know Jodie but if you did I can guarantee your life would be richer for it. I’m not the only who knows this. Many of my friends at work know it, and have known it for a long time. A certain Richard Gould of Level 3 band fame (now known as Shaken not Stirred I think?) noticed who awesomeness some time ago. Now they’re married – I love it how awesome people find each other in this world.

I’ve known Jodie for about two years now and from the moment she greeted me when I walked in for my interview I just knew there was some different about her. When you’ve worked in an office as long as I have it’s easy to spot ‘fake office pleasantries’. Receptionists paid to smile and be nice when there are a million other places they’d rather be, and by walking in you’re only interrupting their current FarmVille session. Jodie was incredibly different, an amazing genuineness that made you feel like she was totally focused on making sure you were looked after. You weren’t an interruption to her day at all. She was genuinely happy to see you and made you feel seriously welcome. It might not sound like much but it’s actually incredibly rare, which made it all the more special.

What makes this amazing is that wasn’t just a one-off. From working there as a contractor (where she made me feel like I was ‘one of the fold’) to today, where I work there as a permanent employee, she just keeps rolling out her special brand of awesomeness. Without a doubt she is one of the reasons I love working there, and with no hint of exaggeration why this place has a unique buzz and ‘family-friendliness’ that attracts and retains great staff year after year. Simply put, she is the glue that holds this office together (and why we missed her so much when she was away for her recent honeymoon!).

Her warm outgoing personality is complemented by her sharp business mind and office management skills, her keen HR abilities boosted a hundred fold by amazing people skills, including remembering a hundred different names, even of interns only a few days old. I have no idea how she manages it all, maintaining a wicked sense of humour and a great outlook on life, and keeping us all happy. Someone give that woman a red cape!

I recently had the privilege of driving one of the cars on her big day. I would never have imagined that day when I showed up for my interview that two years later I would be part of her wedding, and I’m sure neither did Jodie but life is beautiful like that sometimes. It was one of the most touching weddings I have been to and, for someone who sucks at feeling emotion, I was suprised how many goosebumps I had. It was an incredible day and one that I’m sure will be cherished for a long time to come.

I could go on but I think you get the idea. If you know Jodie, take extra special care of her because we don’t want anything to happen to this amazing woman. The world needs as much of her special brand of awesomeness it can get! Thank you Jodie – you are a blessing to us all.

The information discussed here is primarily focused on the .co.nz TLD (Top Level Domain – used to describe the end section of a URL), however it applies in a general way to all domain names.

Domain renewal

Registered domains (such as pogostick.co.nz) are valid for a specific period of time. The minimum period a domain can be registered for is 12 months (some TLDs have a longer minimum period, for example a .co.uk domain is required to be registered for a minimum of two years.

A domain name can be registered for up to 10 years, and while this offers a small amount of SEO benefit (Google uses the domain age and length of registration as signals in determining quality sites), there is no cost saving buying multiple years.

When a domain is approaching its renewal anniversary, the domain registrar (such as Discount Domains) will issue the technical contact on the domain name with a reminder notice that the domain will need to be renewed. At PogoStick Web Services we action these reminders by issuing an invoice to the client that covers the renewal of their domain name and 12 months hosting paid in advance (which is currently $78 for a .co.nz domain name, or around $6 a month – very cheap hosting). As soon as the client pays the invoice, the domain is renewed for another 12 months. Clients are welcome to renew for longer – simply multiple the cost by the number of years registration is required for, and let us know so we can adjust the invoice.

What if a domain lapses?

The customer mentioned at the outset got into trouble when the email reminder sent out was ignored. The domain passed the expiry date without being renewed and, after about a week, enters what is known as the redemption period. The redemption period for .co.nz domains is 90 days (as set by the NZ Domain Name Commission), for other TLDs it may be less e.g. .coms are 30 days. Once in the redemption period it can only be renewed after paying a fee to the registrar to release it, normally around $150.

If the domain isn’t renewed during this period it enters a five-day delete period and then the domain can be registered again on a ‘first come, first served’ basis by anyone.

