This is my last post for Blueclaw so I thought I would write a post about the things I have learnt since being at the company. To make it that little bit more interesting I have listed what I have learned from A-Z as blogs have more chance of getting read if they do things a bit more creatively (that’s one thing I have learned already!)

Articles

I have found out information that I never thought I would know from creating copy for our many clients. From doors to computer cables I consider myself quite an expert on these things now ;-) so Who Wants to Be a Millionaire here I come…!

Blogging

I would like to think that I have become better at blogging. I think blogging is a really good way of extending a company brand and also has so many benefits in terms of site traffic.

Canonicalization

I still cannot pronounce it but boy does it make me sound clever when I can. A very useful word when talking about duplicate content in terms of URLS

Duplicate Content

If there is one thing I have learned that is to sort it out asap. Look at your homepage URL and give it a canonical URL. This will help get your homepage indexed quickly and also prevent any link juice from being diluted.

Educating the client

It makes your job so much easier to tell the client what you are doing and why you are doing it (not about everything though). This way your client feels happier and not neglected and you can build a better relationship from the off.

Forgetting your laptop

If you are going to take your laptop home with you remember to bring it in the morning. Very irritating having to travel back home to get it when you have already come all the way into work!

Google

That’s what we are here for right? Since working in SEO I have understood Google more and have come to really appreciate the hard work put in for what is without a doubt one of the best resources we have today.

Hanging up on cold callers

I’m not actually that harsh but I would say that about 20 minutes of my week is telling cold callers we are not interested in what they have to offer. I am now an expert in diplomatically saying no.

Interesting content

I have learnt that it is important that all content for a site is interesting, that way you increase the chances of being linked to. It’s such an easy rule to follow but so many people ignore it.

Jargon

I have learnt that is better not to spew to much jargon when talking to clients it might make us seem smart it also makes us look a bit pompous at times. So keep it to a minimum if possible.

Keep in contact with clients

After all we are consultants and so that’s what we should do –consult. Be therefore the clients and remember that just because we are knowledgeable does not mean the client is so have patience.

Listening to Radio 6

It’s become the mainstay since I started in the office and although it irritates the hell out of everyone very now and again from repeating the same songs we still cannot face turning it off!

Meta and Title information

Tweak them as soon as possible. I have worked on a few sites where over night almost they begin to rank for the targeted keyword – such as simple thing to do yet effective for the early stages.

No follows

Check whether a site has no follows. We once had a client (naming no names) who had been building links for a while and yet had no results and he enlisted our help and all we did was remove a no follow tag and voila we became heroes!

Organisation

This is probably a boring thing to write about learning (and you think I would have learnt it by now) but I have learnt that organisation is key when it comes to working with many clients. It really does bail you out at times if you organise everything you do from your desk to your computer.
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Promotional Pens

I still have a load of them on my desk from when I went to Ad:Tech back in September and they have come in very handy!

Questions

Even if you think you know all there is to know about SEO it is still worthwhile questioning other people to see if they would do something differently. It can really help develop you as an SEO.

Reading SEO blogs

I have learned so much from reading blog posts and getting a good idea of what other people do in the industry. SEO is so dynamic that trends can change from day to day and so blogs are so good for keeping up with this.

Social Media marketing

I have learned just how effective social communities are on the web. Social Media Marketing should definitely be an avenue that is explored with clients. It is a great way of getting some targeted traffic to your site.

Tomato Ketchup

I have learned not to overload the occasional morning bacon sandwich with ketchup and then eat it whilst doing work on my laptop. Eight months and I’m still trying to get the stuff out between the keys!

Umbrella – always have one to hand

Too many times has the weather been pleasant coming into work only for it to rain on the way home. Never ceases to irritate me…but I guess that’s Leeds for you ;-)

Viral marketing

It’s a phenomenon that has been around for ages I know but with social bookmarking tools like Digg and Stumble I have come to appreciate them so much more and now I can’t look at anything without thinking it could be a viral/link baiting idea.

Waiting

Unfortunately as much as we and clients would like it to be a quick process SEO is a waiting game.

Xml Sitemaps

Update whenever you update your site. Ping when you can and add to Webmaster tools! Sitemaps help your site become indexed and I have seen it work many times.

Youtube

Still one of the best sites and has given me loads of help with SEO in terms of navigating certain content management systems and giving me tips in SEO and blogging. On top of that it has made some of my lunch breaks a lot more enjoyable ;)

Zzzzzzzzzz

This may soundreally wimpy but getting the right amount of sleep can help a lot. Too many times I have gone to bed late and then have to load up on coffee in the morning…then again I guess this is one lesson I’ll never learn!

That brings me to the end. It has been an enjoyable time here at Blueclaw and I would like to thank Fergus Clawson (MD) for allowing me the opportunity I had here and would also like to wish all the staff at Blueclaw the best in the future….

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