Make sure your business isn’t affected

• Check your contact details – Make sure we have your current email address – we will use the last known email address so if this has changed then please let us know to make sure you get your email reminders. In most cases we only send one reminder so it’s important to act promptly when it arrives.
• Renew for more than one year – Pay the extra to keep your domain secure for longer – it saves fussing around it with every year.
• Use the WHOIS lookup – You can find out when your domain is set to expire by entering your domain name on a WHOIS lookup page e.g. pogostick.co.nz and checking the results (see the image on this page).
• Renew early – There’s no harm in renewing early, don’t leave it to the last minute and it doesn’t mean you pay more.

If you have any questions about renewing your domain, what’s involved and what the costs are feel free to contact us.

It’s not unheard of for some outfits here in Christchurch to be charging upward of $10,000 for a business website. Then of course there are the value-priced websites (we could say cheap but some don’t like the connotation) you can get from PogoStick Web Services.

Why do website prices vary?

So why the huge variation in website prices? For expensive websites from regular providers there are the usual overheads you’ll be contributing to: director salaries, marketing teams, office rent and a healthy gross profit. But it’s not all just hot air you’re paying for – high-priced websites also tend to offer additional services such as business plan consulting, online marketing advice and writing the content. It’s this last point we’ll consider today.

DIY – Not just for builders

The thing with the extra services expensive providers offer is that most of them, with the aid of Google and a bit of time, can be learned. There is a huge amount of advice and guidance for website owners on the internet (granted some of it is of doubtful value but there are trusted sources of knowledge including Google itself).

You could literally save hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars if you learned some of these skills yourself, including writing your own content. Writing in general is not something a lot of people enjoy. They run screaming from the task, haunted and traumatised by memories of pressured exam halls and late night essays, 25,000-word requirements and unreasonable deadlines. That’s a lot of baggage and it usually means that most of us have grown up viewing writing as a chore, and not one of those pleasant chores like mowing the lawn on a summer’s day or washing the car (on your allotted watering day if you’re enduring water restrictions like we have in Christchurch at the moment).

So it’s no wonder writing is a struggle. As a professional writer I know the pain of staring at a blank page and having no clue about where to start. I also know that a lot of business owners would rather pay a lot of money to someone else to do it instead, such as a contractor like myself. But I also know that it’s entirely possible for a budget-conscious business owner to learn basic writing skills and do the job themselves, saving hundreds of dollars and getting the great website they want for their business.

What’s the secret to writing well?

Even though I have tertiary writing qualification, you don’t need one to write well. All you need is perseverance and a desire to make it easy for your audience (in your case, visitors to your business website) to learn what you’re about and what’s so great about your business – and lead them to buy! Don’t underestimate the power of a well-written website; it can literally have a sky-rocket effect on your brand and resultant sales.

So what can you do to improve your writing?

• Appreciate good writing – Learn to notice pieces that are well-written and analyse how the writer conveys their thoughts clearly and effectively. This doesn’t just have to be online. Books and newspapers are a wealth of well-crafted articles.
• Learn from others – There is plenty of advice out there from professional writers. Subscribe to blogs such as Daily Writing Tips and learn from great writers. Another blog that is maintained by a very sharp writer – and will warm your heart at the same time – is 1000 Awesome Things!
• Write, write and keep writing – Like going to the gym writing at first is hard work. Don’t let that get to you. Overcome the mental hurdle and just keep writing. Don’t critique it until you’re done – just keep going!
• Don’t write more than you have to – This may sound like I’m contradicting what I just said but when it comes to your final version that goes on your website, don’t use more words than are absolutely necessary to get your message across. As much as you dislike writing (for now anyway!) most visitors dislike reading. So use words that are carefully chosen and use them sparingly. Ignore word requirements – they will only become a mental block for you.

So get started and start writing. In fact, with your PogoStick website you have no excuses since every site has a free built-in content editor, which we discussed how to use in a previous post about editing pages in WordPress.

But it didn’t happen and the ABs happily marched on to the finals (which some friends of mine who bought tickets for the final back in February are eternally grateful for – there’s only one thing worse than watching your team play off for bronze and that’s paying $400 for a ticket to a game your team’s not playing at!).

But let’s not get ahead of ourselves. It’s too early to start playing ‘we are the champions’, don’t count your conversions before the flags are up. The French are not a team to underestimate, they’ve proved on several occasions in the past they can beat the boys in black. And even though their recent performance has been lacklustre, they’ve obviously done something right to get to the final. Who knows what will happen on the night – what if Richie gets red-carded, a French forward pass goes unnoticed by the ref or Weepu gets flour-bombed on a crucial conversion.

The French are also without the pressure of an entire nation that has been waiting 24 years to get its hands on the Webb Ellis. It’s bad enough when the family come down to watch your Saturday rugby game – forget more than four million die-hard fans glued to TVs like their life depended on it.

Download the More FM Webb Ellis song – Very funny! (3Mb) (right-click and Save As…)

All that’s left is for Commander Richie to lead his team out the tunnel on Sunday night and beat the French, what will be will be and even though Sonny Wool has predicted an AB victory the future is wide-open. Although I always thought it would’ve been nice if Dan had at least got named in the final team so he could have had a run on game night.

So what do you think the final score will be, and where are you watching it?

The tension is taking its toll and every time a ‘do or die’ game is played the nation holds its breath. Even those not previously enamoured by the sport of rugby are finding themselves restless, unable to focus and wishing Sunday’s final wasn’t taking so long to arrive. Psychologists are reaching out to remind people that it’s only a game. Interestingly the writer himself admitted to pre-game jitters. It would seem no one is immune.

You have to wonder – why the stress New Zealand? I mean on paper it’s a sure thing right? Is it a history of choking that’s getting the fans nervous? Considering the Wallabies have taken the All Blacks out in two previous semi-finals, it’s no surprise most were afraid to commit to an AB victory last Sunday. Fortunately the AB’s are firing on all 15 cylinders right now and everyone is holding their collective breath the magic will last another seven days.

Just a game

While leaving a trail of chip crumbs between the couch and the coffee table, nervously munching through a game’s worth of s’n'v chips, it got me thinking. What would happen if the All Blacks didn’t win the RWC? Would the economy fall over? Would a major (non-weather) depression set in? Would the rivers and lakes dry up? It’s that last point that leads me to my main point.

Footy aside, New Zealand is an amazing country with incredible scenery. Even if a game of rugby is lost, or the RWC slips from our grasp for another four years, that isn’t going to change. The sting of losing lasts a day or three (just ask the green and golds) yet the things that really matter still remain. The trees, the rivers, the amazing country we live in. And for the last six weeks that’s what I’ve been reminding myself of – part of the reason this blog has been a little neglected (not to mention the continual flow of website projects coming through).

Nelson – Home of the arts in the mainland

Nelson is one of my favourite destinations. Not just because I lived there for a few years (and schooled in sunny Motueka) but the place has done a great job of capitalising on its natural beauty and its slightly anti-establishment style (a bit like the Byron Bay of NZ). We drove up there, through the amazing Lewis Pass (never get tired of that drive) and stayed over a long weekend at a house with friends. Good times.

Aside from the mandatory cruising in the sun and sampling the end result of some good viticulturing, we rubbed shoulders with arty types at the famous Cubicle Art Store store for an exhibition of Atom1746 (a super hero in the art world and a finalist in the Bansky Street Art awards) and the Oi You Street Art exhibition at Founders Park.

Milford Sound – Do it now

Milford – if you haven’t done it and you live in New Zealand then shame on you. Well at least that’s how I felt and so to put a wrong right we made a trip down there one wet weekend. Flew down to Queenstown where we picked up a free relocation van from the friendly people at Jucy and headed out to our first stop – Te Anau, another destination I hadn’t, up to this point, ever reached. From a free rental van (ok so it handles like a sack of potatoes but that’s vans for ya) to $20 cruises on the Milford Sound, this was an amazing weekend that was probably a lot more affordable than most Kiwis would imagine.

The rain was relentless but we were prepared. Snacks, movies, games – I’ve never had so much fun in a motel room. In fact, I’d hardly noticed that the ongoing rain had meant Lake Te Anau was almost lapping at the door. It didn’t bother me, in fact after being down there I honestly believe the wet season is the best time to visit the place. It turns on the magic but it can also close roads as I was about to find out.

The continual rain had created a hazard on the Milford Hwy (SH94) forcing them to close the road – apparently the warm rain melts the snow, which creates an avalanche risk. We just hoped the road would reopen by the next morning so we could make it through for our 9.45am cruise. Up early the next day to find the road still closed, and with a two-hour drive we weren’t going to make it in time. Fortunately the awesome people at Jucy came to the rescue and rescheduled our cruise for the later 1.45pm slot, and by then the road had reopened. Hooray for awesome service!

The drive is absolutely incredible and we stopped so many times I’m glad there was no one behind us. Bush walks, waterfalls, lakes, mountains, misty rain, sheer cliffs that disappear into the clouds, tunnels venturing into the unknown and dramatic snow falls (hence the avalanche risk) – this place is truly amazing. The Milford cruise was fantastic (great deals to be had on bookme) and the recent torrential rain (with an average rainfall of around 7m it’s no surprise) meant all the waterfalls along the fjord were working, including the Four Sisters.

You get to see all the famous sights like Sandfly Point and Mitre Peak (also known as Rahotu, which has an interesting meaning) and complimentary teas and coffees matched our BYO picnic. Five stars!

Win or lose, we don’t know how lucky we are

So regardless of the outcome New Zealand console yourself with the fact you live in amazingly beautiful country. Tune out from work, politics, bills, domestic issues, and possibly even the rugby and get amongst it. And that’s something the Aussies, the French or even the Namibians can’t take away from us.

This created a generation of online marketers and business owners to fall into the hands of self-proclaimed and egotistical internet gurus who milked them for every cent they could, promising them nothing short of $6000 in three days and the #1 result in Google, all for the low low price of $199 … no wait just for today, it’s only $29 and we throw in this PDF of useless crap (euphemistically referred to as an eBook) that is valued at over $1000 absolutely free. To good to be true? Absolutely. Did that stop thousands of suckers from signing up. Absolutely not.

Anyway getting back to the topic of search engine rankings. The SEO craze led many along a merry path of using the recommended methods of article marketing, directory listings, blogging, and paid links, in an attempt to game the search engines.

For the most part it was a complete waste of time (and money for those who signed up to any of the many guru internet marketing courses.

So what’s the key to improving your ranking? It involves forgetting about your website for a minute and seeing the bigger picture and that means focusing on your brand.

Why brand is so important

Google’s algorithm has changed over time and while there was a time when article marketing and directory listings could influence your ranking, with Google’s Panda update, that influence dropped away. More recently Google’s Vince update has shifted the focus to what it considers as authority brands, businesses that are considered leaders in their respective fields.

So if you want to improve your rankings, improve your business branding, exposure and popularity and the ranking will follow.

Of course, you might feel that your business will never reach the heady heights of being the next Sony or Coca-cola so does that mean you should give up hope of getting on the front page of Google? No, it just means you might need to rethink your strategy.

How you can improve your business brand

To assist Google to view your business as a recognised brand in your niche, there are a few things you can do. Try the following points to boost your brand in Google’s eyes.

• Is the content on your site relevant to the product you are selling? What can the visitor gain from your site that they cannot get anywhere else?
• Keywords need to look natural in the text. Articles should not be too keyword rich. Try to include your company name in the anchor text (link text) too.
• Increase the amount of people who are searching for your brand. You will find this happens naturally as your website becomes more popular. Direct searches for your company will not happen overnight. You will need to advertise and draw in traffic using other keywords too.
• Use social networking sites. Facebook and Twitter are two great sites to use. These have millions of users every single day. Creating a business page will help you to build up an online presence. Similarly you can use same niche blogs to advertise your business. Reply to posts and get your brand noticed.
• Make good use of offline advertising too. Flyers for example can give a link to your website. Consumers can then log on directly to your site or they may search for you on Google.

So forget being obsessed with where you are in Google’s search results. Focus on building your business and the ranking will take care of itself.